Login
Having never seen the original Swedish trilogy, I can’t compare the two films. And having never read the books, I tried but found it to be incredibly dry for the brief page count I made it through, I can’t say how it compares either. In fact, the source material has never had much of an interest for me. I only saw this because I’m such a fan of David Fincher. And he delivers a solid film, but it’s by no means perfect and it feels strangely beneath his immense talents.
I won’t repeat the plot, which by now everyone should be at least vaguely familiar with, so instead I’d like to focus in on the technical aspects of the film. The film opens with a powerful bang that the rest of the film never quite matches. I’m, of course, talking about the opening title sequence in which the entirety of the trilogy’s technological and psycho-sexual complexities are enacted over an avant-garde cover of “Immigrant Song.” As oil drenched versions of our two main characters morph, violent tear each other apart, or have computer wires wrap them up like poisonous vines, everything we need to know about this pulpy series is played out before our eyes. The rest of the film feels almost unnecessary by comparison.
And, as with The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross deliver an electronic score which goes back and forth from icy, remote textures that recall that darkest of the New Romantics as envisioned by modern day technology, and a more Industrial Rock sound that wouldn’t seem out-of-place on a Nine Inch Nails record. I hope, should they make the other two films, they’ll come back and expand on the soundscapes that have been created thus far for the franchise.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is blessed with a remarkable cast from top to bottom. Daniel Craig does a variation of his James Bond performance, but instead of being wildly competent and a real user of women, he turns that archetype upside down and creates a portrait of man who is a bit of a womanizer but is also very bruised, emasculated and dependent upon the help of others. Christopher Plummer, always a welcome sight, Joely Richardson and Stellan Skarsgard are given juicy and prominent supporting roles and turn out fantastic performances.
The rest of the cast is uniformly strong if without making a lasting impression. But Rooney Mara as Lisbeth, the main role and much like Scarlet O’Hara a coveted woman’s role for the ages, is something of a revelation. Sure her accent is wobbly and a bit of a mess, but she is fearless in her performance. When decked out in full-on Goth/Punk mode she is a spectre of techno-geek gone horribly wrong. And like how Travis Bickle wore his Mohawk as a suit of armor, so too does Mara. Her performance isn’t perfect, it’s frayed around the edges, but it’s a great leading role for new starlet.
