by Roger Bourke White Jr., copyright July 2010
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a 2010's take on the classic mystery genre. There is nothing too surprising going on here, but pacing is pleasing and the characters are resourceful. I liked it.
This movie is Swedish and based on a widely popular Swedish book. The book author drew heavily on English and American mystery book styles, and it shows in this movie.
The setting is an island off the Swedish coast with limited access to the mainland. A murder happened there... well, more than one we find out as the story unfolds. On the island live many members of a Swedish family made rich by a prosperous family-owned business empire. These relatives have complex relations with each other, and much of the movie is about uncovering those relations -- all very Agatha Christieish.
The two people researching the 40-year-old mystery are interesting characters, they are not stereotypical and this makes them fun to watch. One is a fairly conventional urban middle-age reporter and the other a freaky twenties-something woman detective and computer hacker. What makes them not stereotypical is that both are clever and resourceful. As we are introduced to them in the first half of the movie, we see them make a lot of strategically good choices.
Much of the movie is about researching. I found that fun. The two main characters are clever and diligent in their researching. I liked the pacing as the director shows us their researching and thought. The movie is also helped by the generally positive, civil and helpful attitude of the various people our main characters interact with -- this is not about comic book-based action with melodramatic supporting characters.
The movie gets a bit weaker in the end. I cringed when the reporter decided to break into one of the family's houses to search for more clues. That was pretty out of character, and the story up to that point did not support that decision.
But, on the whole, it was good, and I'm happy I saw it.
--The End--