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I know the film has been out for over a year and the DVD for a while but I only got to watch 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' - whose original and more potent title was 'Men Who Hate Women' (a far more appropriate title given the nature of the book) - the other day. Having read the Millennium Trilogy (this is part one) by Stieg Larsson last year I was always looking forward to the film versions of the books. They're made for film whether on the big or small screen (infact, I believe this film was originally a two part television film re-edited into a big screen version) as they're over the top, with plenty of puzzle solving, plot twists, melodrama, violence and filled with well drawn characters engaged in a plot that moves forward at a relentless pace. Underlying the books is of course a number of serious subjects including racism, patriarchal misogyny, sexual violence and globalization - a reminder that all is not well in social democratic Sweden, a country we often view as enlightened and liberal, a country unlike our own.
So, for those of you who haven't read the books I'm afraid you'll have to go elsewhere for a synopsis. Suffice to say that the trilogy makes for great holiday reading and if like me you're prone to reading thrillers late at night be warned; this book and its companions are pages turners and the chances of you getting much sleep are minimal.
So to the film, let me begin by saying that I'm glad I saw the Swedish version first. David Fincher is directing the Hollywood version next year with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara (Tanner Hall, Dare, The Winning Season, The Social Network) in the lead roles and although I'm looking forward to seeing how they approach it I can't see quite how they're going to capture the psychological atmosphere of Sweden well as their Swedish counterparts.
I think there's an inherent problem with all films adapted from a book written by someone from another culture. To visually express the tonal qualities, nuances and spirit of another culture through film is extremely difficult. This is made all the more harder when you're trying to condense and stay true to a book that has a packed narrative - and enough plotlines to make a number of films - running to over 500 pages. I have no doubt that David Fincher - a Director I very much admire - will do a great job with the pulp aspect of the 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' and its partner books in the trilogy. However, underneath the surface of the books lie important questions about Swedish society. These ugly truths, the sub text, are far more difficult to thread into the film - as they need to be given space to breathe and tell their own story - and are best approached through tone, rhythm, colour, atmosphere and a Swedish cultural sensibility. It is this aspect of the film that I fear will be lost in translation. So America taking on plot and character, yes definitely, dealing with the dark undercurrent that runs throughout the book and the rest of the trilogy, namely the societal issues that preoccupy many Swedish crime writers including; Henning Mankell, Hakan Nesser, Mari Jungstedt and of course Stieg Larsson, I don't think so.
Now let's talk about the film itself. It is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but it's a good thriller, its star definitely Noomi Rapace - an incredible performance - as the androgynous, bisexual, computer-hacking twenty-something, Lisbeth Salander. She is a cool chick and uber - nerd, the perfect anti - heroine for the 21st century. She's odd, disturbed, intelligent, highly moral (in her own way), utterly uncompromising, violent, full of righteous anger and dispassionate - a fascinating character and wholly engaging. To be honest I can't see anyone matching her. She's going to be a real hard act to follow. Apparently she got the part after the producer saw her in a Sarah Kane play in Stockholm. If you know the work of Sarah Kane then it might give you some idea of the difficulty and depth of character one would need to have to play the part convincingly.
The other lead character, Mikael Blomkvist played by Mchael Nyqvist, plays his part well as the investigative journalist, the locations are beautiful and bleak, the Director, Niels Arden Opley does a good job of keeping the various plot threads (and there are many) together and the cinematography has a consistent wintery and atmospheric feeling to it.
So, if you haven't read the books and enjoy a fast paced thriller involving complicated relationships (something the film actually leaves out), great characters, violent set pieces and a cracking yarn then buy them, read them, enjoy them. If you want to be entertained any night of the week then you won't go wrong by renting this film out from your local video shop. No, it's not a great film but it's a good Friday night flick to be watched with munchies. I for one am looking forward to the next two films in the series; 'The Girl Who Played With Fire' and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest' and am particularly looking forward to watching Noomi Rapace play Lisbeth Salander again. As for the David Fincher version with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, It'll make for interesting comparisons.