The Fincher Version
Well, i have seen the David Fincher version of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and have some thoughts on it and the Swedish version of the film. I had to re-read the book, and view the film a second time before I finally decided how I felt about the film. Basically, I prefer the Swedish version. And, I can sum it up by saying that the title is “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”. The American version could have been called “James Bond Tames a Street Urchin”.
Neither version gets it exactly right. And, both films took many liberties with the books various sub-plots. That is to be expected in a book almost 600 pages long. Neither version could get the length of the film down either. In fact the American version clocks in at a hefty 158 minutes, six minutes longer than the Swedish version. The American version stays a little closer to the book, keeping the timeline pretty much intact. But my biggest issue is with the characterization of Lisbeth. She is not quite the ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners, wild child as portrayed in the Swedish version, but, she is not the lost little waif who falls in love with the handsome publisher either. Clearly in the American version, James Bond, I mean Daniel Craig is the main protagonist, and Lisbeth is a supporting character.
The big problem with the movie is best illustrated in the climatic scene (spoiler alert) when Lisbeth saves Blomkvist from Martin Vanger. In the American version, she asks James Bond… Bloomkvist “Can I kill him?” before chasing after Martin. Lisbeth would never do that. In the book, she merely says “I’m going to take him”, as she runs out the door. In the book, Lisbeth was a much more self confident character. In the aftermath of Martin’s demise, she instructs Dirch Frode on the best way to handle the situation. Frode even realizes that he, the lawyer and problem-solver for the company is now “…taking orders from a child. She had somehow seized control of the situation and given him the guidelines that he himself was unable to formulate.” That is what is missing from the characterization of Lisbeth in the American version of the film! The Swedish version erred by characterizing Lisbeth too much the other direction. But still, I wanted a strong female character, and Fincher did not deliver. Maybe he was afraid that American’s weren’t ready for a strong female character. In the book, Lisbeth is not a likeable character, but you wind up rooting for her. That is How Noomi played her in the Swedish version.
The love story was wildly over-played in the American version. While the Swedish version played it down. In the book, Lisbeth struggles to understand her feelings for Bloomkvist. She finds him different from other men and thinks she likes him. But, she’s not the love-sick puppy portrayed in the American version.
The Strong Lisbeth
I had a couple of other issues with the American version’s casting. Aside from Craig, who was mis-cast as Bloomkvist, the character of Armonsky seemed off. In the Swedish version (and the book) he was older and more of a father-figure to Lisbeth. And the character of Bjurman was off. The Swedish Bjurman exuded an air of dread and danger. The American version’s Bjurman, just seemed like an over-weight college professor taking advantage of his position.
Maybe, the American version suffered from too much hype. But just looking at the posters for the two films is a good example of my feelings. In the American version, Daniel Craig is front and center, and Rooney Mara (Lisbeth) is behind him and in profile. In the Swedish poster, Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth) is the only figure in the poster. The title is “The Girl…”, not “The Journalist…”. Of course the original Swedish title “Män som hatar kvinnor ” translates as “Men Who Hate Women”.
