The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review

Rating: 8/10 (14 January 2012)

Having been underwhelmed by the original Swedish adaptation I was excited to see if Fincher could elevate the admittedly flawed source material to the extent that he has been able to in his past films. Fincher succeeds through his deft control of the production, managing to craft an absorbing mood and narrative that is engaging and compelling cinema, in lieu of the shortcomings of the novel.
Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography captures the Swedish landscape just as beautifully as he handles the cubist architecture of the buildings and offices and how the characters interact in these spaces. This element improves on the original for in the lengthy exposition and moments where you're not entirely sure what the characters are talking about/researching, the images are still of a quality that you remain invested in what the film is trying to convey whether or not you understand it.
The acting is fantastic across the board with even minor characters given memorable portrayals. Mara and Craig have a great chemistry on screen, and although I found the romance to come out of nowhere (as it does in the novel) it was handled well by both actors even if it does not seem realistic considering Salander's previous interactions with men. The lengthy epilogue suffers from a lack of tension since the mystery has been solved by this point, but because it is so well handled and the montage of Salander pulling of the heist is easy to follow, the scene is appreciably well handled even if seemingly tacked on.
Despite the fact that the source material did not have a great deal of thematic depth, and the film as a result has little to read into other than the nihilistic vibe consistent across all of Fincher's efforts, it is memorable as a thrilling and exquisitely built ride, but a surface level ride nonetheless.