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#162 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher, 2011
A disgraced journalist is hired to conduct an investigation into the 40-year-old case of a teenage girl disappearing, enlisting the help of a hacker in the process.
I already watched the Swedish film of the best-selling novel a couple of months ago, so this is more or less a formality. Fincher's version of Dragon Tattoo has a lot of the usual visual grit and pallor that your typical Fincher film has, which definitely suits the grim nature of the story. While it's simple enough to accept that the American remake still takes place in Sweden, it's also a bit distracting how Daniel Craig (here playing the journalist) is the only actor in the film who doesn't seem to even bother trying to fake a Swedish accent. Fortunately, Rooney Mara as the titular girl more than picks up the slack with a fairly demanding role of her own. The cast is peppered with some recognisable faces who turn in solid performances with consistent accents and they serve the story well enough. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is appropriately artificial and ambient for the most part - even the cover of "Immigrant Song" that plays over the film's very Bond-like opening credits is solid. Though it plays out a lot like your typical slightly-above-average modern thriller and probably goes on a bit too long for its own good, it's alright if you want something that's appropriately dark and compelling.
David Fincher, 2011
A disgraced journalist is hired to conduct an investigation into the 40-year-old case of a teenage girl disappearing, enlisting the help of a hacker in the process.
I already watched the Swedish film of the best-selling novel a couple of months ago, so this is more or less a formality. Fincher's version of Dragon Tattoo has a lot of the usual visual grit and pallor that your typical Fincher film has, which definitely suits the grim nature of the story. While it's simple enough to accept that the American remake still takes place in Sweden, it's also a bit distracting how Daniel Craig (here playing the journalist) is the only actor in the film who doesn't seem to even bother trying to fake a Swedish accent. Fortunately, Rooney Mara as the titular girl more than picks up the slack with a fairly demanding role of her own. The cast is peppered with some recognisable faces who turn in solid performances with consistent accents and they serve the story well enough. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is appropriately artificial and ambient for the most part - even the cover of "Immigrant Song" that plays over the film's very Bond-like opening credits is solid. Though it plays out a lot like your typical slightly-above-average modern thriller and probably goes on a bit too long for its own good, it's alright if you want something that's appropriately dark and compelling.