Movies I Missed: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Sometimes movies of note sneak past my field of vision. In an effort to correct these oversights, I’m combing through the list of flicks I missed in the last couple years to see what all the buzz was about.

When I first heard about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it was in regards to an American remake being done by David Fincher. Now, I pride myself on keeping abreast of the latest and greatest in foreign cinema, so I was a little pissed to discover this Swedish smash hit based on a best-selling novel of the same name had somehow managed to fly beneath my normally honed radar. Thanks to Netflix instant viewing, I was able to finally watch this compelling film last week and came away mighty impressed.

To quickly summarize, the plot entails a disgraced journalist named Mikael Blomkvist and a goth computer hacker named Lisbeth who are hired by a wealthy patriarch to solve a forty-year-old family murder. As the unlikely pairing delve deeper into the mystery, a sinister plot involving Nazis and a serial killer further complicates the case. Meanwhile, Lisbeth struggles to keep the demons of her tragic past at bay.

I love a good whodunit and this movie fits the bill. Director Niels Arden Oplev paints a dark, foreboding canvas amidst the bucolic snow-covered Swedish countryside. The story unfolds deliberately as one hidden secret suddenly morphs into three. As Mikael and Lisbeth peel back layer after layer the number of suspects mounts. His investigative instincts mesh perfectly with her high-tech savvy.

What could have been a traditional run-of-the-mill crime thriller is instead a calculated intelligent horror puzzle. Although the run time drags on fifteen minutes too long, the nuanced characters keep the plot progressing. Lisbeth, wonderfully played by Noomi Rapace, in particular resonates. After witnessing the brutality she endures, it’s difficult not to sympathize with her situation, despite her cold, uncaring demeanor. She’s captivating from start to finish, and remains true to her guarded self.

I could nitpick about the outcome of the central storyline being somewhat predictable, but it by no means distracts from the other elements that work so well. I can already envision how David Fincher might do things differently in the US version. Although I feel confident he is more than capable of living up to and even improving on the original.

Sweden continues to produce quality films in recent years. In 2008, Let the Right One In and Everlasting Moments wowed audiences and critics alike. Last year it was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; perhaps in 2010 it will be the sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire, which is currently playing in select cities around the country. Sadly, I live in Podunk USA, so I guess I’ll have to wait for Netflix. If I weren’t such an upstanding citizen who obeys the letter of the law, I would download it illegally. Ahem.