The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Fincher serves up a stunning adaptation, with Mara perfect as Lisbeth Salander.
David Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo always sounded like a match made in heaven, and the final product certainly does not disappoint. The most un-Hollywood of films, Larsson purists should find little to complain about here.
For the uninitiated, Steig Larsson’s insanely popular novel deals with Mikael Blomquist, a financial investigative reporter recently convicted of libel against a corrupt financier. Humiliated and seemingly ruined, he is given a lifeline when wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger tasks him with uncovering the truth about his young niece’s disappearance 40 years previously. The titular tattooed girl comes in the form of Lisbeth Salander, a social misfit and gifted hacker who is driven by a moral agenda which leads her to become involved in the case.
Taking on a book such as this is a real challenge, with much of the narrative taking a very introverted tone, featuring characters alone with their thoughts for long stretches, and converting this to film is exactly the sort of challenge a director like Fincher thrives on. The whole thing is shot with such a grimy realism as to make scenes feel thoroughly depressing, and true to form the director is not afraid of showing the more visceral aspects of the story in full and gratuitous detail. Some scenes are most certainly not for the faint of heart, and are difficult to watch, which is entirely in keeping with the themes of the source material.
The book is a famously long-winded affair, and several dramatic edits have been made, which all feel completely organic, combining characters and changing a few aspects of the main storyline in order to maintain the intrigue for even those who have read the original text. We won’t mention any more on this front to avoid potential spoilers, but rest assured the story is in fine hands with screenwriter Steve Zaillian.
The whole film is of course driven by the two lead characters, who have been ably cast. Daniel Craig, whilst not quite the everyman Blomquist should be with his muscle-bound physique and chiselled jaw, gives the character a cosmopolitan vibe which contrasts perfectly with the far-north rustic atmosphere of Hedeby. Choosing not to employ a strong Swedish accent, this does not grate with the rest of the cast (who do), playing it with more or less his own. This is actually a creative decision which works well -indeed many Swedes, particularly in Stockholm, speak with very soft or even unnoticeable accents.
The real main event here, though, is Rooney Mara as Salander. From her first introduction, we are amazed by the transformation the young actress has gone through, and the dedication to her craft is apparent. Quite aside from the physical aspect of the performance, hers is a performance perfectly in keeping with one of the most compelling lead characters in years. Damaged, surly, fierce and intelligent, Mara is magnetic whenever she appears on screen. This is sure to be a breakthrough performance, and should Mara not walk off with the Best Actress Oscar in February next year, we would be both surprised and disappointed.
The supporting cast is of an extremely high calibre, with Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Wright all putting in superb turns which feel as though their respective characters have come straight off the page and onto the screen.
The second aspect of Dragon tattoo which should be a shoo-in for awards recognition is the soundtrack. From the breathless title sequence (which could have come straight out of one of Craig’s Bond movies), set to Karen O’s pulsating, primal version of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song , Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have us haunted with their ethereal audio track. The pair have proved that their The Social Network score was no fluke with this, and a consecutive golden baldie may well beckon.
Of course all is not perfect here, the pacing is bearable for most of the film, but does slack off a little towards the end. After the main investigation is over, the story loses its main point of interest, and the film does take a little too long over tying up loose ends, outstaying it’s welcome a little.
Minor criticisms are all that can be found, however, with what is a very accomplished version of a gripping story. Top-drawer performances propel a tight script along, and a director at the very top of his game forces us to confront some extremely unpalatable themes. This film should win Oscars, not least for Mara in what is surely one of the performances of the year.
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