The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig (Mikael Blomkvist), Rooney Mara (Lisbeth Salander)
Christmas came early this year--December 21st, 2011, to be exact--with the release of David Fincher's adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Based on Stieg Larsson's first of three mystery/thrillers from his international bestselling Millennium trilogy, the story follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) who is recruited by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy patriarch, to investigate the disappearance of his niece that has haunted him for over forty years. Aiding Blomkvist in his search is young computer hacker, with a photographic memory and dragon tattoo, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Together, the two uncover the truth, facing danger along the way.
Okay, the inevitable questions every fan is going to ask: how does Fincher's film compare to the book? How does his film compare to the Original Swedish version?
Well, in regards to the former question, Fincher does a mostly true adaptation of the book... it is just that he decided to cut out some details the book went into. For example, Larsson's book goes into great depth detailing how Blomkvist came by the information that got him convicted for libel. There are literally 70 pages worth of financial jargon no everyday reader would understand. Therefore, I say plus one for Fincher. His cuts are calculated and for the audiences sake (the film is already 158min long).
Another example of "missing" detail--and I quote missing because the detail is in the movie, it is just subtle--is Larsson talks more about Lisbeth's photographic memory. Fincher, however, does not make those characteristics so obvious through a blatant statement. Instead, the audience infers Lisbeth's photographic memory through her actions. I would say the cuts are, simply, good film making. Everything cannot and should not be explained (it would be terribly boring).
Now, the latter question is harder to answer. Mostly because both films have scenes that appear exactly the same. Both films do have their differences, however, and the jury is still out on which style is better. The original Swedish version maintains a creepier and darker overall tone, while Fincher's version is more stylistic (but lacks a final umph). What really sets these movies apart, I believe, are the casted characters. Both Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara fit Larsson's original descriptions (along with a majority of the casted characters), a detail missing in the Swedish version.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a movie worth seeing in theaters.
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