by Brian Kesler
The most disappointing thing about David Fincher's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' is that Columbia saw a need to remake a movie only two years old. Both 'Tattoo' movies have the same atmospheric mood, the same dark undertones, the same skin-crawling sense of mystery. Down to the cinematography, this film, which is not a shot by shot remake, has more in common with its predecessor than the shot by shot remake of 'Psycho.' The only difference between the two films in this case, at least the only significant difference, is that this film is in English and has a movie star where the other film was in Swedish and had no celebrities.
Part of my average rating of the film may stem from the notion that I've been there, done that with this story. I saw the other 'Tattoo' movie and liked it very much and this film is just a retread. If I hadn't seen the other film, I might be inclined differently. But, I also like to think that the other movie's lack of stars gives a level of full immersion into the story that this film doesn't have. It was more enjoyable and nerve-racking to see the unknown Michael Nyqvist fight for his life than it is to see Daniel Craig do the same. Craig, of course, has gotten himself out of plenty of pickles as James Bond. I didn't feel he was in any real danger he couldn't handle.
Another purpose I'd like to think made the other film a more involved experience is that this Swedish story, written by a Swedish author, set in Sweden, was actually Swedish spoken and Swedish made. I don't know what it is, but Lisbeth seemed a more iconic and intriguing and broken character when she was speaking in her native tongue.
Lisbeth is the 'Girl' referred to in the title, and she does indeed have a dragon tattoo on her back, which has no involvement in the story, but instead acts as a sort of symbolic device. She's one of the great characters in literature in the last few decades. There's something about her that's undoubtedly fascinating, but we can never put our finger on it. She wears all black and chains and dyes her hair as dark as it can get and spikes it with eggs, surely, and has many piercings and rides a motorcycle and hacks into computers of influential businesses and people and has an underlying disposition for violence.
The story is a murder mystery, and the plot has many developments - almost too many - that I don't feel I should say more than this: It revolves around the rape and murders of several women in the name of God and Nazi Germany. This has never been a more relevant subject matter in a time when women are the victims of violent and disgusting acts every second of every minute of every day. For some reason, this American version of the film seems less insistent regarding this important issue than the original, but it still gets its point across.
I'm kind of apathetic to this movie. I just didn't care. I don't suggest you see it, but I do suggest you see the Swedish film which was made only two years ago.
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