The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film)

Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the story of a disgraced journalist who is hired by a billionaire to discover the disappearance of the man’s niece some 36 years ago. The journalist then teams up with an unconventional researcher where they uncover a bigger secret that revolves around the murder of women many years back. Directed by David Fincher and screenplay by Steve Zaillian, the U.S. version of the film shows a very different take on the popular Swedish novel. Starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Steven Berkoff, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Goran Visijnic, and Stellan Skarsgard. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from David Fincher.

After losing a libel case against billionaire Hans-Erik Wennerstrom (Ulf Friedberg), journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is facing a prison sentence as well as the possible loss of Millennium magazine which he runs with editor/lover Erika Berger (Robin Wright). When an attorney named Dirch Frode (Steven Berkoff) contacts Blomkvist about coming to Hedeby Island in Hedestad, Blomkvist reluctantly goes to meet aging billionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). The ailing Vanger has just received another flower portrait as he is still haunted by the disappearance of his niece Harriet (Moa Garpendal) some 40 years ago where he asks Blomkvist to solve the mystery while offering him information on Wennerstrom that Blomkvist could use as he moves to a nearby cottage.

Meanwhile, a young researcher named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is dealing with the stroke of her state-sponsored guardian as her finances are handled by a sadistic lawyer named Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen). After some horrific sexual encounters with Bjurman, Salander fights back as she was able to get some money while still hacking into Blomkvist’s computer whom she was hired by Frode to look into. After a visit from his teenage daughter Pernilla (Josefin Asplund), Blomkvist makes a breakthrough in finding out Harriet’s disappearance which relates to the Vanger family association with the Nazis and the mysterious murders that had occurred in Sweden for many years. After Vanger falls ill and the family want Blomkvist out, Blomkvist still wants to continue as Frode suggests getting Salander to help out as the two meet.

With Salander and Blomkvist each delving into the mysteries of these murders as Salander travels around Sweden while Blomkvist talks to people in the family. Both realize that someone doesn’t want them to finish the investigation as they’re getting closer to solving the mystery. With Blomkvist also dealing with a possible prison sentence, Lisbeth helps him out with his own legal issues by making some moves on her own as the two would eventually uncover the mystery of Harriett Vanger’s disappearance.

The film is about a journalist and a researcher uncovering the disappearance of a young girl some 36 years ago who was possibly killed. Yet, it’s also about two very different people whose job is to find things as they come together in this mystery where it would lead to religious-driven yet ritualistic murders, a family’s Nazi past, and what happened to this young girl. Screenwriter Steve Zaillian creates a story that is faithful to the book and has a similar structure of sorts to the 2009 version of the film. The major difference is that smaller characters such as Erika Berger, Dirch Frode, security officer Dragan Armansky (Goran Visijnic), and Nils Bjurman are given more to do while there is also some ambiguity that concerns the character of Anita Vanger (Joely Richardson) whom had not contacted the family for years.

While a lot of the suspense, violent content, and subplots relating to Lisbeth’s own life and Blomkvist’s own legal issues are there. There are a few flaws in the script in Zaillian’s approach to the story such as an inclusion of a scene where Erika visits Blomkvist at Hedestad to make a deal with Vanger about the magazine which does help out the part in Blomkvist’s own legal and financial issues. It just doesn’t really seem to fit in with the film while some of the discovery of clues aren’t as drawn out though the scene where Blomkvist’s daughter talks about Bible quotes leading to Blomkvist finding out a clue is a nice creation of its own. Despite those drawbacks, Zaillian’s script is still quite engaging for its suspense as well as creating fantastic development for the film’s main characters.

David Fincher’s direction of the film is truly hypnotic from an extremely crazy opening credits sequence to the entrancing images of the Swedish location in its snowy scenes as well as some of the nighttime scenes. There is also an intensity to the way Fincher films Lisbeth’s motorcycle rides and a chase scene in the third act while he also keeps it simple for some conversation-driven and dramatic scenes. Still, Fincher’s mastery in suspense is quite energetic without being too fast while building momentum to allow the mystery to unfold. Overall, Fincher creates a very solid and exciting film that is gritty and also exotic in its imagery.

Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth does a superb job with the film‘s stylish yet gorgeous cinematography from the snowy landscapes of the Hedeby Island to the low-colored yet eerie look of the nighttime exteriors of the highways and cities plus the interiors that are filled low-lights to play out some of the darker portions of the film. Editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall do a fantastic job with the editing in creating montages of Lisbeth and Blomkvist each doing their own investigation while utilizing jump-cuts and other stylistic-cuts to help maintain a slightly fast but leisured pace for the film.

Production designer Donald Graham Burt, along with set decorator K.C. Fox and art director Mikael Varhelyi, does an excellent job with the set pieces created such as the large home of Henrik Vanger to the small cottage that Blomkvist and Lisbeth lived in during the investigation. Costume designer Trish Summerville does a wonderful job with the costumes from the casual yet cold clothing for the entire cast to the more Gothic, punk-inspired look of Lisbeth. Visual effects supervisor Eric Barba does a fine job with the minimal visual effects used in the film to add a few touches for the film‘s visual look. Sound designer Ren Klyce does a phenomenal job with the sound work to help enhance some of the chilling suspense of the film as well as play up the cold location of the island that Vanger lives in.

The film’s music includes pieces ranging from electronic, metal, and pop that’s played on location including one of the most disturbing uses of Enya’s Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) for a very gruesome scene. Yet, the large portion of the film’s score and soundtrack is dominated by Nine Inch Nails’ mastermind Trent Reznor and longtime cohort Atticus Ross. The score by Reznor and Ross has an unsettling feel due to the electronic arrangements the band puts into the sound ranging from dark ambient to intense yet dissonant industrial-driven pieces. Reznor and Ross also contribute a couple of covers such as Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, with Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist Karen O, and Bryan Ferry’s Is Your Love Strong Enough? performed by Reznor and Ross’ group How to Destroy Angels. The overall work is truly outstanding though it doesn’t top Reznor and Ross’ previous work in the soundtrack for The Social Network.

The casting by Laray Mayfield is terrific for the ensemble that is created which includes small yet notable performances from Julian Sands as a young Henry Vanger, Moa Garpendal as the missing girl Harriet, Josefin Asplund as Blomkvist’s daughter Pernilla, Embeth Davidtz as Blomkvist’s sister Annika, Elodie Yung as Lisbeth’s girlfriend Miriam, Donald Sumpter as local police investigator Morell, Goran Visijnic as security officer Armansky, Ulf Friedberg as Blomkvist’s billionaire target von Wennerstrom, Geraldine James as Harriet’s cousin Cecilia, Per Myrberg as Henrik’s Nazi-brother Harald, Jurgen Klein as Henrik’s other yet deceased brother Gottfried, and Tony Way as Lisbeth’s hacker friend Plague.

Other noteworthy supporting roles include Steven Berkoff as Vanger’s lawyer Dirch Frode and Joely Richardson in a wonderful performance as the mysterious Anita Vanger. Robin Wright is very good as Blomkvist’s lover/co-editor Erika Berger while Yorick van Wageningen is supremely awesome in a very evil role as Lisbeth’s new guardian Nils Bjurman. Stellan Skarsgard is excellent as the charming yet mysterious Martin Vanger, Harriet’s brother. Christopher Plummer is superb as the ailing Henri Vanger who asks Blomkvist to solve a murder while also to help him deal with his ruined reputation.

Daniel Craig is brilliant as disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist as Craig brings a quiet yet determined approach to the character as well as a complexity to a man that wants to redeem himself following a libel case. Finally, there’s Rooney Mara in a magnificent breakthrough performance as Lisbeth Salander. While Mara brings a more intense yet reserved performance in the role that was played by Noomi Rapace in the 2009 Swedish film. Mara does manage to make Salander into her own in the way she deals with abuse as well as being the one person who is smarter than Blomkvist. The chemistry that Craig and Mara has is fun to watch as they’re two different people who manage to find common ground in trying to solve the mystery as they really are the highlight of the film.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a remarkable film from David Fincher that features outstanding performances from Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig along with great technical work and a haunting score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. While it’s a very different from the 2009 Swedish film, Fincher is able to give the film his own take on Stieg Larsson’s novel by infusing his own visual style into the film. In the end, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a smart yet exciting thriller from David Fincher.

David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - The Game - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - Gone Girl

Related: null 2 - The 15 Essential Videos of David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher

Millennium Trilogy (Swedish): The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - (The Girl Who Played with Fire) - (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest)

© thevoid99 2011

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009 film)

Based on Stieg Larsson’s novel, Man som hatar kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is the story of a journalist trying to solve an unsolved murder more than 35 years ago for a billionaire. The journalist hires a researcher who aids him in the investigation that leads more troubles and intrigue to find out who killed this young girl. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev and script adaptation by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg, the film is the first part of a trilogy of films relating Larsson’s novels known as the Millennium Trilogy. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Lena Endre, Bjorn Granath, Ingvar Hirdwall, and Peter Andersson. Man som hatar kvinnor is a gripping and stylish thriller from Niels Arden Oplev.

After being disgraced for accusations against billionaire financier in Hans-Erik Wennerstrom (Stefan Sauk) and set to serve time in prison, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is asked by another billionaire in Vanger Corporation head Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet (Julia Sporre) nearly 40 years ago that Mikael knew as a child. Henrik reveals that he has received another framed flower thinking it’s from her killer as Mikael decides to take part of the investigation before his incarceration. Meanwhile, a 24-year old hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) has continually been hacking into Mikael’s computer while dealing with the fact that her finances are in the control of her new guardian in sadistic lawyer Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson).

At the Vanger estate, Mikael meets Harriet’s brother Martin (Peter Haber) and their cousin Cecilia (Marika Lagercrantz) to know more about the Vanger family as they all remain quite secretive. While looking at the pictures of Harriet during a Children’s Day parade in 1966, he notices something in the picture where Harriet was looking at someone while a couple behind her had taken photos behind her. When Henrik Vanger suffers a heart attack, Vanger’s lawyer Dirch Frode (Ingvar Hirdwall) realizes that Mikael is going to need more help in the investigation as Mikael received an email from Lisbeth about the secret codes found in Harriet’s copy of the Bible. Lisbeth and Mikael team up as the two uncover something much bigger relating to the deaths of women back in 1949.

Thinking that the murders are all connected to some form of anti-Semitism since Harriet’s father and a couple of her uncles were part of the Nazi supporters. They realize that Harriet must’ve discovered something and was probably killed for it as Mikael and Lisbeth grow close together as they discovered that one of the women killed had worked for Harriet’s uncle Harald (Gosta Bredefeldt) whom Mikael believed was the one shooting at him. Believing that he might be the killer, the two decide to uncover Harald’s traveling records where a discovery is made about these deaths and what happened to Harriet.

The film is about a man and an odd yet troubled girl trying to catch a killer for an ailing old man that has happened some 35 years ago. During this journey, the journalist and researcher embark into a dark world of murders and secrets that involve the disappearance of this young girl and the secrets of this girl’s family. Throughout the entirety of the film, there’s character studies not just about the journalist but this unique researcher who has a large dragon tattoo on her back as well as body pierces and is a very aggressive woman with a dark past. The two become an unlikely pair in their investigation where they eventually become unconventional lovers to the dismay of the Vanger family.

The film’s script by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg is quite unconventional for the way the story is told. The first half has a very unique narrative that cross-cuts between the differing worlds of Mikael and Lisbeth where the latter is still surveying his files by hacking into his computer. Mikael is a once-respected journalist whose career is shattered due to a story where accuses a billionaire stealing money as he’s been found guilty for libel. In taking this job for a man that is in search for the disappearance of his beloved niece, it gives Mikael the chance to restore his damaged reputation as he later gets more than he bargains for.

Then there’s this strange young woman who is a professional hacker but prefers to be on her own with a laptop while not wanting to take shit from anyone. Still, her finances are handled by guardians who take care of her due to her own troubled past where she has to endure the cruel abuse of a sadistic lawyer. Yet, she always finds a way to deal with things as in her interest towards Mikael’s report about this missing young girl. She would become an unlikely help to his investigation where the two become this unique pair despite their differences and an unlikely sexual attraction.

The script’s second half is about the investigation and the relationship between Lisbeth and Mikael where they would uncover about what happened to this girl but who did these mysterious killings. It’s a mystery and thriller that takes its time to figure out what really happened and why it took such a long time for the investigation to unfold as a retired investigator (Bjorn Granath) would later help out uncovering the mystery.

Niels Arden Oplev’s direction is very entrancing to the way he presents the film with lots of wide shots of the various locations in Sweden including stylish compositions such as Lisbeth’s confrontation against Bjurman. The film, like a lot of thrillers, takes its time to set-up the characters and the mystery that surrounds the film. Over the course, clues start to appear little by little as Oplev creates dissolving montages of both Lisbeth and Mikael going over the investigation as computers play big parts to the film. The sense of style along with very straightforward compositions of intimate scenes including intense shots of Lisbeth in her motorcycle gives the film an edge that isn’t like a lot of thrillers. Overall, Oplev creates a truly smart and harrowing thriller that doesn’t go for conventions.

Cinematographer Eric Kress does an excellent job with the film‘s cinematography where a lot of the island exterior scenes and flashback scenes as it features a somewhat de-saturated look for its sunny colors while a lot of the nighttime exteriors and interiors are more stylish and eerie to enhance the film’s mood. Editor Anne Osterud does a wonderful job with the editing in creating stylish dissolve montages for some of the scenes involving computers along with a few fade-outs to help move the story forward. Production designer Niels Sejer does a superb job with the set pieces created such as Martin‘s posh home and the framed flowers that Henrik keeps getting.

Costume designer Cilla Rorby does a fantastic job with the stylish 60s clothes some of the characters wear for the flashback scenes and pictures along with the more punk-Goth look of Lisbeth. Visual effects supervisor Tor-Bjorn Olsson does a nice job with minimal visual effects scene used such as some of the intense action scenes in the film such as Lisbeth‘s motorcycle chase. Sound designer Peter Schultz does a brilliant job with the sound work to complement the natural sounds of the forest locations to the engine rev of Lisbeth’s motorcycle. The film’s orchestral score by Jacob Groth is very good as it features a smooth but heavy theme to play up the suspense and drama that unfolds throughout the film.

The casting by Tusse Lande is terrific for the ensemble cast that is created that includes appearances from Lena Endre as Mikael’s former lover/editor Erika Berger, Michalis Koutsogiannakis as security officer Dragan, Stefan Sauk as the billionaire Mikael tries to target early in the film, Tomas Kholer as Lisbeth’s fellow hacker friend Plague, Gosta Bredefeldt as Henrik’s reclusive brother Harald, Marika Langercrantz’s as Henrik’s niece Cecilia, and Julia Sporre as Henrik’s missing niece Harriet. Other notable supporting roles include Bjorn Granath as retired police investigator Morell who helps Lisbeth and Mikael in filling in clues for the investigation along with Ingvar Hirdwall as Henrik’s lawyer/Lisbeth’s boss Dirch Frode.

Peter Haber is wonderful as Harriet’s charming brother Martin while Peter Andersson is brilliant in a dark, creepy role as Lisbeth’s new guardian in the sadistic Nils Bjurman. Sven-Bertil Taube is excellent as Henrik Langer, an aging billionaire who asks Mikael’s help in the investigation while dealing with his own health issues. Michael Nyqvist is great as the journalist Mikael Blomkvist who leads the investigation into finding out this girl while dealing with the fact that he’s been disgraced as he faces a new, dark challenge. Finally, there’s Noomi Rapace in a phenomenal role as Lisbeth Salander with her fiery attitude and calm persona in the way she uncovers codes and figure things out better than most people. It’s a real breakthrough role for the Swedish actress as she has great chemistry with Nyqvist while proving to be a truly intense character that isn’t afraid to play a dark yet complex character.

Man som hatar kvinnor is a mesmerizing yet thrilling film from Niels Arden Oplev that features top-notch performances from Noomi Rapace and Michael Nykqvist. The film is definitely a cut above a lot of conventional thrillers for the way it plays out the mystery while taking its time to let the clues be revealed. It’s also film that is very engaging while not willing to be pretty due to the graphic violence that appears in the film. In the end, Man som hatar kvinnor is a superb thriller from Niels Arden Oplev.

Millennium Trilogy (Swedish): (The Girl Who Played with Fire) - (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest)

Millennium Trilogy (U.S.): The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

© thevoid99 2011