Though I have yet to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it appears that fans of the book have found Niels Arden Opley’s film a decent adaptation. The book is a mighty tome and Opley does well to try and squeeze as much of the labyrinth storyline into the screenplay. As for the storyline itself, what we have is a slow paced thriller concerning a journalist and The Girl With Guess What who investigate the disappearance of a girl from a wealthy family home some forty years previously. As a detective story this is fun to watch and there are plenty of red herrings thrown in. On the down side, as this is such a vast story (part one of three, in effect) this does cause a few problems as numerous names and characters come and go and it can be confusing trying to keep up (though Opley handles The Girl’s backstory pretty adeptly). In addition, some of plot revelations are a little bit too easily discovered by the protagonists, especially as their standard computer software at times seems to be able to undertake tasks that MI5 would find hard to do. However, perhaps best to just go with the flow and also to enjoy some of the stunning scenery. Some scenes that are difficult to “enjoy” though are the ones of sexual abuse, which appear to over step the mark of what I would think is acceptable to show. Overall though, despite the fact the film doesn’t grip as much as it should, it’s still confident enough to get through on the strength of it’s own convictions. Also, perhaps best to see now before the inevitable Hollywood remake….
The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
The tone is unbalanced throughout, but as old fashioned detective story it’s entertaining and intriguing stuff. Rating: 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment