I read Steig Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a couple years ago and came away annoyed. The novel explores the past of a Swedish industrialist obsessed with a girl who went missing in 1964. The industrialist hires Mikael Blomkvist (played in the movie by Michael Nyqvist), an investigative journalist about to be sent to prison for libeling a financier. Much of the book follows Blomkvist’s detailed investigation. The movie compresses this. What makes the book unusual, and the movie compelling, is the character of Lisbeth Salander (played superbly by Noomi Rapace), a Goth Pippi Longstocking. Lisbeth works for a security firm, but becomes interested in Blomkvist’s investigation. She’s the best hacker in Sweden. Together, Blomkvist and Salander peel back the lies and delusions surrounding the missing girl and discover a horrifying series of murders. The movie captures the graphic sex and brutality of these crimes. Director Niels Arden Oplev follows the convoluted plot of the book, but the movie never drags. The Hollywood version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will sanitize the depictions of these murders. The book annoyed me because of the gaffs in plotting and character. But there’s no denying the power of Larsson’s storytelling. Steig Larsson died as the book was published. He left two other manuscripts: The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. I’ll be reading and reviewing those novels, too. But, for now, I enthusiastically recommend the movie version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Noomi Rapace is Oscar-worthy. GRADE: A
I know what you mean about the book – it was excessively long. But I like your description of Salader as a “goth Pippi Longstocking.”
The movie version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO smoothed out some of those annoyances, Jeff. Diane and I really enjoyed it.
Well, “goth” and adult Pippi is more Larsson’s joke (and inspiration) than George’s, Jeff…the reporter character’s nickname is after another Astrid Lindgren character. And there’s no good reason that the English translations of the books are called THE GIRL WHO, aside from the second, which is properly THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE because it deals with a childhood incident in part (which is also dealt with here), when much of the point of the film and I gather the book is the attempt to treat the adult Salander as if she was still a(n exploitable) child. Apparently there is a sizable fragment of a fourth novel among Larsson’s effects, being fussed about now (apparently his life-partner was denied any of the royalties from the first three books and the films, etc., because she hadn’t married Larsson, so all the moneys went to his father and brother, who cut her out).
Reportedly, Larsson didn’t marry the woman he lived with for 30 years because Neo-Nazis had a contract out on him, Todd. Larsson thought that if he married her, they would kill her, too. Swedish laws seem to have a problem with leaving an estate to anybody other than a family member. The original title of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was MEN WHO HATE WOMEN, hardly a commercial title, which explains the change.
Yes, I liked the movie more than the book. And Phil liked it a lot without having read the book. It did a very good job of making the goings on crystal clear.
I’ll be reading the next two books in the MILLENNIUM series, Patti. I’m hoping the success of the movie version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO leads to the Sweds filming THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE and THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS’ NEST with the same cast.
THE MEN WHO HATE WOMEN is a decent commercial title (it works fine on the bestseller lists in every other language), and THE WOMAN WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is even better…except for a desire for a lazy (and untterly inappropriately sexist) promo hook to put all three as THE GIRL WHO…
Yep, that and they didn’t believe in marriage, apparently. Swedish law clearly has some things to work out.
They filmed all three movies essentially at the same time, much as with THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Capace is now quite ready to leave Salander behind (though I imagine if the fourth fragment is published and adapted…)
That’s great news, Todd! I always thought the filming of a trilogy all at once made logical and financial sense. I can’t wait for the next installment!
Ha…or even Rapace (still fighting the dregs of my flu).
Hope you’re feeling better, Todd. In November, I had a Swine Flu shot in my right arm and a seasonal flu shot in my left arm. Despite being surrounded by sick students, I’ve managed to stay healthy.
After three tries at Scandinavian mystery fiction, I gave it up. Talk about bleak, confusing (just the names were enough to drive me nuts) and depressing. So no, though this has gotten awards and much publicity, I won’t be seeing or reading it. Besides, I don’t read or speak “Scandinavian”… Heh.
After reading several of Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander mysteries and Steig Larsson’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, I have to conclude that Swedish society is a deeply creepy place, Rick. I was concerned that Diane would be disturbed by the graphic sex and violence in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, but she handled it. The English subtitles were fine.
You want bleak? Try Arnaldur Indridason’s series set in Iceland. Now that’s bleak!
Rick, you might try the Martin Beck series of ten procedurals by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo (starting with ROSEANNA), which I’ve always liked and which isn’t quite the same as the “newer” Scandinavian bleak-fests.
I don’t know Arnaldur Indridason’s series, Jeff. But I’ll search for the books. Patrick plans to go back to Iceland so it would be fun to give him some Icelandic mysteries.
Yes, read Martin Beck. My absolute favorite all-time series. And the Indriadson’s are great, too. Especially Jar City.
JAR CITY is on order, Patti! You’re right about Martin Beck.
It was JAR CITY that was the last straw for me, Patti, or maybe it was another one, but I thought JAR was…difficult, at best.
I’m way behind on my Icelandic mystery series, Rick.
Goth pippy longstocking? You totally ripped that from the nytimes review. Lol
Actually, Stieg Larsson refers to Salander as a Goth Pippy Longstocking in THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, Dan.