With David Fincher's re-adaptation of Steig Larsson's hugely popular The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo now available on DVD, after a hot cinematic release among fans and critics, it seems a good time to break down its elements, along with those of its 2009 predecesor by Niels Arden Oplev, and attempt to find the better film.
While naturally following the same basic storyline, each work differs in its interpretation of Larsson's posthumous legacy, meaning deviations both in plot and in character focus and development. And, of course, with the remake being a Fincher feature with an improved budget and a larger pool of talent and resources, there is the subject of objective quality.
It is also worth noting that, for all the mixed opinions and preferences, there is no suggestion that Fincher's effort is unnceccesary. Both films have seperate merits to be explored here.
Lets start with a murder...
The Main Plot - Finding Harriet's Killer
As stated, the main plot of both films is the same; disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired by wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger to solve the disappearance, presumed murder, of his niece Harriet more than forty years ago. In doing so, he finds that the killer is likely a member of the Vanger family, all of whom live on an isolated island in Northern Sweden. He is joined in his quest by Lisbeth Salander, a punk chick who has become familiar with Blomkvist after being paid to hack into his computer. The pair crack a code in Harriet's journal, discovering a connection to a series of murders dating from the 1940's to the 1960's.
Each film takes different takes of this blueprint, however. Oplev's original takes deviations from the source material with the intent of muscling up the relationship between Blomqvist and Salander (more on this later), which includes them working together more closely, and also by having Salander figuring out more of the key clues. A road trip to the scenes of old crimes throughout the country is undertaken by both as a dysfunctional partnership, building up a stronger bond.
Fincher's effort, meanwhile, has the pair working seperately for long stretches. Salander takes on the past murders more or less single handedly, while Blomqvist remains at the Vanger estate and researches his hosts' backgrounds and character. Similarly, the serial killer plot is somewhat sidelined, given less time to generate mystery, instead deployed pragmatically as a plot point to further explain/cloud the reasons for Harriet being killed in the first place.
Both adapations reach the same conclusion, in terms of finding the killer, and then in finding out the truth about Harriet. But while Oplev cranks up the shock and suspense by pitting Blomkvist into unknowing, mortal danger just as Salander discovers the truth, Fincher finds his way to this point with an anti-climax, not helped by a lack of prior time spent with the big bad, in which Blomqvist is fully aware of who the killer is as he is thrust into the jaws of probable death, and in fact reaches this conclusion before the distant (both literally and figuratively) Salander, who's discovery is now just a precursor to her hot footing back to home base for a rescue mission.
The closure to the Harriet case ends the same in both, but has different ways of getting there. While the original incorporated an incredibly fortutuous need for long distance flight to reach its goal, Fincher finds a more interesting and more natural compromise, involving switched identities which helps avoid the character of Harriet feeling too divorced from the film's dynamic.
Subplots - Libel, Lies & Family Ties
Greater contrast comes with the vareity in subplots and background events and machinations within the two pictures, with each incarnation going down very different roads. While the original picks up and mixes around the more core, emotional minor story arcs, the remake instead goes for a stylised loyalty to the book which sometimes casts the heroes as unlikeable, or questionable, and doesn't quite feed into the underlying subtext of the story which I'll touch upon later.
The dark cloud hanging over Blomqvist's head, in the shape of an upcoming stiny in jail, is markedly absent from the Fincher version, likely down to the confusion that the Swedish justice system's quirks may have caused within Western audiences (in the original, Blomqvist is able to carry out the case, then goes to prison at the end on the charges presented at the beginning). Instead, Blomqvist merely has his life savings drained because of a fine for his misdeeds, giving him a more mercenary motivation for working with Henrik Vanger. Notably, the family connection from the original is also shed, despite it providing a significant plot point in Oplev's version.
While the Swedish incarnation played down the role of Erika Berger, Blomqvist's co-editor on Millenium and vague love interest, the American release boosts it up, which in a strange turn gives Blomqvist a little less sympathy, while also removing the subtle hints at romance between the reporter and Cecillia. The presence of his teenage daughter is also brought in, a character dropped from the first adapation, and her main purpose is to unwittingly solve a puzzle for her father, a solution reached by Lisbeth in the first film. While this may stay true to the book, what was a moment of crowning character establishment in the original becomes a contrivance in the redo. The daughter's sudden appearance at Blomqvist's digs seems suitably random, gets little attention or time, and then simply provides an answer to a question that Mikael had been unable to break.
This also leads into a major difference which, although not immediately noticeable, has some ramifications on the tone. In the original, Blomkvist arrives at the Vanger estate and spends most of the duration there, apart from the cross-country roadtrip. This establishes a set location, and makes certain events, such as Blomqvist being shot at, more tense, since he previously believed he was on familiar ground. However, the remake sees him journeying away from the island, including a flight to London, and trips back to Stockholm. Not grounded, it takes away some of the idiosyncracies of the existence he leads while working on the case, and means we spend less time with the Vanger family than we probably should.
Certain plot elements, mostly red herrings, that were dropped from the original are also retained here, including a retrospectively encounter with the estate's handyman, a subdued and strangely harmless meeting with the mad recluse, Gottfried Vanger (used as a dangerous game in the original), and the part played at the end by Lisbeth's hacker friends, which seems abrupt given the lack of an established relationship between them (Plague, in particular, who in the remake seems to simply be selling her equipment, while in the original is more of a half-friend). The lengethened interactions between Lisbeth and her pervert guardian are ill judged, almost making it seem as if she is dwelling on an old victory.
While the full throttle speed of Fincher's effort means it generates more adrenaline, it also leaves it dealing with scenes and exchanges that, in reality, could easily be ditched.
Themes - Men Who Hate Women & Personal Growth
As I touched upon in my review of Oplev's film, Dragon Tattoo in many ways is a well layered and thoughtfully constructed thriller that is simply a vehicle for some very taboo, very dark and disturbing themes that have a powerful impact and are resolved as the story is. The very fact that the source material novel's original title is 'The Men Who Hate Women' provides a glaring example of just how overshadowing the film's morals and subtext are.
These are themes, however, that are not touched upon to damaging effect in the second effort. Stephen Zallian's script, though highly competant, lacks the subtlety and amibuity of Nikolaj Arcel and Ramus Heisterberg's, which provides plenty of food for thought about Swedish subculture and the toxic, sexist attitudes of the past, best distilled in the form of the anti-women murders and by Lisbeth's treatment by certain male scumbags.
Indeed, the omission of these themes is felt most painfuly by the character of Salander, who also misses out on the sense of personal growth and learning that the first film granted her. The 2009 version provides an unexpected journey for her character, and she learns more from Blomqvist than he could ever know, finally finding a positive male role model, and hope that she can build on this in the future. The 2011 remake, which perhaps stretches on too far into the book's overwritten finale, doesn't provide this, and in fact leaves her cut off and alone, albeit with a far more healthy bank balance. Money, it seems, is closer to the heart of the remake than it probably should be.
Similarly, Blomqvist's romantic life in the remake is on par to bed hopping compared to his lonely, tortured and vulnerable incarnation in the original, and makes him far less admirable, thus less of a good influence, and certainly not somebody that a misanthrope could fall for. It rather bites the hand that feeds by having the male protagonist fully capable of carrying out and solving the investigation by himself, rendering Lisbeth little more than a makeweight to a speedier conclusion. In many ways, it also makes the title obsolete, since Lisbeth is no longer the crux or the pinnacle of the story, merely one of its more interesting characters.
The Nazi sympathiser background subplot, one of the many controversial aspects of both book and Oplev film, is also downplayed. While a mark of great shame for Swedes, it lacks much interest to Zallian's screenplay and to the remake's target audience in general, and were it not for its presence in the book, would feel thrown in as a means to avoid using the word 'evil' in regards to largely unexplored characters.
As I'll go into detail about in a moment, the sense of personal growth that both the original novel and the Oplev version enjoys is sorely lacking from Fincher's effort, which puts more emphasis on story than character development. In the source material, and the Swedish adapation, both Blomkvist and Lisbeth come out of the Harriet case having discovered something about themselves, and finding in it the strength to endure and to push on and fight back against their respective injustices. Redemption, in a certain guise, is prevalent. This simply isn't the case with the remake.
Salander & Blomqvist - Partners and More
In many ways, the core elements of Larsson's novel can be broken down into three vital components: The Harriet case, the under-lying subtext, and the Salander-Blomqvist relationship. Each are indispensable to the story and plot, and with any of them missing the soulful impact generated by the written words would be greatly diminished.
The main strength of Oplev's version is how it is able to balance the trio sums of part in such natural tandem, staying true to Larsson's vision even when moving away from his means. Without the themes, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo becomes a mystery thriller with a romance. Without the complex romance, it becomes pretty disposable. This is a bridge that Fincher's effort comes dangerously close to crossing.
As mentioned earlier, the two leads spend little time together, not even accounting for the fact that the film is well into its second act by the time they actually meet for the first time. There is little opportunity for the pair to bond, get to know each other, and develop a familiarity in the way that they do in the original. The duo solving the murders on the road is wonderful at strengthening their dynamic. Having them working away from each other, as in the remake, is a great way to avoid them even getting to know each other. It's for this reason that the sex scene between the two is both abrupt and, aesthetics aside, oddly empty and vacuous. While it came as a surprise in the first film, this was more down to the fact that Lisbeth's behaviour and manner suggested she would never consider such a thing. There was also something of the profound about her healing herself after her rape by allowing herself into the arms of Blomqvist, who she has grown to quietly like. Her approach in the remake strengthens the perception that she is simply messed up, something handled much more completely and sensitively in the Oplev version.
Either that, or it screams of 'mandatory sex scene' time.
As individuals, both characters suffer in the second film too. Blomqvist in the original is wounded after his trial, professional life destroyed, personal life ruined, confidence lost and soul damaged. Through the Harriet case, and his relationship with Lisbeth, he finds the fire to fight back, culminating in him ending the film with hope and passion, despite being incarcerated. He has rediscovered himself, and believes in himself and his crusade more than ever.
Meanwhile, Salander is similarly broken, but in a far more irrevocable way. Every man she's ever known has abused or mistreated her, she feels alien to the world, and her response is a resonant 'fuck you', both in her attitude, her outward appearance, and by the way she lives. She doesn't apologise for anything, simply takes what she can and gives nothing back. Life's shit, get a T-shirt. But through the investigation, and through knowing and finding a love for Blomqvist, she starts to believe things can be better for her, and that a more comfortable normalcy can be found after all. When she visits her dying mother, and speaks of finding someone, it shows she's starting to believe that, finally, she may just get a shot at something happier.
Both of the two find something in the other, and it makes them better.
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| Casualties of Adaptation: Blomqvist's bond with Lisbeth from the 2009 original is lost in the remake |
These things are dropped like an anvil by the Fincher version, to its detriment. There is no real soul searching for Blomqvist, more stung than hurt, and he pursues his investigating out of personal curiosity more than anything else. Lisbeth already has a strong male bond in her life, in the form of a legal guardian who suffers a stroke, making Blomkvist's impact on her less tangible. Neither find much meaning from their work/fling, and, crucially, she is far more vulnerable than he, something which goes against the grain. Her attachment to the dogged journalist suddenly seems hopelessly out of character and childish, bordering on adolescent crush.
Worse still, the conclusion arrives at a needlessly long and detailed montage of Lisbeth's revenge for a friend mission, which drags on needlessly, despite the original's interpretation working superbly due to brevity, and making her all the more impressive by merely showing what she'd accomplished, not how she'd done it. The side effect of this is that we watch a young woman going to such trouble to help the man, only for her to go back at the end and find there's no real victory for her to be had. The downer ending isn't a problem in itself, but renders much of the story pointless in the process. The original was bright and optimistic in a bittersweet manner, which felt more natural to the two protagonists. The remake shows that nobody learned anything, and that the only real winner was Henrik Vanger, a character who, despite being likeable, is hardly someone we're that bothered about once the 2 1/2 hours are up.
As well as feeling shoe-horned, unnatural and ultimately meaningless, the Salander/Blomqvist bond is devalued by deconstructing its own dynamic, far from poignant.
Technicals - Acting, Music & Looks
One category that Fincher's version was always set to dominate is the technical field. With more money to spend, a far more widespread pool of actors to bring in, and his own flawless, unique eye for art, the Fight Club director was always going to make Dragon Tattoo look good. Swedish cinema's best export the original may be, but some people will always be bigger and better.
While the cinematography in the Oplev version may be gorgeous at times, particularly the snow swept Vanger Island, the visuals in Fincher's repose are startling, dark and grimy but beautiful and varied. While the original Blomqvist arrives on a still, white day, the remake has him departing his train in a snowstorm, a viscerally freezing and biting ambience. Using far darker tones, the art direction is both heavily stylised and wonderfuly adept at setting the tone. In this regard, it blows Oplev's version out of the water by providing mood simply from the picture.
It's helped by the work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who colloborated with Fincher so successfuly for The Social Network (picking up an Oscar in the process). While Jacob Groth's score for the original is expert and at times superb, it doesn't share the same sizzling intensity as the work provided by the Nine Inch Nails alumnus. A sense of dark, shadowy foreboding, bottled rage and benign violence permeates from every chord, giving the piece a sinister charge. While the opening credits sequence is as baffling as it is ultimately meaningless, the cover of Immigrant Song is both a brilliant piece of music and superlative in establishing the tone.
As you would expect given the aforementioned focus the remake bears, the remake's pacing is snappy and sharp, edited stylishly and crisply, as opposed to the more longing and patient cuts of the original. Frantic at times, this combined with the soundtrack makes the remake magma hot in its energy, barely giving the audience time to breathe. It is, however, one of the main reasons it is unable to deliver on an emotional level like the original does.
In the acting stakes, Fincher's work does some heavy lifting in promoting character performances from good to great, while matching Oplev's when unable to better it. Daniel Craig imbues the sense of ferocious drive that makes Blomqvist a successful investigative journalist, disgrace not withstanding, as well as looking the part. What he makes up in terms of authenticity and energy, however, is somewhat lost in terms of humanity and eccentric imperfection, a subtle character trait that Michael Nyqvist nailed so comprehesively in the original. He is great to watch, in a different manner, and is far more interesting in his reactions, perceptions and general sense of healing.
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| Plummer's performance provides a better rounded Henrik Vanger |
But it's not his role or perfomance which is of such interest to moviephiles, it is that of relative newcomer Rooney Mara as the iconic Lisbeth Salander. After all, Noomi Rapace utterly dominated the first film, and as a result exploded onto the International scene in this breakout, unforgetable role. She is utterly authentic as Lisbeth, matching her words and her mannerisms with an uncanny and natural performance. She wears her neo-Goth attire like a uniform, and her acid wit and dark heart on her sleeve.
For what's it's worth, Mara is superb in the role, a slightly different interpretation which feels real, valid and varied. She is never burdened by the weight of expectancy, and doesn't not allow Rapace to overshadow her work. While the remake's portrayal of Lisbeth is flawed, there is no fault on Mara's part.
Many of the other characters enjoy uprgrades too, with venerable powerhouse Christopher Plummer (a late replacement for Max Von Sydow) excellent as Henrik Vanger, a step above the workmanlike Sven Bertil-Taube, and actual Swede Stellan Skarsgard both erstwhile and amiable, then deeply sinister and creepy, as Martin Vanger, more faceted and interesting to watch than Peter Faber. There is also solid work from Joely Richardson, Robin Wright and Steven Berkoff, each actors who have rarely been seen in the limelight of late. One part, however, that the original still holds stronger stakes in is with Nils Bjurman, the perverted legal guardian. While Yorick van Wageningen is suitably dark and horrible, Peter Andersson of the Oplev version is far more authentic and less pantomine. The infamous rape scene, which Bjurman orchestrates, loses none of its impact in the remake, though is far more uncomfortable in the original due to the less cinematic pacing and build up.
In fact, this is the case with a number of the Fincher version's more notable scenes, when contrasted with how they were handled in the original. The villain reveal, in particular, is long and drawn out in the newer release, albeit with a nice endgame, while in the first it is sudden, shocking and more suspenseful. The loss of Lisbeth's personal connection to the event, and the off hand manner in which it is handled, is both jarring and almost insulting when compared to the Oplev version.
As a matter of course, the Fincher film has one distinct technical discrepency, and that is it having a script which simply lacks the depth and care that the first film was blessed with.
Summary - Findings & Ratings
Considering the parties involved, it shouldn't be a surprise that David Fincher's version of the great story is an absolute treat, a stunningly visceral and devilishly structure mystery thriller with an air of dark malice and sinister deeds, one that is well played out, flawlessly mounted and well executed. That it lacks the soul, wry as it may be, of most of his works isn't a hugely damaging loss when approaching the film as a standalone piece, which it easily serves as.
However, while Niels Oplev's piece may lack the cut and thrust of Fincher, a level of performance you shouldn't expect of any director, it does hold dear to its heart a character driven, character focussed, character dictated arc, and though it may not stay fully faithful to the events of Steig Larsson's book, it lovingly sticks true to its intentions and its meaning. Watching the remake, I couldn't but imagine Fincher simply being in charge of the original script, with a few components brought over too. While excellent as a film, the new version falls short of the greatness of the original by ignoring what made it so satisfying, layered and intelligent.
While by no means a disrespectful remake, and certainly a film that exceeds its predecesor in certain areas, the Fincher version skimps on the heart of the material and goes for the jugular instead, creating a piece of startling entertainment without emotion, a top notch thriller that loses the drama.
In short, the 2011 incarnation is a worthy flick, but not a grand story. The 2009 version, however, is this, and more. You may enjoy the remake more, but you're love for the original will be greater.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009) 9/10
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) 8/10
