The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Composite Score: 82.39
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Geraldine James, and Donald Sumter
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Steven Zaillian
Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, sexuality, graphic nudity, and language
Box Office: $232.62 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the English-language film adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel of the same title. It follows the story of a disgraced investigative journalist and a distinctive private investigator as they work together to solve a decades-old mystery about the disappearance of the niece of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden. It features Rooney Mara as the titular “girl”, Lisbeth Salander, and Daniel Craig as the disgraced Mikael Blomkvist. With a strong supporting cast, quality suspense and mystery elements, and a story based on a best-selling novel, it’s easy to see how this film makes it onto this blog’s list.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
This is not one of those R-rated films that just has bloody violence. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo does its best to deliver the fullness of Larsson’s novel, and that includes the sexual violence and details of devious serial killings. It is by no means a film for the faint of heart or to be watched casually. People familiar with the novel will be less surprised by the film’s intense nature, while people familiar with Fincher’s other works should go in expecting a more intense Gone Girl in terms of content, not Mank or The Social Network. With the content, I’m not fully convinced that all of it is completely necessary. There are love scenes between Craig and Mara that feature her nude form pretty heavily, and they feel mildly exploitative given some of the earlier scenes in the film. While they exist as part of the novel’s fiction, I think it’s possible to tell the story of their relationship without baring it all. Basically, the nudity in those scenes does not feel overly necessary to the film’s plot.
Speaking of plot, this film’s is at times overly convoluted. Because the novel it is based on was part of a trilogy, there are a lot of storylines that get opened but not resolved in this film, which is unfortunate because the film didn’t do enough at the box office for the studio to greenlight a sequel. Basically, with its runtime of two hours and thirty-eight minutes, the film could have (in hindsight) cut one or two subplots and come out a more satisfying product. As it stands, the film’s third act feels bloated, as it wraps up the primary mystery plot with nearly thirty minutes still to go, focusing its final moments on a minor storyline that only becomes important if sequels are released. Looking back, that could probably have been reduced, and the film would be better for it.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
For starters, this is a film with near perfect production design. The sets, colors, costumes, and score all work together to create this bleakly beautiful mystery thriller. As the story progresses and the details of the investigation begin to come together, the discomfort that Fincher is able to craft as a director takes on full form as the cold and the isolation of the protagonists blends with the atmospheric score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It sets the stage for the final confrontation with the villain and the revelations that come to light so well that the other overloaded parts of the final act are almost forgivable.
In addition, Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig put on some phenomenal performances in this film. Mara embodies this sort of manic pixie nightmare girl from Larsson’s novel so well. Putting emotion into her off-putting nature, drawing the audience in and making them root for and even love a character that, on paper, should not be your rooting interest. Her menace in the revenge scene and her tenderness in the scenes with Craig’s Blomkvist contrast so beautifully and highlight the complexities of Lisbeth’s character and Mara’s acting capabilities. Daniel Craig is able to bring a solid showing of his own acting chops as well, blending his action hero capabilities from Bond with an investigative focus that presupposes some of the better parts of his Knives Out performance (minus that accent), giving the audience an ideal gray character to root for against the incredibly dark forces that he uncovers.
Though it is a bit overstuffed toward the end, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s atmospheric production design combined with its lead actors’ strong performances turn it into a great mystery thriller, worthy of a place among the Greatest Films of All Time. The content warning on this one is high, and its lack of sequel makes some of its plots unnecessary, but overall, it is definitely a film worth watching, and one of Fincher’s better outings to be sure. This film is available to rent through most streaming services if you want to check it out or revisit it.
