Two years ago, I wrote a couple of posts about ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’, the book and the Swedish language movie (movies, there were 3). Since I wrote my entries all three movies in the trilogy have been released in the US and on DVD. In fact a new DVD release has the trilogy plus additional footage from the Swedish series that totals over 9 hours! So, I would be remiss not to comment on the just released US version of GWTDT. I am naturally leery about US remakes of foreign films. Too often they are disasters, and at best they are adequate. For example, look at the Swedish vampire film ‘Let the Right One In‘. It was remade in the US as ‘Let Me In‘, it lacked the edge and sexual overtones of the Euro version. At best it was adequate. Another sad example was the German film ‘Mostly Martha‘. That was a slight but enjoyable film about a woman chef who has to take in her suddenly orphaned niece, and the changes that it causes in her life. Remade in the US as ‘No Reservations‘, it was a total disaster, dull, leaden, lacking the quirk and finesses of the Euro original, and weighed down by its big name stars.
So, despite my reservations that US film makers can’t (or are afraid) to make a truly edgy movie, I have to admit that the marketing campaign that has been built around the film has piqued my interest.
The early reviews have been generally positive, But, I must admit that I liked the Swedish version more than many critics. I liked Swedish actress Noomi Rapace‘ portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. The US actress, Rooney Mara, is an unknown quantity to me. But it appears she is not trying to be the same character that Noomi portrayed.
Rooney Mara (L) and Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander
Interestingly, Noomi is in competition with the US version of the film, as she is a co-star of the newest Guy Ritchie film, ‘Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows‘. And she will also be seen this summer in the new Ridley Scott film ‘Prometheus, where she gets top billing along with Charlize Theron.
I have liked much of director David Fincher’s previous work. So, although I haven’t seen this film yet, I am interested.
One complaint I had about the Swedish version was the length of the films. All 3 of the theatrical releases clocked in at well over 2 hours. It doesn’t appear that Fincher could keep the length down either. The official run time for his version is 158 minutes.
Here’s a link to the trailer for the Swedish language version.
