Every once in a blue moon, an American version does far surpass the original.

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2011)

As soon as the Stieg Larsson movement made its way to North America, me being a pop culture junkie, I was intrigued. But I hate to read. Lucky for me, of course, the three books in the trilogy had already been made into feature films in Sweden, and thus, I saw them all. And to be quite frank, I didn't really understand what all the fuss was about, as made evident by my reviews of the first three films. The story seemed choppy, convoluted and the films were far too long and seemed to drag forever.
I understand now that I think a fair amount was simply lost in translationor missed due to reading sub-titled.
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" has now been remade by an American filmmaker. Although usually the kiss of death right there, well, um.Not this time.
As soon as I heard there was to be a remake, I sorta cringed at the thought, but once I saw the Swedish version, I couldn't help but think it could be improved upon considerably. And the story would be much easier to follow in, you know, English. When I found out the man behind the film was going to be David Fincher , however, I couldn't imagine a remake not being anything less than exquisite. With works of brilliance like "Seven," "Zodiac," and his Oscar-nominated "The Social Network" under his belt, this film couldn't have possibly been anything less than electrifying.
And I was right. Right from his signature, breathtaking opening credits.
There were a lot of things about the story I had a hard time keeping track of the first time around, but I remember the film. And what Fincher managed to do was nothing short of beautiful. Staying very true to the original film, but flushing out what I can only imagine to be some of the more subtle details of the book, he has made a much more uniform film.
The incredibly talented (and stunning) Daniel Craig takes over the role of Mickael Blomkvist, a discredited journalist who is hired by a wealthy patriarch to try to solve the murder of his niece forty years prior. Aided by a brilliant but troubled researcher, Lisbeth Salander, they uncover corruption that goes far beyond what they expected to find.
Craig's performance is nothing short of perfect, but Rooney Mara's transformation into Lisbeth is nothing short of extraordinary. Last seen in a small role in "The Social Network," the actress is almost unrecognizable as she executes the troubled character with such precision, watching her on screen is like a moving work of art, both painful and graceful. Having just captured a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, I would be hard pressed to imagine that her nomination won't translate into one for an Academy Award as well. A nomination that I think she could have a serious shot of winning, despite the obvious upcoming inclusion of some woman with the last name of Streep.
And although the rest of the supporting cast is made up of excellent performances by the likes of Oscar-nominated Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright and a surprisingly strong showing for an unexpected Joely Richardson ("Nip/Tuck"), the real artist here is, once again, Fincher himself. Going against everything most American directors attempt, Fincher did not try to Americanize the film in any way. There was worry that he might water it down or make it more Hollywood-friendly but the end result is, in fact, a film that is even more violent, more distressing, and even more sexually charged than the Swedish attempt. No corners were cut, no locations were changed, no smoothing anything over to avoid an R rating. With just a slight alteration for a more cohesive ending (no idea if this ending is not in the book, or the original films ending is), Fincher managed to make the film I completely expected him to make. And then some.
Yes, the film does indeed run a little long, as did the original, but with so much intrigue and twists and turns, it doesn't run so long to make you check the time. It simply manages to tell an excellent story of familial corruption, while conveying the true, intense, incredible hardships of a heartbreakingly beautiful and intelligent but violent woman who has covered up her pain in makeup and hairspray. And tattoos.