A Brutal and Riveting Crime-Mystery-Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (4 September 2014)

One of the things that kept me away from this movie for so long was how graphic I had heard it was. But I have become prone to gory and graphic films over the years so what better time to watch it than a month before David Fincher's new film, Gone Girl is released. I really like all of Fincher's movies and I think The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is among his best. All of his movies have a dark tone and look to them. This is no exception. He sets this beautifully creepy world perfectly and puts his actors in the right position to be successful. I haven't seen the original trilogy so I'm unable to compare for now, but I can say that Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig are perfect for these two roles.
It's hard to watch a movie with Daniel Craig and not automatically think James Bond, and have him not be the most intimidating character on screen. Mara is downright frightening but also charismatic as Lisbeth, the troubled young woman who struggles to find her way in life. But she's good at one thing, investigating. It's her job to help Craig in finding out what truly happened to Harriet, the granddaughter of Henrik, the man who hired them. As you do with most mysteries, you begin to suspect every suspiciously acting character shown. I have to say it was pretty hard to identify just who was involved. Fincher did a great job with storytelling here, and making us second guess ourselves several times.
When Mara and Craig do finally team up about an hour in, the film takes itself to a new level and the intensity amps up. I did find it strange that Mara didn't think twice about working with Craig, especially after illegally investigating him. One of the most incredibly acted scenes was with Skarsgard and Craig in the basement cellar. The back and forth is fascinating and the way Skarsgard thinks exactly what he's describing is normal is astounding. But even then Fincher keeps twisting the story. Which is one of the problems I had with the film, it seemed like there were 3 or 4 different endings but it kept going. And the actual final scene wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped considering it's unlikely they will film the two sequels.
This is without a doubt one of the better crime-drama-mystery-thrillers I have seen. The intensity throughout kept me on the edge of my seat and I didn't know what to expect next. It's this type of directing I am looking for in next month's Gone Girl. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the best thrillers in recent memory and is up there with Fight Club, Se7en, and Zodiac as his best overall film.
+Mara's performance was captivating
+Intense and riveting
+Dark tone is beautifully captured
+Craig is not a bad***
+Unpredictable
-Last scene not satisfying
9.0/10