“What is it that makes someone go against their instinct? How is it that it’s more painful to be impolite, than to endure pain?”
While this line, and psychological question, is posed to the main character by the killer, this really doesn’t spoil much— by the time you get to this line in the movie you will know who the killer is, but “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Director David Fincher, is not about the destination, so much as it is about setting, place, and, above all, atmosphere. Suffice it to say the movie does all three very, very, well.
The setting is Sweden, and is painted here in all its glory. We get to see both sides, both the bohemia of Stockholm and the wintery dolor of the lonely island where much of the movie takes place as it pieces together its story. We are introduced to the film’s unlikely protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig, “Casino Royale”), a magazine journalist who has just been hit with a libel suit over his misrepresentation of a powerful business owner in the community. Rather than bring the magazine down with him, he defects, leaving it in the hands of his co-editor.
Blomkvist gets a break from his legal duress when he is contacted by Henrik Vagner, an aged man living on the quiet island of Hedestadt. Under the guise of writing Vagner’s memoirs, Blomkvist moves into a small house owned by the man; however, his real task is not writing, but research. Vagner wishes him to uncover secrets about his tight-lipped family–namely, solving the disappearance and probable murder of his niece Harriet, 40 years ago. The exploration of this crime takes Blomkvist deep into the Vagner Family and puts him in contact with local police, and it is here that he learns of a “Rebecca Case” — an unsolved crime that tears at the underbelly of a cop, and a community. Harriet wasn’t the first girl to disappear from Hedestadt without a trace.
Interwoven with Blomkvist’s story, we are also introduced to Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara, “The Social Network”) playing the titular role. A gifted researcher, often by less than honest means, Salander’s character is in many ways the heart of the movie, and is played wonderfully here by Rooney Mara. Psychologically troubled, and set under the thumb of an abusive Social Service worker, she struggles to get along on her own, as she has for years.
Salander’s character is defined through her reaction to her surroundings and to the situations she navigates through. To a Social Service worker (abusive in every sense of the word), she appears both vulnerable and ironically strong; to Blomkvist, who solicits her help in solving the case of missing Harriet, she is smart, thorough, and sexy. As the movie progresses we get to see more sides of her, and certainly like what we see. A friend suggested that Rooney’s performance was “worth the price of admission alone;” and while agreeing with this wholeheartedly might be a bit much, his comment is certainly not too far off the mark.
As the setting goes, viewers couldn’t be in for more of a treat. Set in winter, one can almost feel that they are cooped up on the island with Blomkvist as he undergoes his investigation. The movie is cold, and feels that way, both for audiences and for Blomkvist. As he lights a fire to warm himself, we feel, like he, a creepiness abound that even bright embers cannot burn out. Fans of 2010’s “The American,” starring George Clooney, may find the setting, and pace of that movie, to be similar. There is action, there is progression, but it’s a cooperative kind of action, one that forces our engagement if we are to understand and experience the end result.
The movie does come to a head, but it would be amiss to talk about the conclusion, Blomkvist’s findings, or the ultimate result of his journalistic disgrace as it comes full circle. You simply have to see the movie to experience it. “The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo,” while superb, is not a story you can read cliffnotes to, and not one you can glean from summaries on IMDB or even this review–you have to see it, have to live it, and have to experience it in order to understand.
With riveting action, breathtaking atmosphere, a wonderfully ambient soundtrack, and stellar performances from Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Joley Richardson, and the always-enjoyable Stellan Skarsgård, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is a hard one for us to beat up on. Watch it, enjoy it, and don’t be surprised if your expectations of Hollywood films is slightly elevated after this one.
– by Mark Ziobro
