Stieg Larsson's trilogy of Swedish novels featuring Lisbeth, the girl with the dragon tattoo who also played with fire and kicked the hornet's nest, have already been translated into numerous languages, finding great popularity here in the States. The books have also already been made into a trilogy of Swedish-language films starring the now iconic Noomi Rapace. We now have another adaptation: the inevitable English film translation. Director David Fincher proves once again that he is more than capable of creating great films from a wide variety of sources. This film is, in my opinion, even greater than the original one. Those of us who have either read the book or seen the movie already know the story. It is Fincher's job to make us love it again, while also providing appropriate interest to newcomers. He does his job well.
The film has Daniel Craig starring as a man hired to investigate the decades-old murder of a teenage girl who disappeared from the island on which lives the entire family. Rooney Mara stars as a young, computer-savvy investigative genius who has been labeled insane and therefore is forced to submit to various discomforts from the Law. You remember that name Rooney Mara, because this kid's going places. Any film version of this story relies almost exclusively on the success of this enigma of a character. Rapace was so perfect originally that doubts were raised as to whether or not a new girl could fill her piercings. Mara is equally perfect in different ways, because this is not the same movie over again. Mind you, the material has not changed, but the direction has. Whereas the original film acted like it had told this story a million times before and needed to get it all over with, this one is more excitable in its telling, like it knows it has a big secret it can't wait to tell. I marveled at the fact that here was the great mystery movie I was so desperately missing while watching the latest Sherlock Holmes rip-off. It certainly isn't anywhere near as pleasant, but it knows how to actually build tension and interest. You know you have a good movie when you remain on the edge of your seat despite already knowing how it turns out.
I wasn't entirely pleased with Craig at first, picturing him too much as a confident Bond type when he shouldn't be, but I warmed up to his portrayal in the end. Besides, it is not really all that important that we associate with him, and the highlight of the movie is still Mara, who plays one of the most interesting new fictional personalities. I originally envisioned her as a symbol of modern femininity. She defies female tradition with her motorcycle and numerous piercings. If she is capable of feeling, she hides it whenever possible. She is bisexual, meaning she may as well be asexual. She is abused by one of her trustees, but she gets revenge in a way that would make Quentin Tarantino proud. This is the girl who is fighting back against the modern system, and yet, here for the first time, I realized how human such a person would have to be. At the end of the film, we see Lisbeth with a broken heart, but only after she had declared herself happy. She even very nearly almost smiles, sort of.
I never thought Noomi Rapace could have been replaced, and I still say that this is a separate, equal film for a different kind of audience. For performances, Rooney Mara does an admirably brave job here, becoming an equal with her predecessor. The movie itself is handled with even greater care than ever with Fincher's exquisitely controlled direction, and all that greatness mixed with the beautifully eerie, award-worthy cinematography made it a joy to watch. If I enjoyed it this much, I can only imagine what it will be like for those who don't know the story.
10/10
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