Excellent Performances and Strong Direction

Rating: Null/10 (29 January 2012)

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The (2011)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
David Fincher's telling of the Stieg Larsson novel about a reporter (Daniel Craig) who is asked by an elderly man (Christopher Plummer) to find out who murdered his niece forty years earlier. The report comes upon on dead end after another so he seeks the help of a troubled but brilliant computer hacker (Rooney Mara). I haven't read the novel so I can't comment one way or another on how close this film is to it but as someone who wasn't familiar with the story I must say that Fincher has created a rather unique film. I say unique because while watching the movie I couldn't help but admire how laid back it actually is. There's really not any flashy style, in-your-face fake thrill moments and there's an overall atmosphere of something very calm and cold. Those familiar with the work of Ingmar Bergman will probably see a connection to his films because of this coldness that is one full display here. The film takes place in the winter and you can just feel the coldness really coming off the screen and it's this white, almost dreamlike nature that really makes the film work so well. The images in front of us are usually quite pretty but they're all surrounding by a rather brutal and ugly story that tackles many taboo subjects. Fincher handles the material quite well and with a running time of 158-minutes I was shocked to see how well he kept the thing moving as there's really not a slow or dry moment to be found. The pacing is incredibly good and this is especially impressive considering how much he packs into the running time and how there's very little action. Of course, another major benefit are the performances with Craig really turning in one of the best of his career. I've read a few negative reviews saying that he's too "James Bond" here as a reporter but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Plummer is always reliable and we get nice supporting performances by Robin Wright and Stellan Skarsgard. Then there's the Oscar-nominated Mara who easily steals the show. She's completely believable in the part and it doesn't matter if she's being abused or giving the abuse as you can see her in both sides. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO features a terrific score, some wonderful cinematography and all of this adds up to a very good thriller. I wouldn't call it a classic but it's certainly in a league to itself.