THE GIRL WITH A DRAGON TATTOO (REVIEW)
Here
is a film with layer upon layer of detail and enough perversities to keep you
captivated until the very end. Based on a global bestselling novel from author,
the late Stieg Larsson, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is the first part of
his acclaimed, millennium trilogy.
Mikael is a middle aged
journalist who has been convicted on libel and forced to resign from his magazine
headquarters in shame. In Sweden, where this tale is set, that means jail time.
In between reporting to prison, he is hired to be a private investigator in a
strangely forgotten disappearance of an industrialist's niece some 40 years earlier.
Meanwhile,
Lisbeth, the tattooed and pierced girl of the title, is an angry, bisexual and
wild individual who is actually following Mikael on her own investigation. Conveniently
as it may seem, via unlikely plot machinations, the pair team up to find the missing
niece together becoming an obscure chalk and cheese detective duo.
What
follows are Nazi revelations, forced vengeance, dungeons and unearthing of some
rather large skeletons in the family closet. There is even an abrupt trip down
under, all the while someone is out to stop the pair in their travels, even more
revelations come to pass.
Shades of 'Silence of the Lambs'
come to the fore in an act of revenge from Lisbeth on her abusive guardian that
will certainly jolt your senses. No more spoiling plot points from me, just see
this hypnotic film for yourself. For those who have read the book, there have
been some minor altercations in this big screen translation. At 152 minutes however,
the story doesn't seem too abridged in my eyes.
After the brilliance
of last year's thriller, 'Let The Right One In' (one of my favourite films of
2009), the Swedish film industry is on a roll with this also bearing the markings
of genre classic. A star is 'Bjorn' with Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. Her aggressive
nature occasionally shows a lighter side, but this neo punk on a motorcycle is
a gothic sight to behold.
Michael Nyqvist adds to the intrigue
as the brooding Mikael, but it's the Danish director Niels Arden Oplev, who seems
to let his actors run free. Despite the characters often flawed complications,
this is efficient storytelling. Like most successful foreign films, a Hollywood
version is in the works. It will have to be faithful to the original to pack the
same punch.
If you're after an easy going trip to the cinema,
avoid this traumatic film. For everyone else, consider it unmissable.
Shane
A. Bassett
