A spellbinding investigative crime thriller, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is sure going to impress everyone loving this particular genre and the ones who really enjoy studying the step by step investigations made by a clever detective. Actually these two versions of the same novel made in different languages have been included in this list with a specific purpose stated ahead. But before moving on to the same, let’s take a look at its basic plot revolving around an old disgraceful event happened decades before.
The story is about a humiliated journalist who is duly appointed by a wealthy, powerful industrialist to investigate about his young niece who went missing few decades back, but a memoir is still being sent by her name every year till date. As the findings point towards some serious sexual serial killings in the past, a research assistant is roped in who is a talented female hacker making regular background checks for the rich industrialist. The girl is an extremely fast & sharp-minded detective but at the same time is also a lonely, anti-social, difficult girl with a pierced-tattooed body and a forgettable background. As they both begin working together on the assigned case, the proceedings reveal many dark, hidden truths about the industrialist’s own family members beyond imagination. And thus we have a fast paced, gripping thriller with a great twist disclosing the real truth behind the disappeared young girl, disgracing close human relationships.
Coming to the basic purpose of adding these two films together, it can also be explained as a perfect opportunity to study how a story is adapted and executed by two different directors, with their own distinctive visions and characterizations written in a highly contrasting manner. Particularly studying the way, they both shape their leading character of the script i.e. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo giving her their own individual features which are quite different in terms of impact, brutality and intelligence. In other words, watching the two versions consecutively can also be referred to as an interesting cinematic case study of how two highly creative minds visualize a script/novel given to them with their own understanding of the subject, distinctively.
Now although the conclusion depends upon your personal observations or likings and you can watch any one of the films first as per your individual choice. But if you begin with the English Adaptation, then the difference in the hard hitting impact of the characters would be visible more strongly and one will be easily able to analyze why the English version manages to depict the storyline in a much focused, impressive and cruel way ahead than the Swedish one.
Based on the original novel by Stieg Larsson, both the adaptations & their performances were widely appreciated at various film festivals but it was the David Fincher’s English version which won the Best Editing OSCAR in 2012 and was also nominated in the categories of Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing and Sound Editing too. The music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross makes an amazing contribution to the film making a solid impact, which probably also remains the reason why this English version is more loved by the film-goers doing a better justice to the subject in totality.
So if you are really interested to study this difference of visualization of the same subject/novel by two reputed directors coming from different parts of the world, then do watch both the films as a must and have a great thrilling time investigating the visible differences cinematically. (As a spoiler-warning, the films have few awfully wicked adult sequences. Hence they are supposed to be watched by strictly the mature audiences only as per the censor ratings.)
(2009 Swedish Original with the title “Man Som Hatar Kvinnor")
Directed By Niels Arden Opley
Written By Stieg Larsson (Novel) & Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg (Screenplay)
Starring : Michael Nygvist, Noomi Rapace, Ewa Frolling and more.
(2011 English version titled “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”)
Directed By David Fincher
Written By Stieg Larsson (Novel) & Steven Zaillian (Screenplay)
Starring : Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer and more.
