The plot is that an old rich man named Henrik Vanger wants to find out who killed his niece forty years before. He hires a then-disgraced but previously respected investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who teams up with punk goth hacker hero Elisbeth Salander to find out "who did it."
The most interesting and compelling character is Elisbeth Salander who has an complex history that's only hinted at in the film (and in the book). But we get to see some of that history on screen. She's abused by a man who has some power in her life, and she gets her own brand of revenge and takes her power back. (No, I'm not ruining anything for you).
I loved the film because, like in the novel, Salander is brutalized but is never a victim. She has sex only for her own pleasure. She takes control of her life.
But most of all, I liked her because she's not a "consumable" on screen. We see her naked. She's got tiny breasts and she's so skinny you can see her ribs and spine. Her eyes are heavily lined in black, and she is just about as butch as they come. Salander gives no coy looks and never bats her eyes at men. She slouches and stomps. She's clearly in the story as a character in her own right with her own purposes.
Some are saying that this film, about to be released in the US, won't make it as big as it should because it's subtitled.
I don't think it will make it either, but not because of subtitles. I can think of several successful subtitled films in the US. Slumdog Millionaire's first forty minutes was almost entirely subtitled. Other films include Life is Beautiful, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo could be as well loved. Dan Brown fans would come out to Girl in full force. But they won't.
Why?
Because Salander isn't consumable in our culture that prefers its strong women to be sexual fantasy fodder.
Think about Sarah Palin (you know who she is), Danica Patrick (race car driver who has beaten the boys), and Venus and Serena Williams (you know why they are). Then do a Google image search for all of them.
Only four of the first twenty one images of Danica Patrick are of her in her racing outfit. Over half of Venus Williams' pics are of a scantily clad Williams. You can guess what I found for Serena Williams. Even one of the three photos of Williams playing tennis highlighted her boobs and her butt.
But then consider Kelly Kulick. Who's that, you ask? Well, the first woman to ever beat a man in bowling. Do a search for pics of her, and you find a woman scowling, clenching her teeth and raising her hands in victory. You see her bowling, in a short sleeved, high necklined shirt and long pants. You even get to see a hint of a muffin-top at the edge of her belted pants. But no bikinis. (Some people are saying Kulick isn't getting any attention because bowling isn't really a sport. I bet no one would say that if she'd just show a little tits and ass so men could fantasize about her.)
This isn't just true in sports--it's true in films and television too. Strong women have to be sexy. We don't like it when they're not.
While there are probably a few men who will find Salander sexy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, most won't and so it won't get much play outside of art film houses.
See it if you can. My rating: Worth $10, hiring a babysitter, and $10 for crappy popcorn and a pop that'll make you get up in the middle of the film to pee.
Oh, and why is this blog post titled "Men Who Hate Women?" Because that's the literal translation of the book's and the film's title. And another reason this film won't be popular: if it were, we'd have to acknowledge that misogyny exists right here in the west (and not just in all those faraway places we like to cluck our tongues about).
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