‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ – the David Fincher Version

To call David Fincher’s “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” a remake of the excellent 2009 Swedish thriller wouldn’t be fair. Yes, it too is based on the runaway bestseller by the late Stieg Larsson, but Fincher has taken this material and (with the help of ace screenwriter Steve Zaillian) made it his own. His version proves to be one that is neither better nor worse than the original, but one which effectively stands on its own as a brilliant thriller.

Daniel Craig takes on the role of Millennium Magazine writer Mikael Blomkvist who, at the movie’s start, has lost a libel case against wealthy but corrupt businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström which will seriously deplete his savings account. To escape the prying eyes of the press, he accepts the invitation of retired CEO Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his great-niece Harriet. Vanger believes she may have been murdered by a member of his family, one which proves to be far more dysfunctional than any you may know.

Fincher’s film takes its time in establishing the characters of Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander who is played here by Rooney Mara. In fact, they don’t meet face to face until an hour into the movie. While studio executives were probably begging to see these two come together a lot sooner, it gives the actors time to establish their characters to the viewer to where we feel like we understand them and are eager to see them work with one another.

Stepping outside of the James Bond franchise, Craig is terrific in conveying Blomkvist’s single-mindedness in finding answers which need to be uncovered. This is not a heroic character who takes out the bad guys with relative ease, but one who is dedicated to finding out the truth and soon comes to realize just how much danger he is in. But as frightened as he is, Blomkvist is in no position to just give up and go home.

As Rooney Mara, her performance as Lisbeth Salander is nothing short of a revelation. She must have given one hell of an audition for Fincher because very little in her resume (certainly not the bland “Nightmare on Elm Street” remake) could have prepared us for how good she is here. That is, except for her performance as Max Zuckerberg’s girlfriend who dumps him without remorse in “The Social Network.”

Having watched Noomi Rapace inhabit this character previously, it was hard to think of another actress who could be anywhere as good in playing Lisbeth Salander. Mara however is total game, and her commitment in portraying this seemingly anti-social character is utterly complete. I kept trying to find traces of Mara in this film, but I came out of it feeling like I never saw her. I instead felt like was watching Lisbeth Salander and no one else. Now that is a performance worthy of awards consideration!

Not to take away from Rapace’s star making performance, but Mara has the advantage here of dealing with this character’s complexities which were not as deeply explored in the 2009 film. While Mara puts up a tough exterior, she simultaneously allows you to see those cracks of vulnerability hiding just beneath the surface. You fear for Lisbeth even though you know she’s going to eventually kick ass.

There are many other great performances to be found in Fincher’s film, and the actors have the fortune of playing characters that are given more depth in this version. Plummer has had quite the year with this and “Beginners,” and he gives Henrik a biting sense of humor that has aided him in dealing with the emotionally sordid history of his family. Robin Wright pulls off a surprisingly confident Swedish accent as Blomkvist’s

co-worker and lover Erika Berger. Steven Berkoff of “Beverly Hills Cop” and “A Clockwork Orange” fame is a strong presence as Henrik’s lawyer Dirch Frode, Stellan Skarsgård remains one of the most reliable actors in movies with his performance as Martin Vanger, and Joely Richardson is fantastic as Anita.

Director of Photography Jeff Cronenweth does a superb job of capturing the frozen landscapes of Sweden to where you get frigid just looking at the screen. The scene where Blomkvist desperately tries to warm up the cottage Vagner has provided for him pushes that point more than it needs to. I haven’t shivered this much since after I finished swimming the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon. Well actually I ran it, but with the torrential rainstorm hammering down on me, I swam it along with everybody else.

Fincher’s movie also has another mesmerizing score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who won last year’s Best Original Score Oscar for “The Social Network.” They give the story and its characters a sonic soundscape that is unlike your typical orchestral score, and it brilliantly captures the growing emotions which get stronger and stronger as the movie reaches its brutal climax.

Speaking of brutal, Fincher never sugarcoats or makes this story easy to digest down to a PG-13 rating. In retrospect, I’m not sure there is a way to tone down this story as it deals with serial killers and features a vicious rape perpetrated on the main character. As with the majority of his movies, Fincher’s vision of the world is a dark one where the characters are can be as cold as the snowy weather. But his vision also remains one of cinema’s most powerful in today’s world of movies, and here’s hoping that he stays on board to direct the next two adaptations of Stieg Larsson books which follow this one.

When it comes to looking at the 2009 and 2011 versions, this one has an upper hand in that it’s far more cinematic. The original Swedish movie was actually a television miniseries which got shortened when released theatrically. That one remains a great thriller worth watching, but David Fincher’s version of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” threatens to be more compelling as it builds on the original without taking away from it. I have yet to see him make a truly bad motion picture, and yes that includes “Alien 3.”

* * * * out of * * * *

Click down below to read reviews of the original Millennium movie trilogy:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest


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