Written by Vickie
December 23, 2011
David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s popular novel is a sharp, moody success. But I still liked the Swedish film better.
By now, everyone is familiar with the basics of the story: journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) enlists the aid of violent, angry computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) when he’s hired by wealthy Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to probe the disappearance of Vanger’s niece some 40 years ago. As Mikael and Lisbeth delve deeper into this mysterious and weirdly estranged family, secrets are unearthed, romantic entanglements emerge and plenty of brutal violence plays out onscreen – not the least of which are two graphic rape scenes that, from what I’ve heard, still pale in comparison to what one can find within the pages of the novel on which the movie is based.
Shot mostly in steely tones of blue and grey, and in a dark, shadowy world where it seems the sun never, ever shines, Tattoo is visually stunning. Clocking in at nearly two hours and 40 minutes long, it’s also an investment of time and energy for the filmgoer. Things unfold slowly but steadily, and Fincher never hurries the storytelling. Though plot points and characters get muddled and confusing from time to time – there were moments where I was only able to able follow the proceedings, and keep track of who was whom, because I’d seen the previous film – the action is anchored in two solid, if not equally fleshed-out, characters.
Craig’s Blomkvist is a rugged hero, whose dogged pursuit of justice, and determination to get the scoop, makes him fearless. Fincher has definitely amped up the character’s sexiness – check out the catalogue-worthy wardrobe and carefully measured five o’clock shadow Craig sports throughout – and audiences will no doubt swoon accordingly. Too bad the same can’t really be said of Mara’s Lisbeth.
Though her performance is spot-on and even chilling on occasion, Mara is somewhat stuck with a character who, in this version of the story, is more of a one-note vengeance machine than a complex woman with a rich back story. In fact, Lisbeth’s back story – which was given some attention in the Swedish film, so as to explain the crucial “whys” behind all her rage and violence and heartbreak – gets one throwaway, matter-of-fact line here and that’s it. Unfortunately, that undermines the character somewhat and strips her of key layers to her personality. The result? A tattooed, pierced, taser-wielding young woman who comes off as almost robotic instead of tragically sympathetic. (Even Yorick van Wageningen, as Lisbeth’s demented case worker, gets a better deal as far as character depth goes.)
Comparisons between Fincher’s film and its Swedish predecessor are inevitable and, as I said, I preferred the original to this nonetheless impressive remake. But, for folks who never bothered with the subtitled foreign incarnation, the American Tattoo will likely wow.
