Rooney Mara makes Salander her own.
With the
exception of a prolonged siege of brutal sexual violence, everything about
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is terrific. Unfortunately, the siege is
essential in establishing misogyny as the underpinning of the film. Director
David Fincher faced a tough task considering the enormous popularity of Stieg
Larson's novels and the movies made of them in Sweden. He has succeeded in
making an instant classic of this mystery/thriller.
Fincher
accomplishes the unlikely in three ways: superb timing, great filming, and close
to perfect casting. I remember writing about my doubts that an American version
could succeed because Noomi Rapace would be irreplaceable as Lisbeth Salander.
How wrong I was. Rooney Mara makes Salander her own.
Salander is
that most elusive thing - a lead character so swathed in mystery that we spend
most of the film wanting to understand her. Damaged, but private, she is someone
who reveals nothing about her inner self until suddenly, and only occasionally,
she snaps out a short rebuke or dispatches an enemy without comment. She then
plants the black motorcycle helmet on her head and roars off into the darkness.
Lacking any degree of comfort with other human beings, she is always pursuing a
goal, usually standing at her computer - never time to sit - where her skills
are without limit.
With the main
role firmly and finely in place, Daniel Craig steps in and cloaks Mikael
Blomkvist, journalist and editor, with his own engaging version of an
investigative reporter. Teaming with Salander, he quickly comes to respect both
her superior research skills and her fierce fearlessness. Asking nothing of her
but her skill, he wins both her respect and her loyalty.
When they
meet, Blomkvist has been driven from his magazine while Salander has been
savagely beaten and raped by the trustee of her funds (she is a ward of the
state). You need money? Do this. As investigators, they are hired to tackle a
crime that took place in the Vanger family 40 years ago. By way of introduction,
the Vanger patriarch, (a sublime Christopher Plummer), says "You will be
investigating the most detestable group of people you have ever met - my
family."
The bridge
that brings people to and from the family island becomes a central focus in the
film. Whipped by wind in darkness lit only by the brilliance of snow, the mere
sight of the bridge alarms us. Even in a warm theater, we are cold. Director
Fincher knows how to give the invaluable gift of a sense of place.
Just try to
keep your eyes off Christopher Plummer. Is there a finer actor on stage or
screen? Joely Richardson, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgard, and Moa Garpendal
give marvelous support to Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. All are key players in a
curiously compelling story. It may be dark, but David Fincher has made sure the
story, the actors, and the location transcend the grisly brutality at its core.
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