The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) Review

I don't know what's everyone's problem, the US American adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is a really, really good movie. Yeah, yeah, I can already hear all the whiners and complainers: "The Swedish version was SO much better", "This film was made for people who are too lazy to read subtitles", "So dumbed down for the stupid American audience", bla bla bla. Truth is, get over it, you rotten internet wanks because David Fincher's film is at least as good as the Swedish one.

Having read (and actually studied) all the books and seen the first film of the Swedish Millennium trilogy the story is more than familiar so plotwise there are barely any differences to the book or previous films so unless you've lived under a rock for the past years you will know what awaits you. The small changes that screen writer Steven Zaillian brought to the script don't have a major impact but definitely help pacing up the film at times when it starts slowing down.

The atmosphere is thick which comes as little surprise knowing that David Fincher is at the helm in this version. I already bragged about him in my entry about "Zodiac" so yeah, I am definitely a fan of his films and style. Nonetheless his "Girl" is definitely as much a stylistic showpiece as it is fascinating and exciting.

Kudos to Rooney Mara, formely unknown actress, for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. Like her predecessor Noomi Rapace she owns the role completely and it is definitely a tough call to pick which performance is better. Daniel Craig on the other hand is an improvement over Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist. While Nyqvist often seemed distanced and somewhat unconvincing as a womanizer Craig brings heart and some fun to the role which makes it easier to identify with him within the rest of the psychopathic characters.

The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who both deservedly won an Academy Award for Fincher's last film "The Social Network") is minimalistic but still compelling and helps adding to the experience that is this film.

One could ask the question whether there was actually a need for another adaptation since we are already blessed with a really good one. I have to admit, the demand was rather small but since Fincher's "Girl" turned out that good it is hard not to see the greatness that lies within that film.