There has been more than one adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy novels. Still, the most notable one for Western audiences is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the first in the series adapted by David Fincher in 2011. The story centers on two characters: Mikael Blomkvist, played by Daniel Craig, and Lisbeth Salander, played by Rooney Mara. Mikael is a disgraced journalist who has recently lost a libel suit brought against him by a corrupt businessman. He receives a call to travel to Hedeby Island, where Henrik Vagner asks him to investigate the murder of his niece, Harriet, who disappeared 40 years ago. Henrik offers evidence against the businessman who ruined Mikael’s career in exchange for his service, and he agrees. Mikael recruits Lisbeth, a skilled hacker, to help him uncover the truth behind the case.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo earned five Academy Award nominations in 2012, including Best Actress for Mara and Best Editing, the latter of which it won. It may not be Fincher’s most talked-about movie among fans, but it is undoubtedly one of his most interesting. Notably, Fincher’s typical dark, gritty style is used to its fullest here as we delve into a twisted, violent story. Moreover, Rooney Mara’s performance as Lisbeth is beautifully empathetic; it’s some of her best work to date.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo can certainly be complex, and it also feeds into a greater trilogy. Given the story’s complexity, the ending and its many twists can be challenging to follow. Here, we will explain the ending and explore the themes of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Recapping the Many Storylines in ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’
At the climax of Mikael and Lisbeth’s investigation, they discover that Harriet’s father and brother, Martin, were responsible for a series of murders on the island. Mikael looks for further evidence that these men are involved in the murders in Martin’s house, but he gets caught and detained in his basement. Martin boasts to Mikael that he had been killing and sexually assaulting women for decades, just as his father had before he died, but also says he doesn’t know what happened to Harriet. Before Martin can kill Mikael, Lisbeth arrives and chases him. His escape ends when his motorcycle crashes into a propane tank, which explodes.
Mikael and Lisbeth deduce that Harriet must still be alive and in hiding somewhere, so they make a visit to Harriet’s cousin, Anita, in London. There, they discover that Anita smuggled Harriet off the island and allowed her to assume her identity, so the woman they are really speaking to is Harriet. She shares that her father had been regularly abusing her until she fought back and killed him, after which her brother continued the abuse until Anita helped her escape.
They all return to Hedeby Island, where Henrik turns over the evidence he had in Mikael’s favor. Unfortunately, the evidence is outdated and cannot help Mikael, but fortunately for him, Lisbeth reveals that she has uncovered evidence of this businessman’s money laundering. Mikael publishes an exposé of this information, while Lisbeth steals 2 billion Euros from this man’s bank account. Shortly after, he is killed in supposed gang-related violence.
The Meaning Behind the Ending of ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a thriller first and foremost, so its ending is designed to be exciting and entertaining. The story hits all those beats, with the mystery wrapped up and some nail-biting action. That said, the movie is also a revenge story that centers on violence against women. Both Lisbeth and Harriet take violent action against their abusive fathers, though they both find other men in their lives continuing the cycle. The movie’s narrative aims to explore the pervasive nature of these cycles of violence. Additionally, it highlights that most women experience violence from close friends and family, rather than random men, as is commonly assumed.
The ending may seem slightly open-ended as well as to Lisbeth’s future, but this is purposeful. Notably, it sets the stage for the sequels, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, which, unfortunately, never received an English adaptation, unlike the original Swedish films. Lisbeth’s theft of 2 billion Euros and her exposure to the corrupt corporate world act to signal her transformation into a more independent, resourceful, and morally complex figure. This would give her the tools to handle greater challenges in subsequent films. Before that, it’s helpful to revisit key events in the first film that led Lisbeth to the climax and set up the sequels.
Lisbeth Salander Stealing Money Acts as a Turning Point
To empty Wennerström’s bank accounts, Lisbeth travels to Switzerland, accompanied by several disguises. Since she has access to all his information by hacking his computer, she can make changes to his accounts. Using different disguises to avoid being identifiable in the security footage, Lisbeth can convert the cash in his accounts to bonds and transfer them to herself. This made it appear that Wennerström was attempting to conceal his money to evade the crimes Mikael accused him of. Beyond the immediate financial payoff, the theft illustrates Lisbeth’s moral complexity: she is breaking the law to punish someone who exploited their power and wealth, foreshadowing her transformation into a vigilante figure.
Lisbeth’s Complex Relationship With Mikael
After all the action has concluded, there’s still one question left for the story to answer: what will happen between Lisbeth and Mikael? The final scene of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo shows Lisbeth preparing to give Mikael a birthday present. It’s a leather jacket that matches one she saw in an old picture on his computer. The thoughtful gift implies romantic feelings that she wants to convey to him after they connected on this mission.
However, when she gets to his apartment, she sees him getting close to another woman, which changes her mind. Lisbeth drops the jacket in a dumpster and drives off on her motorcycle. It’s another moment in which she feels abandoned and discarded, continuing the cycle of men using her when it’s convenient for them, and leaving her when it isn’t.
How To Watch ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’
The Millennium Trilogy only came to completion in its original Swedish-language films — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009), and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009) — with the 2011 adaptation never receiving the planned sequels. Both Swedish and American productions adapt the first novel in Stieg Larsson’s series. As such, fans can feasibly watch the 2011 David Fincher film and then follow it up with the original Swedish films to gain a fuller understanding of Lisbeth’s story. This is important to note for those who adored the 2011 film but felt a void after the subsequent cancellation of the sequels, which denied them the experience of one of the most revered film trilogies due to the underperformance of the American adaptation at the box office.
David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is available to rent or own on YouTube, Prime Video, or Apple TV. All films in the original Swedish franchise are available to stream on Prime Video.
- Release Date
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December 21, 2011
- Runtime
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158 minutes
