The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Rated R
Runtime: 158 minutes

I cannot tell you how many people have been urging me to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. When you combine that with the overall positive reviews, I was convinced that this was a "must see" movie for me. Whether it was the high expectations generated by those reviews or it's just me, I must say that I found this movie to be a disappointment. I've been trying to nail down the specifics of just what made me feel that way ever since.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is based on the Stieg Larsson novel of the same name (which, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have not read). At the heart of the story is a 40 year-old mystery. Discredited journalist Mikael Blomkvist (ably played by Daniel Craig) is hired by elderly manufacturing magnate Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to solve that mystery.

Blomkvist travels to the secluded island compound populated solely by members of the Vanger family both because he needs a job and because he needs to get away from all of the media attention surrounding his fall from grace. He soon finds himself captivated by the question being asked by his new employer: What happened to Harriet Vanger on that summer day in 1966?

As Blomkvist delves deeper into the sordid past of the Vangers, he realizes he needs some help. Enter the deeply damaged computer hacker and researcher, Lisbeth Salander (a brilliant Rooney Mara). Though Blomkvist's ongoing illicit affair and Salander's nightmare dealings with the authorities play an important role, both focus on the question at hand. And the more they learn, the broader and more horrific the story becomes.

Directed by David Fincher and adapated from the novel by Steven Zaillian, I have no opinion to offer as to just how true to the best selling novel the movie remains. The plot as presented in the film is most certainly both nightmarish and riveting, and though not everything is resolved in the end, there is never-the-less a complete story told here.

The acting is largely top notch. My one complaint there involves the Swedish accents on display from most characters. I have no idea which ones are good and which are not, but there must be some of each because they're different. And Daniel Craig inexplicably sounds like...Daniel Craig. Yes, I know the story takes place in Sweden, but since the movie itself is in English, why burden the actors with an accent most Americans won't recognize anyway? (For the record, I have similar complaints about any English-speaking film where the makers seem to think that one accent or another will make us believe we're actually watching real Germans, Russians, or insert-some-other-nationality-here on screen. And woe to audiences everywhere when those accents fall short!)

The stand-out in the cast is, without question, Rooney Mara. Though some have complained that the woman who originated the role in the Swedish-made trilogy of films should have been given the lead in this movie also, that in no way lessens the performance that Mara somehow manages to give. Every horror and every triumph of her character is telegraphed by expressions and actions from a woman who has spent her life avoiding showing any emotion whatsoever. Mara is nothing short of astounding.

As long as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is, the story seemed disjointed at times which makes me wonder what had to be left on the cutting room floor — or what portions of the novel weren't included in the screenplay at all. But more to the point of why I wasn't as enamored with the movie as so many seem to be is the editing. Good editing is almost unnoticeable (except, of course, for editing geeks like I aspire to be). But the edits here are often so obvious as to provide nothing more or less than an ongoing distraction.

BOTTOM LINE The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a multi-faceted horror story that spans decades, the details of which unfold as one apparently minor or confusing discovery follows another. Of course, the more we learn about Lisbeth, the more we see she's got a story all her own which may rival the Vanger's in its deceit and depravity. If all of this sounds interesting, it is; but it should have been more so. I should have felt more. And I didn't. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo isn't a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. I just thought it should have been a better movie.

POLITICAL NOTES None.

FAMILY SUITABILITY The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is rated R for "brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language." The MPAA isn't kidding. For awhile, I couldn't figure out how the movie rated an R. And then, with one particular scene (you'll know it when you see it), it was brought home to me that it couldn't possibly have warranted any less. This is not a movie for children, or even for younger teens or sensitive adults.