Thumbs Up Swedish over the American!

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2012)

I watched Daniel Craigs American version last night and I watched the Swedish version again this afternoon after first watching it a month ago. I felt it necessary to make a reasonable comparison between thew two movies. I have not read the book.
A month ago I also watched 'Dream House" in which Daniel Craig also had a somewhat bizarre but nonetheless starring role. I felt his acting delivery was on a par with that and not with his performances as James Bond or Doctor Who. That is not, however, to mock it.
This film in both versions is, of course, about a girl with a dragon tattoo and its meaning to her in her life. In the Swedish version, Lisbeth is more of a loner, intense, unemotional and single-minded in her purpose, whereas in the American version, she is portrayed as somewhat collusions and even romantic.
She is a young woman who has suffered a lot in her young life and yet fights on. She is gravely misrepresented but she is strong and takes on super heroine status. She does not like men for a reason, so I do question her intimacy with Michel in David Finchers American version.
The beginning and end of the David Fincher movie are not in the Swedish version and thankfully so, though that is not to mock those stories as ridiculous; they are not. I just feel that they were not necessary to tell the story and should have been substance for another movie about this amazing young lady.
Daniel Craig is much too cool for my liking in his role as an investigator and what he has to investigate. there is much more purpose and intent with Michael Nyqvist.
There is apparent nudity in both movies of Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara, especially in the lesbian scenes and anal sex scene. Though I like David Finchers films generally, I do think he has missed an opportunity.
Surely this total story is about a vengeful young woman against a backdrop to human trafficking of young women (called meaningless whores in both movies as I now recall)administered by a bunch of crazy family members who were also paedophiles with their own children somewhat in remote Sweden.
The two main stories in the Swedish film of us trying to understand Lisbeths life and why she is being pursued while a group of investigators work together on a significant news story about human trafficking.
It is also important to say that Lisbeth is a brilliant computer hacker and her hacking skills work well with her investigative abilities.
As with Hollywood always, whether David Fincher intended it or not, they 'overkill' the storyline and spoil the curious association which existed between Lisbeth and Michel into something that it was not.
Despite all that, the American version is still an excellent film but it is just that I personally think, produced on a smaller budget, the Swedish version with its more subtle acting, is a whole lot more superior.
if Rooney Mara gets an Oscar for best actress (I think Glenn Close will win for Albert Nobbs)then she should share it with Noomi Rapace.
I remain mystified why it was considered appropriate to make two different version of pretty much the same story with a few add on and changes here and there.
The first hour is a bit sluggish and there is little, if any, no action, an awful lot of plain dialogue.
Go and enjoy the movie however because there is a lot to enjoy - but make sure you see the Swedish version as well - with subtitles!