By Paco McCullough
Snow falls on the cold streets of Stockholm as Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is convicted of libel against a prominent executive. Shamed and pressured into quitting his job, he gets a call from an old man, Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). Vanger wants Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his sixteen year old niece almost forty years older, and who's kidnapper sends him a rare flower every year. The suspects? The twenty or so family members who were on the island at the time.
The Vangers are no ordinary family. There are known nazis, drunks, and degenerates amongst them. As Blomkvist investigates, he uncovers more of their secrets, though to go into it in detail would spoil it. Realizing he's in over his head, Blomkvist hires a freelance private investigator, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Soon, things are spiraling out of control. If either of them want to stay alive, they're going to have to work together.
Director David Fincher is no stranger to the genre. His previous studies of obsession and murder, Seven and Zodiac, both study the issue in more depth, whereas The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo feels somewhat shallow. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), Dragon Tattoo is consistently engaging, dragging the viewer through some truly disgusting scenes (It truly is "The feel bad movie of Christmas"). Though Fincher generally seems to choose brainier takes on the genre, I can guess why he chose to make this film.
The character of Lisbeth Salander is quite an unconventional protagonist, and perhaps the most interesting character of the last decade. I believe that a large part of the appeal of the franchise is based off of her mysterious nature. Soft-spoken, dark, violent, yet vulnerable and infinitely likable, Salander is one of the more complex and engaging female characters mainstream Hollywood cinema has produced. Rooney Mara is a revelation as Salander, and I have no doubt she has a remarkable career ahead of her. For her performance alone, this film is worth the ticket price.
The dark mood of the film is improved immensely by both the gorgeous cinematography of Jeff Cronenweth and the score created by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, as well as masterful performances all around (particularly Mara). The film, much like its title character, is haunted, vicious, and off-putting, but I wouldn't want it any other way.
5 out of 5
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Sneak Peek Notes by Paco McCullough
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review by Jason Haskins
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