Whether you’ve read Stieg Larsson‘s Milleniuium trilogy or know nothing about the books at all, you can enjoy the film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on the first novel in the series. The first film is being released in the US on March 19, starring Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander, the bisexual protagonist who is a whiz at hacking and researching (aka stalking). To describe it simply, the film follows Lisbeth as she attempts to help journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) solve the mystery of a 16-year-old girl from a wealthy family that disappeared in the 1960s. Rapace is perfectly stoic and determined as Lisbeth, one of the strongest fictional female characters we’ve seen this decade.
Lisbeth is 24-years-old, but is under probation for her violent past. She’s disturbed and emotionally unavailable, but this aids her in being able to kick ass and take names – at least of those who deserve it. With piercings, body art and a goth wardrobe, Lisbeth also carries a “don’t mess with me attitude,” which she’s willing to act on if you actually dare mess with her. In one scene, she’s being pushed around by a group of rabble rousers in the subway, but they run from her once she smashes a bottle and uses an edge of the glass to cut one of them in the arm. In another, she seeks revenge on her probation guardian who beat and raped her by returning the, uh, favor and then tattooing his chest to say “I’m a sadist pig and rapist.”
Lisbeth is surely a feminist icon. The only way you know she’s bisexual, at least in this first film, is from a brief scene in which she wakes up nude next to Miriam Wu, who is her on-and-off-again lover, more prominently featured in the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire. Early reviews and screencaps from the second film indicate we’ll see much more of Miriam and Lisbeth together.
But the main focus of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the murder mystery at hand, and Lisbeth’s focus only temporarily strays for sex (which includes a few scenes with Mikael, who is middle-aged and, at first, passive about their relationship). It is unclear as to how Lisbeth really feels about Mikael, but she later visits her mother in a nursing home and says “You should never fall in love.” Looks like both Mikael and Miriam are out of luck – for now. Without giving too much away, I’d like to happily inform you that Lisbeth plays an integral in getting the case solved. Her use of her photographic memory, as well as her way with technology (from decoding to hacking to setting up live cameras) are two of the most important elements in finding out not only where the missing girl is, but how several teen girls were murdered in a related case.
The setting of Sweden is perfect for the film, as it was the late Larsson’s setting for the plot in the novel. The upcoming American version has fans of the trilogy on edge, and rightfully so – Noomi Rapace did such a great job as Lisbeth that no other actress could replicate her performance, and the use of English in a Swedish setting would just not sound right with the names and places and Nazi history explored within a family.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an intense mystery that will please fans of the books and intrigue those who have yet to read Stieg Larsson’s work. They might even find more pleasure in not knowing what happens next. Join the Dragon Tattoo Blog HUNT – an internet wide scavenger hunt tied to the feature film launch of bestselling book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Win great prizes – free movie tickets, books, movie soundtrack, posters and more. To join the contest, start at the beginning of the HUNT by visiting www.dragontattoofilm.com/contest for full details and the first clue. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is in theaters near you starting March 19.
THE NEXT CLUE:
In The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth is surely one of the Smart Bitches and according to this blog’s founder, Sarah (the orginal SB), smart bitches still like to indulge in a little fun now and again – especially when it comes to Trashy Books.
