#65
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Directed By: David Fincher
Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
(Theater)There’s a certain discomfort that resonates in the theater while watching David Fincher’s adaptation of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” Jeff Cronenweth’s chilling cinematography and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ ominous score instill a nebulous anxiousness while watching. Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall’s cryptic editing lets the non-sequential telling of past and present day with ill-boding ease. Fincher skillfully bands all these technical superiorities together to give us the dangerous world of Lisbeth Salander. Her world is nerving, evoking a sense of unpredictability and arresting uneasiness.
Based on the suspenseful novels of Steig Larsson,’ the film is a 150 minute introduction and test to the investigative relationship between the overly-pierced and gothic Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) and disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). In the height of his newspaper’s controversy, Blomkvist is hired by Swedish millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to unravel the 40 year old mystery that has driven their family to decades of secrecy and deception. His niece, Harriet Vanger, has disappeared forty years ago. No body nor conclusion was ever found. Blomkvist, then settles into the family’s island where he begins an investigation. He meets the family and mostly confides in Harriet’s brother Martin Vanger (Stella Skarsgard).
In the other side of the country, Lisbeth Salander works as a full-time hacker/private investigator. Since she’s a ward of the state due to her tinted past, she must submit herself monthly to the state to be reviewed. She’s mostly interrogated by state officer Bjurman (Yorik van Wagenigen) who warrants her allowance but abuses his power by demanding favors from her. Lisbeth has been hired to continuously run a background check on Blomkvist. This allows her to hack into all his files and read his work on the investigation. Due to foul circumstances, Blomkvist has requested an assistant to research on codes and biblical verses that appear to be unsolvable. He’s given Salander and he immediately hooks her saying that they need to “catch a man who constantly kills women.” This interests Salander and ultimately catapults her into a studious inquisition of the mystery.
Salander is tough as nails. She’s dangerous, disturbing but lovable. It’s that contrast that uniquely makes you root for her. Despite knowing that she had a tortured past and an abusive present, she courageously punches through. She’s an incredibly intelligent girl who’s mostly misunderstood. She’s the daughter of modern society’s flaws but the conglomeration of her imperfections makes her a forgivable protagonist. Mikael Blomkvist on the other hand softens her up. He almost serves as her protector, an absent force in her life. She responds well to him. Their relationship is unsinkable. They share a common passion for the investigation that makes them work extremely well with one another. Their camaraderie is pitch perfect and Fincher does a fearless job at showing it. Mara and Craig are an unlikely fit but they’re peerless in their scenes.
Fincher is indomitable. He tells a story with an enthralling talent that fearlessly sucks you in. His adaptation is almost page by page with comprarison to the book. If he wasn’t able to get all the scenes in, he was able to include the book’s galvanizing inscrutableness. Fincher is able to transfer its suspenseful essence and diligently display it on screen. His commitment to excellent storytelling is evident here. Each scene and each moment stands alone but it’s adhered by the story’s excitement. He brilliantly sets up Salander’s world for further continuation of the story. This introductory path is nail-biting. This goes beyond for fans of suspense/mysteries. It’s a smart, devious and energetic tale. I felt uncomfortable watching most of the scenes. But that’s the graphic and hard-hitting world they live in and Fincher masterfully pulls us in. And I didn’t mind it one bit.
**** (4 Stars)
