“The feel bad movie of Christmas” was the caption for one of the most highly anticipated films of 2011. David Fincher, who has created such classics as Seven, Fight Club, and the recently acclaimed The Social Network, now returns to his darker storytelling roots in his film adaptation of the worldwide bestselling novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In fact, such a tale of murder, brutality, mystery, and dread seems to be the perfect place for Fincher to show his true visceral style. I just left the advance showing of the film this evening, and it was definitely another Fincher masterpiece. Not to be confused with the Swedish films based on the same book, Fincher’s adaptation is more respectful to its source material by providing a gruesome yet beautiful and intriguing story at a crisp and rapid pace. However, what really makes this film shine over the previous version was in its cast. This is especially the case for the leads played by Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace) and Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Social Network). Overall, Fincher provides both fans and newcomers to the story a grim, brutal, yet powerful film that is sure to be a major success. First of all, I do want add that this film is not entirely for the faint of heart. There are especially shocking moments throughout that are very difficult to watch. However, despite the brutality, we are given a story that explores the depiction of evil and how far it can go to fully manifest in the world. For those new to the story, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo centers on the characters of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Mikael is a journalist whom has been recently accused and charged with libel. The story involves Mikael trying gain back his credibility in the world of journalism by helping solve a 40 year old mystery of a 16 year old girl who disappeared and was murdered on a lonely island in Northern Sweden. Meanwhile, Mikael finds a connection between the disappearance and a string of unsolved murders spanning throughout the country. During his investigation, Mikael calls for the assistance of Lisbeth Salander who we come to know along with Mikael. Lisbeth is an expert hacker who has lived an incredibly hard life. She had been conducting background checks on Mikael accessing his private materials. The two characters’ stories come together as they work to solve the mystery and find the murderer.
As I mentioned earlier, the major strongpoint this film possesses is its cast. Without such brilliant acting, this film would not have been nearly as impressive. The best acting definitely came from Rooney Mara in her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. Mara gives an Oscar worthy and all too real view into the life of a troubled, horrifically wronged, and misunderstood young woman who endures her torments but fights back with an incredible vengeance. You can sense an incredible passion and commitment to the role with every single one of her lines, gestures, and even glances. Throughout the film, the audience bears witness to the horrors she must endure such as harassment, brutal sexual molestation, and heart break. However, after witnessing such brutal evils audiences can witness how she fights back against evil in a way that is even more terrifying yet incredibly captivating. Meanwhile, Daniel Craig delivers his best performance to date as Mikael. He provides audiences with an intriguing portrayal of a man at his lowest trying to build himself back up in an almost Sherlock Holmes like method. However, though Mara and Craig were amazing, in terms of supporting cast, Stellan Skarsgard (Melancholia, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest) stands out the most. He provides a very chilling persona as an enigmatic character who adds an eerie atmosphere to the mystery. With such a brilliant cast, this film truly delivers a powerful punch.
The next powerful factor about the film has to be in its score written and composed the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, and co-written and composed by Atticus Ross. Reznor and Ross, who already have Oscar acclaim with their musical work on The Social Network, have once again given a very beautiful musical composition to the film. Each musical piece is incredibly dark and unsettling and is able to delicately and perfectly capture the dread and melancholy in each and every scene. Probably the most appreciated musical work in the film has to be seen in Reznor’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” sung by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The song played during the opening credits provides the perfect ear catcher while the images in the opening play out as what have to be the most artistic and intriguing opening credits in film history. The score to follow plays out to create a very unsettling and tense atmosphere and builds suspense throughout the film before letting it explode.
Fincher also shows an excellent cinematographic talent as each shot in the film is smooth, artistic, ominous, and beautiful. The cold and colorless winter atmosphere mixed with some minor colorful images creates the perfect uncanny contrast. Fincher’s imagery also allows for a more interesting look into the inner psyches of the characters. His shots allow for implicit understandings into what might be going on in each of the characters’ heads. Each scene is intricately filmed to follow actions and conversations following such delicate details as simple gestures and body language. Not only that, but there is also a definite and incredibly heightened sense of foreboding especially with the scenes involving Lisbeth and the film’s climax. The film proves how Fincher is a master of story telling through just mere images.
Meanwhile, the film’s story is told at a very rapid pace unlike Fincher’s earlier work in Zodiac, which seemed rather slow at times. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo does the exact opposite. Although it is a long movie (around 2 hours and 40 minutes to be exact), the story seems very fluid very smooth and very fast paced. There is no dull moment throughout the entire film as the mystery keeps you guessing the entire time with twists and turns at every corner. When the film reaches its ending, there is definitely a sense of closure making this a very good stand alone film. However, it is the first part of a trilogy meaning the ending also provided a sense of being a slight to be continued. Even though I do wish we could have seen more, such a minor issue can be easily forgotten when compared to vast majority of pros the film possesses. Furthermore, the film is definitely powerful in how it affected people after the ending credits came up. While leaving the crowded theater and going into the parking lot I could overhear people conversing about the film’s themes, dialogue, atmosphere, acting, etc. This is a film that gets into your head and stays with you for a while.
David Fincher has once again returned to create another incredible work of film making. Through excellent and respectful depictions based from the source material, he has shown how even an English language adaptation can be made into a very amazing film. His imagery and storytelling provide an exceptional and grim look into evil, torment, madness, heart break, and endurance. Meanwhile, with an absolutely outstanding performance by the committed Rooney Mara we are given an incredibly strong and powerful female character, in the form of Lisbeth Salander. The film definitely seems to be a very good Oscar contender this year, and it is definitely a film that should not be missed. Therefore, this “feel bad movie of Christmas,” which crosses multiple boundaries and goes far beyond normal limitations to provide the most realistically brutal, beautiful and captivating story, is easily the best film of 2011.
*I understand that this film isn't exactly a Horror film. However, it is an amazing psychological thriller/ murder mystery that has some especially horrific elements.
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