The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was, up until a few days ago, the only film by David Fincher that I hadn’t seen, but the fact that this was my first viewing does not in any way prevent me from thinking it was awesome. Here’s some of the reasons why I loved it:
5. The Trailer: OK, so technically it’s not a part of the actual film, but seriously, the trailer for this movie is phenomenal. I’ve never seen a song choice more inspired than the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant song by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Karen O, and it perfectly syncs up with the rapid, epilepsy-inducing editing. It’s a masterpiece in trailer creation, as it gives a great feel of the film – there’s lots of shots of serious-looking people interspliced with the main action beats, but they give very little away to those unfamiliar with either the source material or the Swedish original film. Add to this brief snippets showcasing key characters and moments for the fans to pick up on and recognise, and you’ve got what could be one of the greatest trailers from the past few years. Plus, the song is frickin’ sweet.
4. The Efficient Script: The international best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson, upon which this film is based, is a very good book, however one accolade it cannot lay claim to is being concise. It’s a very weighty, wordy tome – something you’d expect with a plot as rich, layered and downright gripping as this – but it also took its sweet time when it came to some of the less important aspects of the film. Take the character of Erika Berger (Robin Wright Penn), the editor and magazine-partner of our hero, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). In the book she is given an awful lot of time, despite at that point being a relatively minor character in terms of plot. Granted, her role is increased significantly in the sequels, and a key element of the story’s ending hangs on her existence, but she isn’t exactly essential, especially in a film that could end up being a standalone feature. The most important – or at least, interesting – aspect of her is the relationship she has with Mikael. Erika is married, but sleeps with Mikael on a semi-regular basis, which her husband knows about, and accepts. In the book I recall this being dealt with over pages and pages, when all I wanted to do was get into the meat of the mystery at the core of the story. In the film? One line of dialogue: “It ruined his marriage, but not hers.” That’s how you adapt a book. That’s efficient.
3. Vengeance: It’s always satisfying to see karma enacted on screen, as so rarely does justice seem to be meted out in everyday life, and Dragon Tattoo sees some terrific acts of vengeance. [SPOILER WARNING] The climactic draining of Wennerstrom’s bank accounts is certainly notable, but the revenge arc I’m more interested in is between Lisbeth (Rooney Mara) and her government-appointed handler Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen). Bjurman is a detestable human being who forces his charge to felate him before he allows her access to her own money. Lisbeth, who isn’t used to this kind of treatment, records her next encounter with him which, despite not going as planned, still results in appropriate evidence to use against him. However, instead of taking the tapes to the court she returns to Bjurman for a third time and knocks him out with a taser. She then inserts a rather uncomfortable looking dildo into him and threatens him with exposure of the tape should he not do exactly as she says. He is then instructed to continually file positive reports on her and recommend she be released from government-sanctioned guardianship, and to top it all off she tattoos “I AM A RAPIST PIG” onto his ample chest and belly, just in case he ever wanted to have sex or go swimming ever again. Many elements of this plot strand are more than a little sickening, yet overall it results in a fist-in-the-air triumphant moment for our heroine, who saw a horrific situation and resolved it, not by going to the relevant authorities, but by herself, and in a manner that would drastically improve her way of life. It’s not even that key to the over-arching mystery plot, but a storyline that gripping could never have been left out.
2. The Opening Credits: Fincher is renowned for his opening credit sequences, and this one is right up there with the likes of Se7en. Set once again to the cover of Immigrant Song used in the trailers, this time around it’s an oily black world of keyboards, eyes, dragons, wires, hands, bugs and fire that we are treated to. It’s downright disturbing at times – the freaky doll-head opening it’s eyes, the flies crawling out of them – but it’s also bloody wonderful. The credits sequence really sets the tone not just for the story ahead, but also the events that have happened before we are brought in. There’s drowning, torture, many hands covering someone up, technical imagery and a phoenix rising from the flames. Look, don’t take my work for it, go and check it out here. See, told you, it’s amazing. It’d be gorgeuous if it weren’t so utterly nightmarish.
1. Rooney Mara: After the 2009 Swedish version of this film, it seemed all anyone could talk about was how well Noomi Rapace performed as Lisbeth Salander, the introverted, socially awkward, almost super-powered hacker, and when rumors began to surface of an English-language remake the hot topic of the day was who the heck could replace her. Many actresses reportedly interviewed for the role, including Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Lawrence. Portman would have been interesting, but the other two I think would have been completely wrong, not least because of their cup size. Mara, who had previously, and very briefly, worked with Fincher in the opening scene of The Social Network, seemed like a risky gamble, but bloody hell did it ever pay off. It’s a role that could so easily dissolve into parody or charicature, especially with that frankly terrifying fringe, but Mara retains a realism that grounds this otherwise otherworldly character. Every little moment – the way she looks down whilst walking and doesn’t quite make eye contact with people she’s talking to – Mara is every inch Salander throughout the screen time. She has gone on to impress in the likes of Side Effects and Her, but I imagine it will be some time before she escapes the shadow of Lisbeth. This marked her first Oscar nomination, and I highly doubt it will be her last.
Are you a fan of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? What do you love about it? Let us know in the comments.
