March 25, 2012

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

This review is in regards to the Blu-ray release, as I missed this one in the theater.

David Fincher is a malicious, sadistic director.  He's also bloody brilliant.
The movie begins with an almost gruesome montage of oil and technology.  Lisbeth's nightmares, perhaps?  It's a completely off-the-wall, punch you in the gut visual assault as an industrial version of Immigrant Song booms in the background.  I knew I was in for something special when the beginning credits finished. 


There is a scene in the movie, and if you've seen the movie or read the book you know the scene, that I hoped would just fade to black. A door slams shut and the camera starts to pull back and I think that I'll be spared. Then it flashes inside the room and we see a little more of what goes on, then back to the outside of the door and I, again, think that I'll be spared. Then we go back inside the room. At this point I'm tempted to close my eyes, because I know what's coming, but I can't. There will be no merciful fade-to-black. You witness the whole thing, and then you are treated to its aftermath. It's a horrible, horrible scene, and it's shown with enough detail to make even the most stoic of people squirm. I felt dirty for watching, but I had to watch. Like a train wreck, you just can't tear your eyes away.

Screw you, David Fincher.


Lisbeth Salandar, who I fell in love with during the course of the movie, gets some absolutely exquisite, poetic justice. I actually fistpumped the air when she got her very deserved revenge. Lisbeth Salandar refuses to be a victim. Don't ever make the grievous mistake of thinking that she is.

She's played masterfully by Rooney Mara, and I completely understand why she was nominated for the Oscar. I do not understand why she didn't win. She is absolutely brilliant.  Daniel Craig, is as cool as always as the intrepid journalist Mikael Blomkvist, and the rest of the cast is packed with outstanding thespians. There wasn't a single weak link in the movie.

The score by Trent "I have an Academy Award, bitches" Reznor is hypnotic. It reminds me of the score to "The Dark Knight" (for some reason everything lately reminds me of "The Dark Knight") in that simple unresolved chords and straight tones can add amazing punctuation to the emotion of the scene. On the second viewing I made a point to pay attention to the score, and it's a wonderful minimalist composition. Many movements evoke the "nails on the chalkboard" effect, which is entirely apropos for some (most) scenes.

The direction is fantastic and cold. It's classic David Fincher (I'm a DF fanboy) in that each scene has a texture, like you can reach out and touch the grime, then run your finger through the color. The cinematography in Sweden is absolutely gorgeous. It reminded me of my time in Norway. It's just beautiful country.

I haven't read the books, but I fully intend to now. I hope that if they do decide to make the other two movies that they aspire to maintain the quality set by the first.

I highly recommend it, but be warned that it is most definitely not a feel good movie. It's bittersweet, and will most likely leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

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