Director David Fincher (The Social Network) takes the reigns of the American adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy” – or, the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, more specifically. It’s hardly an ambitious move since the 2010 Swedish original had already proven its box-office and pop culture credentials, and whilst Fincher doesn’t exactly blow the original out of the water, he does add enough to make the project feel less like an unnecessary retread than it otherwise may have.
Right off the bat Fincher coughs up to the text’s pulpy crime origins with a CGI-laden opening credits sequence that recalls James Bond. Steven Zaillian’s (Moneyball) screenplay doesn’t err too far away from the original so the twist-laden murder mystery won’t be as surprising for those familiar with the material, but the film succeeds due to being cinematic in a way the original never was with rich cinematography, authentic and rustic production design, plus a truly evocative musical score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The Oscar-winning pair (for The Social Network) have returned and filled the soundscape with a series of texturalised bass, swirling synthesisers, creaking pianos and ominous electronics.
Curiously, Fincher and Zaillian decided to keep the film’s setting of Sweden in tact, which just furthers the comparisons between the two different films. While the wind-swept Scandinavian countryside and cold, icy architecture is definitely a virtue; it’s hard to ignore that now everyone seemingly speaks English with accents of varying success. Could they not have repurposed the story to America and given it a genuinely new twist on the material? Leaving it in Sweden only makes the two films more similar and, thus, diminishes its potential power.
Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) and Erika Burger (Robin Wright) investigate a murder
Unfortunately, Daniel Craig (Cowboys & Aliens) is as uncharismatic of a lead as Michael Nyqvist was in the original, however, like the original, the male lead’s female co-star picks up the slack. Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Social Network) makes a fine Lisbeth Salander that occasionally lacks some of Noomi Rapace’s hard edge –Mara looks like a girl playing dress-ups, but that’s also an interesting take on the character – but it proves interesting to see this fresher, cleaner, American woman take on the look and aura of Lisbeth. The performances of Mara and Rapace are two separate beings, which is why they’re so successful when surrounded by films that seem desperate to be alike.
Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Innovative it is not, but Fincher’s glossier take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo should prove engrossing for first timers and fans of the book. A run time of nearly three hours certainly doesn’t feel like it, but allows for further navigation of the book’s complicated plot and themes. Anyone who’s seen Niels Arden Oplev’s original take on the text might find it all a bit been-there-done-that, but still a fine piece of craftsmanship.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is released on January 12th
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgard, Steven Berkoff, Joely Richardson, Geraldine James and Goran Visnjic
