New Release Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)

At long last, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo hit theatres this week. There is a hurdle that director David Fincher had to overcome when making this film, and I think it is impossible to overlook. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has been done before, and not particularly long ago. This may prove to be a detriment for some viewers having already experienced the story once before (or twice if they have also read the novel). When I heard about the American re-adaptation, I was initially frustrated. Why on earth was this necessary? When I heard that Fincher was on board, my interest was piqued, but I was still confused as to why one of my favourite filmmakers had decided to take on such an endeavour. Could he transform this evidently flawed story into yet another slick thriller?

But, having not been enamoured with the Swedish version (and being progressively bored by the deteriorating sequels) I knew that a better film could be made, and that if anyone could make one, it is David Fincher. Having now seen his film, I can only admire what he has put together. It not only surpasses the cold, remote atmosphere of the Niels Arden Oplev's adaptation, but it is significantly better in almost every way. Fincher has not only crafted a compelling thriller, but he hasn't shied away from the story's brutality, making the experience just as uncomfortable as it's predecessor. Even with his touch of brilliance, this doesn’t rival his best films (Se7en, The Social Network), but Fincher continues to prove that he sure knows how to make a hell of a film.

I won't delve too far into the plot because I presume that most people know it already. Following a pretty extraordinary opening title sequence accompanied by the Reznor/Ross remix of Immigrant Song, we are introduced to Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig), a well-known investigative journalist for Millennium Magazine. In his attempts to take down a corrupt businessman, he has landed himself in court and financial trouble. He is approached by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), the uncle of Harriet Vanger, a 16-year-old girl who mysteriously disappeared forty years prior, to re-pursue an investigation into her disappearance and suspected murder. Blomqvist resigns from Millennium and moves to the Vanger estate and begins to recount Harriet's past, using police reports and photographs to piece together new evidence.

We are also introduced to the heavily pierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a supremely intelligent goth computer hacker who had been been tracking Blomqvist at the request of Vanger. She is a ward of the state, despite now being in her twenties, having been diagnosed with mental incompetencty. When her previous parole guardian suffers a stroke, she is assigned a new one, Bjurman. He is a vile and abusive man who immediately takes complete control of Lisbeth's finances and won't allow her access unless she grants him sexual favours. Lisbeth is approached by Blomqvist (requesting assistance with the case) to join him on his investigation. The pair become a dynamic partnership linking Harriet's disappearance to a series of grizzly murders of young women.

Daniel Craig is perfectly cast for the role of Blomqvist – and I thought he was convincing as the inquisitive journalist. What made his character (and Lisbeth’s) so memorable, were some of the subtle but unique character traits. The way that Craig often had his reading glasses askew around his neck, and his immediate friendship with the cat he finds prowling around his cottage, really made his character interesting, and real. There is one scene, and I loved it, when Blomqvist comes back to the cottage and places something on top of the fridge. As he is walking away he realizes he has bumped a bottle, and quickly recovers and catches it. This was likely a botched take and an accidental bump, but the elegant save ensured it made it through the cutting room, and I think it says a lot about why this film is a success.

As central as Blomqvist is to the plot, Zaillian and Fincher never forget that this story is titled ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’. It’s not really a tale about Mikael Blomqvist, and they smartly ensure that Lisbeth is the film's primary character, given that extra amount of screen time at the end, and has plenty of involvement. After all, it is the link between her own brutal sexual abuse and their hunt for a killer of women that drives her motivation, and is the catalyst to her influence on breaking the case. 

In the Swedish version, I left the experience a little unsure why the story was titled as it was, because I didn’t feel like Lisbeth was evidently the key character. I felt like the film was split, and quite unevenly so. The only scenes that were really compelling were the ones shared by Mikael and Lisbeth. Here, there is no doubt about it. Viewers will leave the cinema praising Lisbeth as a character. Rooney Mara’s bold and committed portrayal not only infuses her character with humanism, but also managed to not only draw sympathy, but entertain. She has some great lines and at one point wears a shirt with "fuck you you fucking fuck" in print. She's a badass. It is one of the year's best performances.

One can’t deny that Rooney Mara is an extremely attractive girl and Lisbeth recognises that her natural beauty means that she is susceptible to male predators, hence the piercings and hoodies to cover up her features. While Noomi Rapace gave a great performance in the Swedish trilogy, I thought she was a little too intense. I never really connected with her character - or desired watching the sequels to see where her story went. Here, Lisbeth is undeniably cool, and I now feel the opposite about Fincher's future instalments. The scenes she shares with Blomqvist are great (and Mara and Craig have excellent chemistry) and some scenes near the end reveal that, despite her intense hatred of men, she still desires and values their company. You can see in her eyes that she is so relieved to find a man that she trusts in Blomqvist, and it is this distrust that explains why she often sleeps with women.

Fincher has brought back the team that worked on The Social Network and it is immediately obvious that this is a well-oiled machine. The editing team of Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall ensure that the film’s rhythm is as vicious as the content, and should be work recognised again by the Academy. Though Blomqvist and Salander don’t actually start working together until the half-way point, the way their parallel stories are edited together is elegantly done, ensuring that the film is always compelling, while allowing for early exposition and continued character development without the pace ever stalling.

For viewers who have not read the novel or seen the Swedish version, there are some parts of the plot that might seem to be a little confusing, but I still think Zaillian has done a great job. I feel like the film’s faults stem from the source material, which is almost too dense for a single feature. In his attempts to fit in everything faithfully, Zaillian still leaves much underdeveloped, but nothing unexplained. Even the prolonged sequences following the mystery are interesting, while the final shot could not be more perfect. All in all, events are effectively linked into the sequels, which will soon start production (if they haven’t already).

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has recently made a swift rise up the Oscar ladder and is now a strong contender for nominations in all the major categories. At the very least, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will be nominated for their phenomenal score, while Jeff Cronenweth (who just picked up an ASC nomination) should also figure for his coldly calculated and often-ingenious photography. Fincher's precise and polished, but morbidly atmospheric aesthetic, might also get a look in. Last but not least, it would be a real shame if Miss Mara is overlooked for her phenomenal performance. It really is some fine work, and if there is one reason to strongly recommend this film, it is she.

My Rating: ★★★★1/2 (A-)