Head-to-Head: Lisbeth Salander in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (Noomi Rapace v.s. Rooney Mara)

Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara both played Lisbeth Salander in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' in 2009 and 2011, respectively (note: I have not taken into account the other 2 films of the original trilogy since Mara does not have an equivalent comparison to be made there.)

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', both original and remake, are effective films. Mystery/psychological horror is a genre that can easily produce duds (The Black Dahlia) or gems (Silence of the Lambs), and I would say these films are somewhere in between. Neither of them are flawless; the 2009 version is finely made with a very distinctive style, and is at certain points incredibly entertaining, but the pace is somewhat lagging at points and the impact of the final scenes feels a bit muted due to the cold, distancing approach much of the film takes. The 2011 version on the other hand moves a lot more smoothly and has real emotional impact in many regards, however it has much less of a stylistic ingenuity to its craftsmanship despite being directed by David Fincher, the overall feel a bit too standard Hollywood thriller-esque.

Lisbeth Salander is a challenging role: how does one not only disappear into the role of a petite but aggressive 20-something year old hacker with a penchant for violence and goth dress, yet still make her into a realistic character? Rapace and Mara, thankfully, are well up to task. Much of Rapace's recent workload has been consigned into largely thankless parts in Hollywood films, but she was a solid enough lead in 'Prometheus' and made a strong impression in the terrific 2014 thriller 'The Drop'. Salander however, remains her definitive role, and with good reason as she's perfectly cast; her physique, appearance, mannerisms all fit along so nicely with the novel's character that it's really one of those cases where the role fits the actor/actress like a glove. Mara on the other hand was a decidedly more off-beat choice. She's found her way into being one of the best actresses working today, but before this role was a virtual unknown. She was not immediately apparent as a spot on choice; a bit too porcelain pretty and soft spoken perhaps. It's incredible therefore, how Mara was able to not completely wipe away these facets of her persona and yet disappear so readily into the role of Lisbeth Salander. Many have expressed reservations about her accent; myself, I thought it worked very well (conversely I though Daniel Craig's lack of one a bit distracting, but that's probably the least of my problems with his performance).

This is going to be one of those shorter reviews since it's quite easy to summarise the different approaches Rapace and Mara take with the character. Rapace plays Salander as more of an icon, each time she struts onscreen she pulsates with fiery energy and frankly, is quite intimidating even in non-confrontational/love scenes. Mara's performance is conversely, much more quieter and subdued. She employs a soft spoken voice even in scenes when she's intimidating/attacking/torturing others, it was particularly jarring when I first watched the film having just seen her talky, snarky performance as a college in 'The Social Network', shoving an anal plug up a corrupt lawyer's ass while retaining that same sort of ghostly fury she maintains throughout the performance. Contrasting the same scene with Rapace's approach, where she takes a much more overt, brimming at the surface sort of rage to this revenge, is very interesting as it shows the very different ways in which the two actresses interpret Salander. Rapace, as a domineering presence, Mara, as a slithering, slowly undermining presence. Also I would say Rapace plays Salander as more assured of herself in all she does, which emphasises the louder approach well, whilst Mara is always more quirky than confident, which equally emphasises her quieter approach well.

Rapace's performance stays at a distance throughout the film; even in the sex scenes, where she displays lust and incredible allure, it always feels a bit muted and rightly so, she's created herself as an intentionally shielded, enclosed person, whereas with Mara she plays Lisbeth with a touch more sensitivity. I particularly love her scene where she seduces Craig's Mikael with the same soft spoken, somewhat listless approach and yet beneath it you feel pangs of desire that's strangely heartwarming, and makes the conclusion of the film all the more heartbreaking. One of the reservations I have with Mara's performance is that Lisbeth’s aggression seems almost too prevalent in all her scenes, she probably could've afforded to tone it down a bit, even though these reservations do still work well for the film. Overall, this little reservation is what places her beneath Rooney Mara for the timebeing; though Mara is perhaps not as iconic, enigmatic, nor as domineering, and at points lacks that extra 'oomph' that Rapace has, Mara's introverted approach generates a very compelling magnetism and sense of an outcast, that makes the performance work incredibly well.

1. Rooney Mara in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2011): 4.5/5
2. Noomi Rapace in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2009): 4.5/5



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