CINEMA: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Apr 02, 2010

Written by: Dee Pilgrim

Of the two films out this week based on novels (Shutter Island is the other) this is by far and away the most successful and entertaining even if, at times, the subject material is almost too upsetting to watch.

Author Stieg Larsson has created a highly unusual heroine in the shape of Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a raven-haired, tattooed, pierced rebel with a cause. Lisbeth is out on licence from prison for a crime committed many years before and is working as a computer hacker for a large corporation.

When the case of the disappearance of a young girl comes up Lisbeth is asked to help discredited journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) to track her down and this in turn leads the pair to uncover a series of murders that have never been solved. Unwilling to trust anyone (and it soon becomes clear she has good reason not to) Lisbeth has to learn to trust Mikael as their investigations lead them both into danger.

Unlike a Hollywood movie, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo takes its time to build up the complete picture of what is going on – in fact, it takes a whopping two and a half hours, yet it never feels like it is dragging its feet. Even though it is subtitled it becomes so absorbing, so fascinating you’ll find yourself completely immersed in Lisbeth’s world, a world of few words and even fewer laughs.

There are also scenes that have the power to shock and unsettle, especially those involving Lisbeth’s ‘guardian’ who uses his position of power and privilege to abuse those put into his care. Rapace tackles the tricky role of Lisbeth – she’s spiky and at first disagreeable – with great skill, creating a difficult, complex character through small expressions and gestures. She operates using a set of rules different to the rest of society and yet, as the audience gradually discovers, she is totally justified in her actions.

By the end of the movie you’ll be chomping at the bit to find out what she does next (the novel is part of a trilogy and the next two films are already in the can).

Author: Dee Pilgrim

Dee always knew she wanted to make her living from writing and so trained as a journalist before working for a variety of music and women’s titles including Sounds, Company, Cosmopolitan, Ms London, New Woman, and Girl About Town. After going freelance she concentrated on celebrity interviews and film, theatre, music and restaurant reviews. Her love of film goes back to her very first cinema experience at the age of five when her mother took her to see Bambi. She cried. At one time she was the Film Editor for NOW magazine and also the secretary for the film section of the Critics’ Circle and the celebrity coordinator for its annual film awards’ event. She has written a number of books for teenagers through Trotman Publishing, including five Real Life Guides to vocational careers (including Carpentry, Plumbing and Catering), and also three books on Real Life Issues (Money, Bereavement and Self Harm). Her favourite film is still Bladerunner.