Fincher at the top of his game

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2012)

Fincher is back to doing what he does best -- gritty, dark mysteries. With a scene that feels directly lifted from the diabolical 'sin' of Seven, this is not a film for everyone. It is, however, intricately crafted, brilliantly filmed, wonderfully scored and well acted. Even the opening credit sequence is a blast. Reznor also brings another great score (although this time doesn't create a hauntingly memorable theme like in Social Network). It is the story, however, that is the weakest point. While the mystery is interesting, it could have been trimmed a great deal. About by an hour. For that is about how long it takes to get to the real story, for things to get going. While it would mean to edit out Fincher's signature scenes (the one I mentioned before), I believe it would have made the film better. I believe the whole side plot about Lisebeth and her care worker don't really push along the story. It doesn't really provide the motivation for why she would become interested in this case (which is what I think they were going for). The ending too was a very odd note. It wasn't connected to what the story was about (the story wasn't about Makel and Lisabeth's love) and leaves an unsettling and unsatisfied feeling. But those nitpicks aside, this is Fincher at his best, and it is a great film.