By Spence Blazak
Very few movie watching experiences have made me physically distraught. In fact I think I can name all three:
1. The Passion of the Christ: Jesus getting poked with a spear
2. The Human Centipede 2: That dude getting his teeth knocked out with a hammer
3. Spiderman 3: The jazz club dance scene
Now a new addition has been placed on the odd list. Twisted as it may be, there is a certain art to crafting a scene that causes this reaction from an audience, as well as taking it so far that there is a risk the movie will be boycotted. This pretty much encapsulates the experience you get while watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In your face, pushing the limits, and as disturbing as it is really good.
Directed by David Fincher of The Social Network and Fight Club fame, Dragon Tattoo is mostly drawn from the vein of his neo noir mystery Se7en. Many journalists in the watchdog media criticized this movie before a single frame of it was shot because it was a remake of a movie that had come out in just 2009, but having seen both versions, it is clear that Fincher made the movie his own, adapting from the book instead of the other movie…..and Fincher's version is just way better.
Barbaric and brutish, yet ethical and moral, Dragon Tattoo follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) in the months following his conviction in a case of libel involving one of his articles about a financial wrongdoer in the business world. After taking a leave of absence from his position at his magazine, Blomkvist is lured into a new case by former business tycoon Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). The case is to figure out which member of the wicked Vanger family murdered Henrik's beloved great-niece 40 years ago. With help from the master hacking and tracking skills of the Aspergers afflicted goth Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), Blomkvist goes down the Vanger family rabbit hole.
Most mystery stories fall into two categories: they suck, or they are as predictable as a Scooby Doo! episode. Think about it…okay. See what I mean? Keeping this in mind, the achievement of Dragon Tattoo is that much greater. Nazis, evil rapists getting what is coming to them, justice being served in a way that isn't heavy handed, peril, motorcycle chases, Professor Gerald Lambeau from Good WIll Hunting, a depiction of feminism that doesn't force an eye roll, and one of the only necessary series of topless scenes ever put on film (honestly, this is the only one i can think of…).
As far as the performances, Daniel Craig does the unthinkable with his acting: he made me forget about Cowboys and Aliens. His depiction of Blomkvist is exquisite because he understands it is an understated part that plays second fiddle to Salander and he also doesn't just do a replication of James Bond. Yeah…he still bangs everything with a pulse, but he doesn't have that same kind of Ryan Goesling swag. He is more realistic and vulnerable.
The side line performers accomplish what their part requires of them, filling out the cracks nicely, but the focal point of the film is the titular Girl herself. You may recognize Rooney Mara as Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend in The Social Network, and she makes a complete 180 degree turn in a performance that couldn't be more worthy of an Oscar statue. She loses herself in the part of Salander in the same way that Heath Ledger did as the Joker. Detached yet sympathetic, the performance is done on a tight rope, walking fine lines with every emotion conveyed.
While geared towards a somewhat specific type of audience, Dragon Tattoo is one of the year's most rewarding films. If Along Came a Spider is a two star offering and The Silence of the Lambs is a four star one, then I will gladly give The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 3-and-a-half stars.
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