THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
(REVIEW)
Rated MA - 158 mins
Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin
Wright, Julian Sands, Steven Berkoff
Happy new 'movie' year to all my readers and with so many
bright bubbly festive family films around for the holidays, this remake
of the European thriller is about to change all that.
Adapted from the Millennium novel series by late author
Stieg Larsson, devoted fans of the books and film trilogy (made for
Danish television which received worldwide acclaim) may begin to shudder.
Still set in Sweden blanketed in snow, director David Fincher (Panic
Room, Fight Club) has made a classy english language version that should
keep purists happy until the final scenes of dysfunction which I will
not give away here.
The murky story of an elderly millionaire Henrik Vanger
(Christopher Plummer) cut off from the mainland, living pseudo reclusive
on a family island, yearns to know the truth about his beloved niece
who died over forty years ago. Vanger embarks on hiring a vulnerable
under siege journalist in trouble for libel to do the detective work
on the niece. As far from his James Bond persona as cinematically possible,
Daniel Craig is a ruined man, also sympathetic in a discerning way as
Mikael Blomkvist.
To say the Vanger family has skeletons in the closet is
an understatement and that becomes even more evident when Blomkvist
is provided a cottage, becoming a resident during the investigation.
But is he sharing the island with mass murderers? Enter Lisbeth Salander,
a computer hacking genius employed by corporations to break in and test
security systems and among other things, expose discrepancies the fraud
squad cannot. Her goth exterior is tough, hyperactive and street smart,
while only involved in limited distant relationships with fellow technology
geeks. Her regular visits to a parole officer become demented and take
a turn for the worse before they get better.
Of course, circumstances intervene and she meets Blomkvist
whom unbeknown to him, is an expert of his past. These two opposites
work together uncovering sinister secrets in a circle of hellish historic
incidents that may or may not be linked to the case on hand. The pair
also form an appetite for each other embarking into sexual convenience
rather than emotional. Without drawing comparisons to amazing Noomi
Rapace of the original, Rooney Mara holds her own as gothic motorcycle
riding Salander. Not just the waif like pierced appearance, but age
defining attitude. Plucked from obscurity, although I tipped big things
from her after her turn on the little seen, Youth in Revolt, Mara is
constantly unforgettable in progressively bleaker scenes.
The sprawling length of the film adds to the dark, twisted
and insane build up literally giving you chills like the freezing temperatures
displayed on screen. Adding to the superb cast are support from iconic
veteran Steven Berkoff, former 'Warlock' Julian Sands and Australian
Alan Dale. The bizarre score conducted by Trent Renzor of band 'Nine
Inch Nails' adds to the extremities. Even the soundtrack is not suitable
for children.
A genuine risk to remake, director Fincher delivers a
mesmerising, depressing and eye-opening master-class in tense filmmaking
not soon forgotten.
Shane A. Bassett
