It's a Finch for King David to always direct a great movie! And Rooney Rules!

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2012)

I wish I could start my review of David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as riveting as the film's infamous "Immigrant Song" opening. But I am foreign to those type of stellar intros unless there are plenty of corny puns on the menu. Many, including yours truly, thought there was no need to make American versions of the 2009 Swedish film franchise which was adapted from Stieg Larsson's best-seller Swedish novels. But since it would have the Fincherprints of the master auteur David Fincher, I thought maybe it would turnout alright; and it sure did! At least, the first installment did. David Fincher's version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is simply one of the best films of 2011. For those of you who are not familiar with the premise, I will ink it for you. It is about a disgraced Swedish journalist named Mikael Blomkvist who gets hired by a wealthy Swedish geriatric billionaire named Henrik Vanger to investigate the 40-year-old mystery of the disappearance of his granddaughter Harriet; her case was unsolved and her body was never found, so Vanger wants someone to do a bang-up job and finally solve the mystery. Henrik is even suspicious that someone from his Vanger familial bunch was responsible for Harriet's disappearance. In return, Blomkvist gets mucho cashola and undisclosed information from Henrik about the corporate magnet that Mikael has been trying to pin for many years. So how does that chic with that dragon pic in her skin fit into the picture? In mucho ways! Lisbeth Salander is the name, computer hacking is the game, and her Gothic fashion is not lame. And by the way, you don't want to make a sexual move on a first date with this Salander Girl, or else you will be sorry; just ask her monstrous welfare officer Nils Bjurman. I will just leave it at that, and if you have not seen it, I will be hush about Lisbeth's vengeful show on not-Nine Inch Nils (a little kudos there also to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and movie composer pal Atticus Ross for another mesmeric score to a Fincher flick). Lisbeth who knows all about Blomkvist due to her hacking ways, eventually teams up with him to try to solve the Harriet disappearance. Fincher's well-tuned directorial techniques were very pulsating throughout the Tattoo picture, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian's Tattoo scribe read very well in its verbal intercourse. As much as I loved the Fincher and the Zaillian's labor efforts to the Tattoo, my favorite contributor to this movie was that of Rooney Mara's tour-de-force starring performance as Lisbeth Salander. Let's just say that Rooney Mara was a giant among scene- steelers throughout the movie. Daniel Craig's performance as Blomkvist was spectacular and there is nothing to libel about that sentiment. Christopher Plummer turned out another great performance as Henrik Vanger from this now Oscar-winner veteran thespian. The steady Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard was stellar as Harriet's brother Martin Vanger. Kudos also goes out to Robin Wright's right-on work as Blomkvist's lover and boss Erika Berger. And this Joel has to commend a Joely of course; because Joely Richardson turned out a genuine supporting performance as one of the Banger women, Anita Banger; say Anita Banger five times real quick; just saying. I see now why Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall picked up yet another Best Film Editing Oscar in a Fincher movie; because just from the film's opening, you know they were going to be immigrating to the Oscar stage. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" might not fully- capture you in its initial viewing (especially if you have read the novel or seen the Swedish film version since you know what is going to happen), but this Fincherpiece will stay in your mind and there is Mara of where that came from. ***** Excellent