Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Swedish vs US version?

[Susan]

I just saw the US version yesterday. I liked the actors and the acting was fine, but in some places it seemed rushed, and the ending was not clear at all (regarding Harriet). Any thoughts?

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

That was my thought immediately, CS.

I liked the Swedish version and watched it with my little niece who is kind of "Subtitles?  Ewwww", and she liked it.  Wasn't that crazy about the male lead actor.  And I'm really partial to Daniel Craig.  Just my type,  nice mild writer, but underneath he's this cold killer who mopped 'em up in the latest Bond film.

But, I just don't see the point.  Why remake a good, recent film?  I saw one scene in a trailer, where dragon girl gives Mr. Guardian Rapist his comeuppance, and I thought the original was far better.

[C.S. Miller]

Agreed. Thought the lead actress was very good. The mail actor was so-so. Still haven't seen the Hollywood version.

 

[Susan]

I agree, Cammy May and C.S., but Hollywood likes to do remakes of successful foreign films. Like La Femme Nikita became Point of No Return (good film actually) with Bridget Fonda. I saw both and liked both, but, as always, the Hollywood version was more commercial.What I lied best: in Nikita there were scenes in Venice. In PNR they switched to New Orleans.

You are correct, absolutely, the scene with the Rapist was much better in the original.

[John Black]

Fincher is a great director and the US looks great but I think the Swedish version did a lot better at keeping track of all the various relatives. I had a lot of 'hang on, who is that again?' watching the US version. 

[Susan]

Me too. And the ending was a lot clearer in the Swedish version.

[D. L. R.]

I don't see why they needed to made an American version; the Swedish was very well done. I watched it three times. On the last view I switch on the English dub. And because Swedish is so close to English you could hardly tell they weren't speaking English. 'Course, most of the actors spoke English as well as Swedish so that helped.    

[Susan]

Well, they didn't "need" to make an American version, they made an American version because 1) the book was a best seller here and some people refuse to go to "foreign" films, and 2) Hollywood always figures that any foreign film that makes a bit of money would have made way more if "they" had made it, so they do the Hollywood remake. Same thing happened with the Norwegian film, grrr can't think of title, about the cop who ... I remember ... Insomnia ... Foreign version was excellent. Remake with Al Pacino and Robin Williams was also pretty good because they're great actors, but it wasn't as go a FILM as the Norwegian film. In my opinion.

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

I didn't realize Insomnia was a remake, or foreign.
I thought it was one of the biggest wastes of viewing time I could remember.
The fight at the end was a laugher. I mean Williams fighting De Niro. Gee, let me think, you got the Godfather, Raging Bull, "Cape Fear" psycho... vs. Mork. Who do you pick.

[Susan]

Nah, not De Niro, Pacino ... yeah I know all those Italians look alike. :) 

But before that it was a foreign film, from Norway I think. And I think the title was the same.

And I don't know if you ever saw Robin Williams in ... sorry can't remember the title... the film where he played this creepy clerk at a photomat store, developed film and picked out families to harass ... totally creeped me out.

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

Hah, gottcha.  Who was the original Godfather?  When he was a young immigrant before he turned into Marlon Brando?

[Susan]

Well yeah, De Niro was ... but Pacino wasn't in Raging Bull ... or Cape Fear. :)

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

Uh, oh... you're saying it was Pacino vs Williams in Insomnia?  Oh, jeez, you're right.  I could have sworn.  

Ah well, getting red-faced now and then is good for the complexion.