Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Having watched the Swedish versions of the film I went into this film with very high expectations. My expectations weren't lowered from the magnitude of cast and director. To have David Fincher in charge director of two of the best films of their kind, Zodiac and Se7en, meant I went in expecting the film to match both of the two serial killer greats. On a whole my expectations were matched, though under close inspection there were little errors that just took away that edge, that would have made it brilliant for me.

First of all I think it's best to talk about the positives. Beautifully shot, as one would expect from Fincher. The opening sequences were just un-real (though leaving my friends, who had never read or seen the originals, wondering what the hell was going on) and the film continued in that vain. The cut scenes, the flashbacks, the editing, was all perfect. It was slick and although I largely knew what was going to happen, I was still kept on the edge of my seat. It's been used in so many films before but the lack of background music was almost as effective as the scenes with music. It just added that extra bit of silence that was needed during the scenes, particularly at the end, that required the suspense to make the audience sit up and watch.

The acting was, as you'd hope to expect from this film, awesome. Personally I think it's truly Craig's best performance outside Layer Cake or Casino Royale. He managed to capture Blomkvist's personality far better then Michael Nyqvist, the original actor in the Scandinavian adaptations of the books. Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard give dynamite supporting roles, with the later in particular giving probably the most accurate portrayal of a character from the books. However if we're talking about acting all most bow down to Rooney Mara. She was absolutely fabulous playing Lisbeth Salander, and is one the most powerful performance I've seen from a female since Natalie Portman in Black Swan last year. The incredible depth to her character is what makes this so awe inspiring. It is so different to Portman's role, in that the emotions of her character are below the surface. Lisbeth is not capable of the "big emotional scene" so all the emotion has to visibly simmer below the surface. This is such a difficult skill for any actor/actress to do professional or otherwise. Her shifts from quiet and calculating to just plain mental and vengful was unexpected and kept the audience at a distance while willing her to succeed. You could even see Mara portray Lisbeth's hurt and rage simply through her eyes, she created a character that took over her, and it was stunning to watch.

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

While there were so many positives there were, of course, some negatives. It didn't feel like a Fincher film. It wasn't so much you couldn't see his influence, it just felt as though he was just there. He left his mark but it never felt like his film. That may have been due to the fact it wasn't his story and had to stick to the outlines of the books, but it just never felt like Se7en did. Another issue was that Mara, although stunning throughout, played Lisbeth with far too much venerability. She had too much emotion and by the end had let down that wall to Blomkvist, something she should not be capable of to any man let alone to the hapless, ineffectual Blomkvist. The emotions run a little too high between the two, and the chemistry, although there is meant to be some, creates the two as a perfect couple. The seeming need for an American audience for a strong macho hero threatens to ruin the character of Blokvist. Craig holds it together wonderfully, but he does seem a little too "Bond like" at times.

Although there were negatives that didn't quite match the books or the Scandinavian films, the positives in my opinion far out weigh them. I came out of the film full of praise and it took me several hours to think back on the negatives. FIncher has created a highly enjoyable, though very dark, film. One that doesn't have to be dependent on the fans of the books, and can be a great film in it's own right. Fincher has done it once again, with a little help from Mara's fantastic (dare i say, Oscar deserving) performance.

Verdict: A film I can not give a low score to as I love it too much. The acting and editing just made this film for me despite the wavering accuracy to the book. 8.5/10