I will start this piece off by saying that I thought the Swedish adaptation of the wildly popular book series was one of the top ten movies of 2009. With a haunting and methodical pace and tone it had an eerie quality that when combined with Noomi Rapace fiery performance as Lisbeth Salander made for a surprisingly enrapturing experience. I was so caught up in the film it had me driving significantly out of my way to catch the very limited releases of the two subsequent sequels as they came to the US. Suffice to say when it was announced studios were going to "Americanize" these films I was confused; Why wouldn't audiences just go see the original Swedish films? It made me angry that some people refused to see the moves simply because they would have to read the subtitles, how much do people need to be spoon feed.
But as details were released my anticipation grew, David Fincher directing, the man sure knows his way around dark crime films with his previous films Se7en and Zodiac being some of the greatest forays into the genre. Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist was an inspired choice and the out of nowhere casting of relatively unknown actress Rooney Mara was intriguing since her most prolific role was in David Fincher's previous directorial effort, The Social Network, as Mark Zuckerbergs girlfriend. The movie had some really great early buzz but I was still skeptical, so here I am about to delve into what I always hope will be a detailed and informative review but also trying my best to get across my exact feeling on the original this remake and each of their strengths and weakness.
The opening sequence of Fincher's "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is beautifully crafted with a fantastic score by Trent Raznor and Atticus Ross the duo who crafted the fantastic Golden Globe and Academy Award wining score on The Social Network. They return here giving a score that in my opinion out does their previous work by a wide margin, they seamlessly blend heavy-metal undertones with sharp and tension building cords, its all really quite impressive. But after the gorgeous leather and technology filled intro the movie gets to work quick, already having its lead character Blomkvist being successfully sued for libel and losing his reputation. Rooney Mara makes quite the entrance herself, with your first look at her as strapped, zipped, pierced, dyed and disinterested as anyone can hope to look. Mara dives head first into this role and quickly sets out to differentiate herself from Rapace's performance by portraying Lisbeth as a more vulnerable and traumatized person. Rapace's performance in retrospect was to easy, and comes off overly aggressive to the point where its hard to sympathize. And while many people will take this as sacrilegious, I truly believe Rooney Mara embodies a more humanizing yet still incredibly fierce Lisbeth, which I think gives her portrayal more depth and earns significantly more sympathy. Simply put Mara is a revelation as Lisbeth and gives one of the very best and truly transformative performances of the year.
Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist gives a far better portrayal than Michael Nyqvist, who even when I originally saw the film came across as too light hearted and just generally out of place. Craig on the other hand is the rock which everything else in the film crashes into. He is our eyes to the story and he is fantastic. I will admit I think I enjoyed his performance in this film more simply because of how unlike his typical roles it is. He is curious and determined to earn back his reputation and its a great driving force to the film. More important than any of that however is his relationship with Lisbeth which is infinitely more interesting as are their true feeling for one another. Lisbeth in the original film was simply intrigued with Blomkvist and when she threw herself atop him one night, she just as quickly tossed him aside. While in Fincher's version they both gain something out of their relationship. Lisbeth finds what I'm sure she would hesitate to call love, in the one man in her life who doesn't treat her like shit and in fact treats her with the utmost respect. It helps that Craig and Mara are also absolutely terrific together, coming across like a perfect albeit incredibly bizarre couple. Its quite touching really, the way Lisbeth begins to let her guard down and even show interest in a real relationship beyond simple sexual pleasure given her horrifying past. It became such that their relationship was my favorite part of the film.
The big mystery, as to who in the royally screwed up Vangar family killed their own flesh and blood, Harriet Vangar is the driving question in Blomkvist and eventually Salanders investigation, and all-in-all it is vastly superior in the Swedish film. The original Swedish film spent the majority of its time in the investigation with the main characters getting interviews and police reports from various towns and their residents. Fincher opts to leave the investigation a little more spontaneous with several "light-bulb" moments striking a new lead or inquiry into the great mystery. While I greatly appreciate the quicker pace of the new film, I felt like the original really made the mystery much more compelling with several possible suspects and even more red herrings. While the new films mystery is completely squandered by having the only other well known actor as one of the suspects, it really ruins the ultimate reveal but its still at the very least an interesting journey. The last thing I'll mention has to do with the films look, which was very sparse and chilling in the original Swedish film, here its a little more in your face. The much talked about rape scene is especially brutal in Finchers version coming across even more gut-wrenching and horrifying, which in turn makes the eventual payback even more satisfying. But generally Fincher strives for a more stylish and cohesive tone, so when it breaks into scenes of graphic violence it doesn't seem jarring as it sometimes did in the original.
In conclusion, Finchers remake is better in someways and worse in other and for every flaw in this film the Swedish films thrive and vica-versa. Its quite amazing really how perfectly mirrored these two films are. Fincher depicts its characters and their relationship far better than the original film but the original included an engaging mystery that kept you guessing till the end. Both films have their merits and so I can safely say both films deserve your attention. Neither is better than the other and they even compliment each other in an odd way, its really the best outcome that could have occurred. Two slightly different takes on the same story and both utterly captivating and mesmerizing in their own way.
(4 out of 5) >> "American"
(4 out of 5) >> "Swedish/ Original"
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