‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is a graphic murder mystery with great performances

Stieg Larsson’s trilogy of books surrounding the mysterious Lisbeth Salander has spawned an ever-growing franchise. The books are bestsellers, and their original Swedish adaptations for the silver screen were well received. Now comes the inevitable American remake, starring Daniel Craig as journalist Mikael Blomkvist, recent Academy Award winner Christopher Plummer as wealthy landowner Henrik Vanger and Rooney Mara as the title character. As directed by David Fincher, the most recent interpretation is a slick whodunit that relies on graphic displays of violence and sexuality to tell its story. It’s an effective piece of cinema, but one that is difficult to bear.

Lisbeth is a computer hacker of the highest degree. She works for a clandestine organization, helping to find vital information on a variety of high-profile clients. She’s a peculiar girl with a sordid (and sad) history. Labeled “insane” when she was young, the orphan became a ward of the state and subject to a bureaucratic system that took advantage of her at almost every turn.

We first meet the girl — sporting tattoos, a strange haircut and chic clothing style — after she’s heard the news of her most recent guardian’s stroke. The elderly man was the closest thing she had to a father, and now he’s incapacitated and her file is sent to the sadistically creepy Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen). He has control over Lisbeth’s money and holds the purse strings very, very tight. The only way she’s able to receive her well-earned cash for the bare necessities of life is by giving her body over to Nils in the most inhumane and violent of ways. Trust me, these scenes are not pretty and will test the patience of any audience member.

In a parallel storyline, we learn about Mikael, who has become the laughing stock of the Swedish press. As a journalist, he’s disgraced for a guilty verdict in a media-saturated libel case that promises to shut down his magazine and end his career. When all looks lost, both personally and professionally, Mikael receives a message that there may be one more investigative story worth hunting.

The esteemed Vanger company, headed by Henrik Vanger, hires Lisbeth to look into Mikael’s past. After realizing he was more of a standup guy then the press made him out to be, Vanger hires the journalist to solve a decades-old murder mystery. Henrik’s great-niece has been missing for 40-some years, and the old man wants Mikael to find the killer. He hands over the family’s records and photographs, beginning the painful process of opening a can of worms. Reluctantly, Mikael agrees to the job, and it doesn’t take long for him to find much more than he thought possible.

Both story lines are brought together when Mikael employs the help (and company) of Lisbeth. Together the two are a crack team of investigators who flip through the Vanger family history with a scrutinizing eye.

Craig and Mara are perfectly cast in the movie. He’s studious and practical; she’s introverted and abrupt. They play these two characters with a sense of reality, rather than as caricatures. Lisbeth, in particular, could be all style and rebellion, but Mara grounds her in pain, dissatisfaction and darkness.

Plummer is also quite good in his small role, while Robin Wright is enjoyable as Mikael’s publisher.

Fincher, an able director, has crafted an invigorating tale out of Steven Zaillian’s screenplay. It’s edgy and sometimes nail-bitingly intense. But it’s also far from perfect. The adaptation becomes self-indulgent, especially in the last third of the film when the finale extends so long that the final running time clocks in at 158 minutes. These characters are interesting, but hardly worthy of so much examination.

Then there’s the graphic violence. It’s true that the original story is dark and difficult to endure; any book or movie dealing with the unfortunate reality of rape and murder will be sorrowful and depressing. However, when seeing some of these scenes brought to horrible life in the movie, it begs the question: When does a plot leave reality and become overly excessive? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo walks this fine line, and it will depend on each audience member whether Fincher succeeds or not.

No matter what one thinks of the film, there’s no denying the movie features quality acting, editing, cinematography and writing. It has a real movement and fluidity, and although the plot can become quite convoluted, these characters help us understand (and, more importantly, feel) for this sorry chain of events and the many people stuck in its whirlwind.

It’s a difficult film to sit through, but one that earns its appreciation.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

• 2011

• Directed by David Fincher

• Written by Steven Zaillian; based on the original novel by Stieg Larsson

• Starring Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig and Christopher Plummer

• Running time: 158 minutes

• Rated R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language

• Rating: