The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) Directed by David Fincher. Written by: Steven Zaillian (screenplay), Stieg Larsson (novel) Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer. IMDB says: “Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Mara), a young computer hacker.“
The US remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a hypnotic masterpiece, adding another stunner to the continued brilliance of David Fincher. Stop what your doing, hit up your local movie theaters and check it out. Then come back and read my review. Or if youre at work or something, keep reading.I’m not sure where to start on this review because there is already so much speculation and judgement surrounding the film. For those non film geeks, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is based on a best selling Swedish book by author Stieg Larsson. A Swedish film adaptation of the book was already made, only a short while ago, back in 2009. The film garnered attention from its critical praise, including kudos for Noomi Raplace, who played the crucial title character role of Lisbeth Salander (aka The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.) Of course when word hit of an American remake, the people on the interwebz boiled with the same distain they carry for all ‘Americans can’t read subtitles’ remakes. Then with more updates on the project, notably that respected director David Fincher would be helming the film, interest blossomed. Fincher promised to craft the film based on its source material and not try to remake the Swedish original.So as I was saying, I wasn’t sure what direction to take this review in. I could keep comparing the films like so many others were doing, or do my best with an objective opinion. I decided to keep the focus soley on this film, while keeping an eye on both versions. And I got to say this, to get it right out there in the open, I love David Fincher’s shit. The only movie of his I haven’t seen is Alien 3 (at least not all the way through) and I just think the rest of the movies listed on his resume are fantastic. I mean, if something as mesmorizing as The Curious Case of Benjimin Button is the weakest film you got (which to me it is his weakest) then you’re doing something right. With TGWTDT, Fincher is in his finest form, playing to all his strengths and making a top notch piece of cinema.
Plot wise, the movie is a long twisting narrative about a journalist and very talented, but abrasive reasearch assitant/hacker, working together to solve a possible murder case from 40 years ago. Daniel Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist, and is a great choice. Physically he’s perfect. Slightly older and weathered looking, but still quite handsome. Craig also melds with the part well. He is subdued in comparison to Roony Mara’s character, who is really the core of the film. He plays the character with a good balance of take-charge self importance and naiveté. The supporting cast featured are all also fitting players, the most impressive of the bunch being Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgård. But fuck it, let’s get to this, this IS Rooney Mara’s movie. Playing the ever important Lisbeth Salander, Rooney nails the role with a complexity that I hadn’t seen from Rapace in the previous film. While, I will never discount Noomi Raplace’s version of The Girl, as I find her fantastic to watch, Mara creates a different character, with separate vulnerabilities and layers that makes the character much more interesting. Rooney’s performance is like the character she playes, it comes out of no where, sucks you in and just when you think you have it figured out, BAM, something new. She absolutely smolders on the screen, and is the main reason that an almost 3 hour film never seem to drag.
It is predictably not too suprising that TGWTDT is a technically profiecent film. Fincher is spot on with the cinematography, camerawork and pacing, blending everything into a nice mood that is sustained throughout the film. His work again with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross proves perfect. The whole film is dark and tense, but never without it’s humor. A nice quip or visual gag is often thrown in to lighten the mood, as it’s needed with such heavy elements. Oh and one more thing this film has going for it? It’s so damn sexy. The characters, the music, the setting – everything just hits you in all the right places.
So it might look suspect to outside readers that Fincher’s last two films were also my favorite films of 2010 and 2011, but I just find it a testimate to his talent. I suggest experiencing the film yourself and hopefully, you can get from it what I did.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a film that stays with you after viewing it. The intense performances, the gorgeous blend of modern and traditional architecture and landscapes, the intense ethereal opus crafted by Atticus Finch and Trent Reznor, and the overall content make this the perfect way to end the year in film and a fantastic way to start the new one. It’s dark, it’s brutal at times, and it’s beautiful.
From the get go, you really don’t know what type of film you’re going to get. The opening scenes give you a taste of the reality to come, but that gets completely cast aside by the visually stunning opening credits. The film kicks off with the addicting “Immigrant Song” (the version with Karen O. that I haven’t stopped listening to since it played in the trailer) and the credits play almost like a James Bond film. From there we’re introduced to the story and one of it’s main characters, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). Craig gives a solid performance, despite his always changing accent, but is completely overshadowed by Mara Rooney as Lisbeth Salander. Rooney is reserved, intense, bold, and dark at just the right times to send chills up and down your spine with every sentence she delivers. It’s a breakthrough performance that cannot be missed. Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, and the rest of the cast are the perfect ensemble for Rooney and Craig to shine.
The film looks absolutely gorgeous. Every color of every detail is near perfect. Think Se7en but with the look and detail of The Social Network. Fincher was able to master up the perfect blend to fit this movie and take to that next level. The soundtrack can’t be praised enough. It’s haunting and beautiful and it’s fantastic to listen to all it’s own. It pairs perfectly with every scene.
For those that have read the book, this will not disappoint. While it does leave out minor events and subplots, it focuses in giving you a much more concise story. For those that have seen the Swedish version, I preferred this film over that one. The Swedish version stuck closer to the book and I found its soundtrack not as compelling. I can also reassure you that this version is a bit darker and slightly more graphic.
While this film might not be for everyone, it is one to be enjoyed in theaters and is sure to be the big talked about film this holiday season. Go see it!!
