David Fincher striving towards the role of auteur?

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2012)

David Fincher's take on Stieg Larsson's; The Girl with the Dragon tattoo may not stray too far from its original working as a novel but in it he does manage to bring the first chapter of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist's story to life in his own, almost auteur Esq, way.
On returning to the thriller genre Fincher has pulled out all the stops in making his latest picture whilst making no apologies for not holding back on the, sometimes gut-wrenching, visuals. Elements of his previous works such as; Fight Club and Seven can be seen in the title sequence and shocking images that are visible in all three films along with those of his other movies, giving Fincher the feel of a rising auteur, perhaps comparable to an early Tim Burton or Scorsese, in what could be a key picture in acquiring Fincher such a title.
Of course fans of the original novel will be aware of the difference in the plot towards the end, in which the killer receives what he is thought to deserve for his sadistic and torturous ways, in Fincher's version, perhaps considered a comparison between that of the American and Swedish justice systems? Also noticeable - along with Craig's 'none Swedish' accent, which serves well in casting Mikael further apart from the Vangers and his Swedish counterpart - is the performance of actress Rooney Mara and her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. Mara displays a vast range of character emotions from naive and feeble anal rape victim to almost, psychopathic, ruthless revenge artist. She provides a star performance for the audience which is both gripping and compelling and it is hoped that she will escape being type cast as the 'freaky, abnormal, punk' and go on to provide us with further star quality roles in 2012.
In short Fincher's take on Larsson's Swedish set novel can be considered a must see by all cinema lovers, delivering exceptional performances from a well put together cast and pushing Fincher into the role of the auteur whether knowingly or not.