The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Attempts Pop Culture Trifecta

"The Girl with the Dragon Tat- too" book trilogy and movies have resonated well in American pop culture. With modern characters and ideas, the stories are engaging, effective, and unrestricted, especially when disturbed protagonist Lisbeth Salander participates in a grind-house style revenge scene that speaks to all sexually mistreated women.

In the world Steig Larsson creates, Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist, a radical journalist accused of libel, represent misplaced characters living on the cusp of humanity. Lisbeth is a young, brilliant computer hacker with a stormy past. She be- comes a social deviant, attempting a stable life without hassle from the tethers of a male-dominated society. Her uncanny hacking skills allow her to work and support her- self, but her past attracts constant scrutiny from probation officers.

Mikael Blomkvist maintains stability as a journalist with his own magazine until he is sued for libel by a conglomerate head. He loses the case, serves three months in prison, and is then offered an opportunity to help investigate the 40-year-old disappearance of wealthy patriarch Henrik Vanger's great-niece Harriet. Henrik suspects that she was murdered by a member of the Vanger family. Intrigued and un- employed, Blomkvist takes the job and eventually recruits punk rock Salander on the mission.

Blomkvist and Salander have a common bond in their social marginalization. They are wounded underdogs who are shunned by either family or society, and the emotion towards their respective loss leads them to investigating a seemingly unsolvable crime.

The film versions play it relatively safe, consistently maintaining plot lines and staying true to the characters from the text. Salander's character is tailored for an actress desiring a rebellious role who wants to shatter a previous image. Both Noomi Rapace of the Swedish film and Roony Mara of the American remake capture Salander's distraught abandonment. Still, Mara portrays a Salander more in control than that of Rapace, whose portrayal is closer to the character as described in the novel. Mara clearly depicts Salander's computer hacking expertise and self-sufficiency, but the glint of desertion and lost identity is not as apparent as with Rapace's characterization.

The Swedish version follows the text more closely than the American version, engages the viewer more directly and effectively, and preserves the original language of the story. By the time Daniel Craig steps into Blomkvist's role, a sterilized and secure aura exists between him and super-hacker Salander. This is only a slight detraction from the original, however, and director David Fincher's abrasive and signature cold beauty emerges.

In the books, Blomkvist and Salander's awkward yet true sexual bond merges seamlessly with the laptops attached to their arms. The films capture this unifying composition, where the sensual blend of cold pain, eroticism and technology is unabashedly shoved into viewer's faces. During the opening credits of the American version, Karen O's shrieking vocals to "Immigrant Song" set the tone for the film. If this is the first bit of sound heard after reading the book, it is difficult not to be impressed.

Overall, the book is a pleasurable read, especially as the characters and stories are intricately woven. While many portions still read like a dime-store mystery novel, the story itself is infinitely more interesting than the writing.