Dark & Suspenseful, Unique From The European Film

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2012)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the American adaptation of the Swedish novel written by Steig Larsson. It follows the successful trilogy of Swedish films based on the popular "Millennium" book trilogy that includes, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
The original Millennium book is literally titled "Men Who Hate Women" and the themes of the film are dark and deeply disturbing...including graphic accounts of sadism, rape and murder. Intertwined with this overshadowing theme is a brilliant mystery and psychological thriller. The story centers around journalist Mikael Blomqvist who is forced to take leave from Millennium magazine after a disgraceful libel suit goes against him. Shortly after receiving a jail sentence and fine for libel, Blomqvist (played by Daniel Craig) is hired by one of Sweden's wealthiest business tycoons, Henrik Vanger. Vanger hires Blomqvist to try to solve a 40 year old murder mystery involving his niece Harriet.
The 'girl,' Lisbeth Salander, is played by Rooney Mara. Salander is hired by Vanger to do background research on Blomqvist prior to his hiring by Henrik. Salander is a computer hacker, extremely brilliant and also an abused and abandoned ward of the state. During the course of his investigations, Blomqvist finds out that Salander provided intel on him to Vanger and he hires her to work with him to help solve the case of the murdered girl.
What Salander and Blomqvist discover is the Vanger family has a dark and sordid past and they eventually uncover that certain Vanger family members were involved in brutal, ritualistic serial murders involving young women. The movie is very graphic in its presentation of sexual themes and violence. It is also clear to the viewer that Salander has experienced her own severe emotional trauma - which ultimately leads to her being a champion of the film and a champion of women.
Where the American version deviates from the European version is in the depth of the characters themselves. The American film is much more like a very dark DaVinci code, with some major twists and turns in the plot line and some decent action sequences. This does not make the American version better or worse than the European version...quite the contrary. The plot twists in the 2011 release are very refreshing and keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. So, while it delivers in terms of sheer suspense and 'good story telling,' it lacks in the sense of giving us more background on the characters themselves and what really makes them tick. In the American version, Salander is more of a robotic heroine for women, versus the European version where she is much more complex and emotional.
The main theme is that of the hero, Salander, and her ability, along with Blomqvist, to piece together clues in order to solve a four decade murder mystery involving the deaths of young women. Rooney Mara turns in an Oscar-winning performance on all levels.
I give this film a Bruno Wang 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is an incredibly gripping film, albeit at times very disturbing imagery. The smart and sophisticated plot twists keep you guessing at 'who done it' and the action and suspense are superb. In my opinion they could have added the same depth of character building that the European version does and it would have really rounded out this film.