Movies and Books

I was buried alive last week at work. By Friday, I had nothing left. I'd thought Jrex would be working late that night, so I'd planned to walk the dog and then go see a movie at the local theater. When it turned out he'd be home, I asked if he wanted to see "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" with me. He wasn't up for it, but was fine if I wanted to go by myself.

I'm glad he didn't come with me, but it would be good to have someone with whom to process the movie. You see, it's based on a book by a Swedish author. The original book title was "Men Who Hate Women", and boy, is that an accurate title! There were three scenes of graphic sexual assault. Two by one man against the same woman, the third is her vigilante justice: which included leaving him hog-tied naked on the floor while she played the tape she'd recorded during the second encounter. Then she tatoos his stomach with "I am a Sadistic Pig and a Rapist".


That's just a side story, though!!! The real story starts with two parallel lives: a reporter, and the woman I've just mentioned. Their story lines merge a third of the way through the movie. They are trying to solve a 40 year old missing person case. In the course of their discoveries, they find links between a series of old murders.


The reporter and the woman develop an interesting, compelling relationship.


Glimpses into the woman's past hint at why she's secretive, self-protective and yet powerful. The author and director create a character that you respect even as she watches clinically observes a man die instead of trying to help him out of the burning car.

Disturbing, yet compelling. I can't recommend that anyone see the movie, yet I don't regret that I did. The question now is, do I read the book series?