MANILA, Philippines - I have always subscribed to the rule that the book is always better than the movie. In the case of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the best I have seen in a long, long time, I have finally found the exception.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is about a 42-year-old journalist (Daniel Craig), just convicted of libel, and a 24-year-old non-conformist, and anti-social techie-genius (Rooney Mara). Because of their work, they are put together to solve the murder of 16-year-old Harriet, from the rich Swedish Vanger family, that occurred 40 years earlier. Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), now in his 80s and getting weaker by the day, makes one final try at solving the murder case of her beloved granddaughter.
The thorough investigation conducted by the team of Craig and Mara lead to more unsolved horrific murders which eventually all point to the Vanger family. If you have not read the book, you will have no idea who the real killer is (or killers are), and the suspense will keep you at the edge of your seats. Aside from directing them to the offender/s, the work relationship of Craig and Mara also results in a passionate affair between the two, which at the beginning, would appear most unlikely to happen.
The casting is perfect. Craig, who a lot of fans vote as the best James Bond ever, is at one of his finest. Attuned to the character of the convicted writer, he is quiet and reserved, yet unrelenting in his quest for the truth. But despite Craig’s usual magnificent acting, this movie definitely belongs to Mara who, in my honest opinion, deserves a Best Actress award. (I hear there are now several offers for other big projects). As the eccentric Lisbeth Salander, with her outlandish fashion, tattoos and pierced body parts, Mara was the only one I looked at every time she appeared on screen. She is weird and she is crazy, and yet the audience feels that she is their hero.
While being violated by a social worker who turns out to be a pig, you experience her pain and want to scream with her as you squirm in horror. You start to loathe the man and pray for him to die (as my balikbayan companion Rozza wished for), if not suffer an even more unbearable fate. As Mara takes her vengeance on this repulsive human being, you smile, celebrate with her and say, yes, there can be justice after all. Although some might view the rape scenes as too graphic, I believe that these scenes are important to understand the character of Mara and why she wanted to nail all the pigs in the world.
Craig (who has an off-and-on relationship with a much-married co-worker) and Mara, to my delightful surprise, had great chemistry as lovers. Mara, even with her waiflike body and bizarre appearance oozed with sex appeal that men, and even women, found hard to resist. The movie was long — two hours and 40 minutes — and yet amazingly, you will not feel any boring moment because of the fast-paced presentation of the story, with the director and scriptwriter deftly weaving together all the most important points in the 644-page novel.
If the compelling story of Stieg Larsson keeps you interested the whole length of time you are reading the book or watching the movie, the brilliant and consistent acting of Mara will keep you spellbound. The music at the start of the movie and during the most electrifying scenes adds more thrill and excitement for the viewer. The scenic shots of the snow-covered Vanger island and quaint buildings in Stockholm will make you want to visit Sweden someday. As the investigation came to a close after almost three hours, you do not want the movie to end. You just sit there and think… I want to see this movie again and again.
(For comments, you may reach author at celebrationsdot@yahoo.com or 0927-5000833).