A Year's End: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Rating: Null/10 (27 December 2011)

When it comes to multiple adaptations of the same source, people will inevitably compare them to one another; they feel that they must in order to validate their opinions on which is ultimately superior. It happened with Martin Scorsese's The Departed and the Coen Bros. True Grit. This nonobjective way of thinking has hit David Fincher with his new film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is important to bring up because you will not witness such trivialities in this review. You will instead read a critique of this movie on its own merits. Viewpoints will not be bogged down by preconceived notions that "remakes" are inherently inferior to the original product. The desire for comparisons is wholly absent.
David Fincher's ninth feature film sees him directing a second adaptation of the literary phenomenon, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, scribed by author Stieg Larsson. What started with his films Se7en and Zodiac is continued with another take on the procedural genre. Dragon Tattoo, however, fits more closely with the latter as it too features an investigative journalist driven by personal and emotional desires to solve a 40-year old cold case. Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), having lost credibility due to being convicted of libel, is called upon by an older gentleman (Christopher Plummer) plagued by a relative's untimely death. The request is simple: Blomkvist is to discover the murderer and reap the reward that will be bestowed upon him. Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), the identity of the woman the film's title refers to, goes about her daily routines to survive and is eventually thrust into the chaotic investigative world Blomkvist operates best in.
Dragon Tattoo is perhaps Fincher's most brutal film, in terms of the violence and the subject matter. His work is usually riddled with cynicism and how the world revolves around the meaning of that term. That is still the case here, but it's taken to another level. As the original Swedish title of the novel suggests, there are men who really do hate women. This point is hammered into the audience very bluntly; there is no room for subtlety.
Lisbeth Salander, portrayed exceptionally well by the once-lackluster Rooney Mara, is contrasted with the life of Blomkvist. While he attempts to rebuild his life and reputation, hers continues to decline as she suffers a personal tragedy with a relative that leads to a spiral of emotional and physical destruction. This contrast between Blomkvist and Salander is where the film shines the brightest. The investigation, while highly entertaining and intriguing, is second to the character work. We feel the pain both protagonists endure as they go about their routines before they eventually come together as one to solve the mystery of Harriet Vanger's unfortunate demise.
The methodical nature of the film is on point. This is shown through the investigative techniques employed by our heroes. What's marvelous about the investigation is that we, as the audience, aren't the only ones scrambling to keep up with the plethora of names that play a role in the mystery. Blomkvist himself is taken aback by what he has to keep up with. Even the camera-work is used as an indicator of the laborious process in the investigation: the slow, fluid movement of a drive up to a mansion; the panning to a character reading copious amounts of paperwork; even close-ups on computers when new information is discovered. That's what makes Fincher's work in this genre brilliant: he utilizes everything to make the journey every bit as exhausting for his audience as he does for the characters.
Dragon Tattoo isn't perfect, by any means. It's not even Fincher's best work. The problems that exist lie in the narrative after the climax. While it's still engaging, it seems to fall flat and doesn't resonate with what came before it. The audience is exhausted by the trials Salander and Blomkvist endure, and the abrupt ending, after a short cool down, is just as jarring as the abrupt introduction prior to the title sequence. The ending leaves something to be desired, namely that another installment should be on its way. That may happen over the coming years, but the abrupt ending coupled with wanting more is not a good thing.
As noted above, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not David Fincher's best work; that honor still belongs to Zodiac due to its impeccable narrative, suspense, and downright brilliant filmmaking by all parties involved. Dragon Tattoo is another worthy entry in the procedural genre that will be difficult to top by anyone else working within it. It and Zodiac will make for a wondrous double feature.