Dillon Larson

Film Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Details

• Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Director: David Fincher
• Studio: Columbia Pictures
• Release date: December 21, 2011
• Rating: R (MPAA) ¹
• Link: Official website

Review

Introduction

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a new adaptation of the first book in Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium trilogy. The book was made into a Swedish film in 2009—the book itself was written in Swedish—which was also popular. This adaptation comes from David Fincher, director of dramas and thrillers such as Fight Club, Zodiac, and last year’s acclaimed The Social Network. Can Fincher best himself with this gritty thriller? Does this adaptation warrant its own existence?

Plot and pace

The film sticks close to the plot of its source, the bestselling novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson. The story of both has three main threads: the misfortune of writer Mikael Blomkvist, who has recently been convicted of libel after publishing a story about a businessman—Hans-Erik Wennerström—in his magazine Millennium; the troubles faced by the title character Lisbeth Salander, a young computer researcher/hacker, when she is forced to fulfill the demands of her new legal guardian; and the mystery of a missing girl, Harriet Vanger, who is presumed to have been murdered by one of her own family members in an elaborate plot. Henrik, Harriet’s great uncle, ropes Blomkvist into carrying out his own investigation of Harriet’s disappearance. Blomkvist, in turn, calls upon Salander for help.

I was impressed with Larsson’s ability to bring together all three stories into an exciting and thrilling novel. The film, I think, excels in capturing the novel’s spirit. I was a great fan of director David Fincher’s work with last year’s The Social Network, a drama about the founding of the social networking website Facebook. Fincher’s touch left that film with great, witty dialogue, characters that felt well-rounded, and a very polished production. I think it is impossible, having seen The Social Network, to not notice the elements the films share. Dragon Tattoo has a fast yet deliberate pace, and although it is not a short film by any standard, I felt captivated by it as I did with his previous effort.

Characters and cast

In line with the brilliant decisions Fincher made with The Social Network, Dragon Tattoo is very well cast. Daniel Craig (of 007 fame) takes center stage as Blomkvist, along with Rooney Mara (who may be remembered for her role as Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend at the bar in the beginning of The Social Network) as Salander. Craig is, in my opinion, perfect for the role. The Blomkvist I read was older but rugged, both an outsider and at the same time very much in the center of attention. As good as Craig was, I think Mara will be remembered even more for her intense performance. She captures all of Salander’s moods, which range from cold and irritated to understanding and playful.

There are a number of secondary characters who succeed in doing what they did for me in the book—staying out of the way of the action while still serving a purpose.

Visuals and audio

Visually, Dragon Tattoo is very gorgeous. The film departs from The Social Network’s bright and vibrant scenery and is composed mostly of dark and muted tones (given the subject matter, this is appropriate). Some great scenes are colored to look like old photographs, which works well visually and in the plot. The camera work reminded me of—suprise, surpise—The Social Network, with its combination of long, sweeping shots and several scenes with many tight edits.

Another connection to The Social Network—I’m trying to stop, I swear—comes with the music. Both films were composed by the duo of Trent Reznor (of the band Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross. I thought very highly of their work on the previous film, and their work on Dragon Tattoo is great too. The music makes what without it would still be a very intense film even more intense.

Conclusion

I’ve only seen several scenes of the Swedish film based on the same book. Without getting involved in the back-and-forth about which version is better, I will say that Fincher’s film is unique and, when evaluated alone, is a great thriller on every level. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a very good adaptation of the source with a shining cast. Its many various elements—from the story to the music—come together perfectly to create a very intense and enjoyable thriller. I very much hope Fincher, Craig, Mara, and the rest of the cast and crew will stick together to complete the trilogy.

Ratings

• Plot and pace: 10 out of 10
• Characters and cast: 10 out of 10
• Visuals and audio: 10 out of 10
• Overall rating: 10 out of 10

Dillon Larson

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