It is impossible to talk about thrillers without mentioning David Fincher. His indelible mark on the form is undeniable, casting a long shadow over subsequent filmmakers. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011) stands as a testament to his mastery, a film where his unparalleled skill is on full, dazzling display. Based on Stieg Larsson’s Swedish novel, the film follows an investigation into the case of a missing person from a wealthy family who disappeared decades ago. About 40 years later, the family patriarch hires a journalist to solve this mystery, who seeks a hacker’s help to learn the truth.
Spoilers Ahead
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011), starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, is a mystery thriller about a girl who went missing decades ago. Craig plays journalist Mikael Blomkvist, whereas Rooney Mara plays hacker Lisbeth Salander. This is one of Stieg Larsson’s book’s multiple adaptations directed by David Fincher, based on a screenplay by Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Irishman).
What is David Fincher’s ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ about?
David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is set in Stockholm, Sweden, and follows Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a journalist who is facing a defamation suit from businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström (Ulf Firebrg). While in the middle of its proceedings, Mikael receives a call from Dirch Frode (Steven Berkoff), an attorney who represents Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy businessman behind the Vanger Industries. Dirch reveals that Henrik would like to meet Mikael in person. Mikael decides to meet Henrik to take a break from his conflicted life.
At the Vanger estate, Henrik offers Mikael evidence against Wennerström that can help him. In exchange, he makes an unusual request: he wants Mikael to uncover the mystery behind his brother’s granddaughter, Harriet, who went missing over 40 years ago. He reveals the details about his family’s problematic Nazi past and about his brother Richard’s history of abuse. Henrik recalls a shocking accident on the island that happened the day she disappeared. Since then, he kept receiving a gift that Harriet used to give him. He thinks someone is playing a sick joke on him.
Why does Henrik plan to hire Mikael?
Henrik learns about Mikael’s history as a journalist and his sharp investigative mind. Now that Mikael is caught in a legal case, Henrik wants him to investigate Harriet’s whereabouts after her disappearance. He offers Mikael a huge sum and a place to stay. Mikael accepts the offer and moves into a cottage in the Vanger family estate for the investigation. Later, Henrik reveals who else lives on the island and their communication patterns. Mikael goes through the available past records and meets Detective Morell (Donald Sumpter). Morell reveals that Harriet was so bright that Henrik thought she would one day run the family business.
Mikael finds a diary that Harriet received from Henrik the Christmas before her disappearance. On its last page, he sees a list of a few names and numbers next to them. Morell reveals details that he found about those names. But it didn’t lead him to their definitive connection with Harriet. Later, Mikael meets Martin (Stellan Skarsgård), Harriet’s brother and the current CEO of the industries. He reveals how Harriet’s disappearance impacted their business under Henrik’s wings. Then, Cecilia (Geraldine James) shows up at his cottage and reveals that her now-estranged sister Anita was once closer to Harriet.
Who is Lisbeth Salander, and why does Mikael hire her?
Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is a highly skilled investigator and computer hacker who suffers emotional abuse from Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen), her state-sponsored guardian who controls her expenses. He pretends to be a well-wisher but sexually abuses her by threatening her to be institutionalized. One day, she shows up at his house for a financial request. That day, he ties her up to his bed and rapes her. He doesn’t realize that she recorded him raping her. During the next meeting, she tasers him and ties him to the ground.
Lisbeth sexually assaults Nils with a steel dildo and tattoos ‘I’m a rapist pig’ on his chest. She blackmails to release the tape of her recording if he doesn’t stop controlling his finances. She asks him to write the necessary notes on her behavioral improvements and doesn’t contact her otherwise. While she takes revenge against this vile man, Mikael discovers a shocking connection to the details of Harriet’s diary’s last page. They lead him to the Bible quotes and make him realize the biblical connections to the victims. Considering the sheer scope of the work, he wants a research assistant. So, Dirch suggests he get in touch with Lisbeth, who did a background check on him for them.
What do Mikael & Lisbeth learn about the Harriet?
Mikael shows up at Lisbeth’s apartment and asks her to help him with the case of Harriet and its connection to other missing women on the island. She goes through the data about the young women savagely murdered between 1947 and 1967, most of them similarly raped & mutilated and had Jewish names. So, she suspects a serial killer behind this crime, motivated by antisemitism. Considering the Nazi history of the Vangers, Mikael doesn’t find it surprising. Another morning, he finds his cat’s mutilated corpse on his doorstep. He begins looking for people from the photo of the parade Harriet attended before she went missing.
At night, while Lisbeth attaches security cameras around the cottage, someone tries to shoot Mikael to death. After a bullet grazes past him, Mikael returns with a wounded forehead. Lisebth cleans them and has sex with him. With Henrik in the hospital, Mikael asks Dirch to provide their private records. Martin agrees to share them, claiming they have nothing to hide. Together, Mikael & Lisbeth start looking for any connections between the Vanger industries and the women who were killed. Lisbeth finds them all somehow connected to Martin’s father, Gottfried, except Lena Andersson. Meanwhile, through his investigation, Mikael reaches a similar conclusion.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Movie Ending Explained:
Who was responsible for the serial murders?
Mikael & Lisbeth discover that Gottfried committed the murders of women on their island, followed by Martin. To find more evidence, Mikael sneaks into Martin’s house. But Martin catches him running away and invites him in. He takes Mikael to his basement and uses gas to make him unconscious. Then, Martin binds Mikael and talks about the rapes and murders, after his father, as achievements that he is proud of. Then, Martin asks why he killed Harriet. Mikael admits he doesn’t know what happened to her. While he tries to choke Mikael, Lisbeth arrives there and hurts Martin.
While Lisbeth rescues Mikael, Martin flees the scene. But Lisbeth follows him on her motorcycle, leading to his accident with a gas tank that blows up his car and kills him. Mikael heals in the hospital, and Lisbeth tells him that she was institutionalized because, as a child, she tried to kill her father. Although they solved the mystery behind other murders, they still don’t know who killed Harriet or why she went missing. Before his death, Martin claimed not knowing what happened to her. So, Mikael believes she is still alive and decides to learn what happened to her.
What happened to Harriet, and why did she go missing?
Cecilia claimed her sister, Anita, was close to Harriet. So, Mikael travels to London to meet Anita and share the news about her cousin Martin’s death. But she doesn’t seem the least bit concerned. Later, he returns to her, realizing she is, in fact, Harriet. So, she admits that she lived in London as Anita, who died over 20 years ago with her husband. Harriet also reveals that her father sexually abused her when she was a child for over a year. Finally, she defended herself by drowning him. Martin noticed that and kept abusing her like their father.
Anita helped Harriet leave the island through a car trunk during the accident. Finally, Harriet returns to Sweden and gets emotional as she reunites with Henrik. Since Mikael closes the case, Dirch offers him a file on Wennerström as promised. But it ends up being outdated. Lisbeth hacks into Wennerström and finds traces of money laundering to crime syndicates. Based on her help, he writes a scathing report of Wennerström’s activities that put him under scrutiny. Subsequently, she travels to Switzerland under a disguise. There, she empties billions of Euros from Wennerström’s secret accounts.
Do Mikael & Lisbeth end up together?
After helping Mikael with the Wennerström case, Lisbeth returns the money she borrowed from him. She seems more content with herself and sees hope in their future. Later, she buys him a Christmas present and drives up to his house. There, she sees him with his colleague & lover, Erika Berger. Heartbroken, she throws away the gift and rides back on her own. So, she and Mikael do not end up together.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Movie Themes Analysed:
Sexual Abuse
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” presents multiple characters connected with a history of sexual abuse. Lisbeth suffered at the hands of her state-sponsored guardian, whereas Harriet suffered at the hands of her father and her brother. Gottfried and Martin also abused several women across the years. The abusers are in positions of power and see their actions as acceptable exploitation or justifiable acts backed by their prejudices. In many cases, they also feel pride in their vile actions and feel that they can keep getting away with them.
Investigative Mind
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” presents multiple examples of detectives dedicated to finding the truth. Detective Morell mentions that every detective has an unsolved case over which they obsess. We see that reflected in Lisbeth and Mikael’s work, who keep working on the Vanger and the Wennerström cases no matter what obstacle. They are determined to solve the mystery even if their job ends before that. It shows their sharp, investigative mind, which Henrik also praises Mikael for.
