Director: David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer
‘A Marvellous Mystery’
Few actresses in Hollywood attract audiences to the Cinema like Rooney Mara. Ever since her rise to recognition during the 1990’s, Mara has become a feminist icon. Whether it’s girls with a dragon tattoo, bold social network founders or lesbian lovers, Mara has portrayed several powerful characters. Arguably, Mara’s strength as an actress has often been her courage. She is one of those rare actresses that has seldom been afraid of taking risks taking on roles that are challenging. Her strong dedication towards her craft has resulted in unforgettable movies which have gained awards attention. Through her intense commitment towards playing every character, Mara had become a beloved icon in entertainment. Shining bright light in darkness, Mara has become one of the most renowned actresses in entertainment business. An actor with a larger than life presence, Mara creates characters with bold intelligence. Throughout an illustrious career, Mara has made countless memorable movies which are definitely without a doubt worth seeing.
I’m a huge fan of Mara and adore all the films she had produced in her career. However, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is without a doubt my personal favourite. Ever since its release in 2011, David Fincher’s movie has stood test of time as a crime classic. Packed with powerful production, engaging storytelling and strong acting, it’s one of the finest adaptations ever made. At the centre of it all is an exceptional performance by Rooney Mara, who embodies a female detective embarking upon a journey to find identity. Ultimately, what makes “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” a masterpiece is its message. Unlike most book adaptations, it tackles strong themes everyone would relate to. It delivers a powerful message about the importance of freedom which would resonate with everyone. A mesmerizing murder mystery masterpiece, there are several strong reasons why “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a film worth seeing.
Based on the beloved book series, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” follows a feminist detective seeking to solve a murder mystery she has grown to value. Rooney Mara plays Lisbeth Salander, a female hacker that has aptitude for cracking complex codes. Lisbeth is an anti-social woman which seldom gets along well with the people in the workplace. However, Lisbeth’s life forever changed when he is assigned to work on a murder mystery case of a wealthy family. Lisbeth is forced to set her prejudiced aside to work with Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to resolve a murder mystery. Mikael is a disgraced journalist that suffers from mental health issues of his own. Despite their stark differences in personality, Lisbeth and Mikael form a strong bond with each other to solve a puzzling murder mystery. Facing a dilemma, Lisbeth questions whether she can solve a murder mystery causing her to face trauma. As all odds are stacked against her favour, Lisbeth questions whether she will be able to become a strong detective with a bright future.
David Fincher is fascinated with the stories of crime. A world-famous filmmaker, Fincher has has often made memorable movies capturing disturbed lives of killers. With “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, however, Fincher created his first literary adaptation. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to adapt a celebrated book about girls with dragon tattoos facing tragedy but he succeeded. Through bold cinematography, the filmmaker captures a female detective seeking to discover her identity. Visually, the movie is a feast for the eyes. Fincher has commonly had an aptitude for using low-key lighting in movies to build tension, and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” showcased his strengths as a director. Fincher successfully employs low-key lighting to capture a woman seeking to solve a murder mystery that’s puzzling. For instance, the low-key lighting enhances the investigation scene. During this unforgettable scene, Mikael and Lisbeth collaborate together on a mission to conduct a murder investigation. One admires low-key lighting capturing the tensions which female detectives are facing. Low-key lighting is a complicated technique to use in films. As “Se7en” suggested, low-key lighting elevates films about the lives of commemorated psychotic serial killers. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Using breathtaking visuals, Fincher captures terrifying hardships which feminist detectives solving murders are experiencing.
Another admirable aspect of “The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo” that deserves appreciation is the production. From a technical perspective, the film is extremely well made. Fincher deftly uses costumes to showcase transformation of a strong feminist character. Throughout the movie, Lisbeth’s dark costumes showcase her strong anti-social personality. For instance, the costumes enhances the introduction scene. During this unforgettable scene, Lisbeth has a tense confrontation with her legal guardian that mistreats her in a poor manner by forcing her to have sex. One admires costumes that showcase the strong personality of a feminist character. Furthermore, the musical score is magnificent. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score is crucial to the film’s success. It gives the film a tense atmosphere capturing heavy burden that feminist detectives bear. Through stunning production-design, Fincher captures the lives of feminist detectives that experience a decline.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “The Gril with the Dragon Tattoo” is a film which is compelling. The film is beautifully written, and effectively uses flashbacks to capture the trauma experienced by women enduring hardships. Fincher’s strength as a screenwriter is his abilities to capture tense hardships faced by detectives which seek to solve murder investigations using flashbacks. The movie effectively switches back and forth between two timelines: flashbacks of Harriet’s murder and present-day scenes of Lisbeth’s murder investigation. Through this ingenious flashbacks structure, Fincher captures tense hardships detectives are facing. Flashbacks are tricky techniques to use in movies. As “Gone Girl” suggested, flashbacks enhance murder mystery films. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through a fantastic screenplay, Fincher captures detectives that investigate murders that come with a price to pay.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Rooney Mara delivers one of her best career performances as Lisbeth Salander. Mara first gained appreciation for playing women falling in love with social network founders. With “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, however, the star took on her most emotional role. It isn’t simple to encapsulate a legendary feminist detective in literature but Mara succeeded immensely. This is the actress unlike you’ve ever seen her in the past before: intense, charismatic and emotional in her most memorable role. Mara is one of those actresses that has always had an aptitude for conveying emotions through her powerful voice, and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” showcased her strengths. With bold expressions, Mara embodies the desperation, bravery and trauma of a female detective that seeks to solve a mystery. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the finest actresses working today.
Daniel Craig is dazzling as a detective seeking to resolve a murder case of a woman which is destructive. While Mara gets the showier role, Craig is equally excellent as a detective which faces an emotional toll. Craig is one of those actors that has always thrived at portraying intelligent heroes seeking to solve a mission, and his strengths are evident in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. Whether he’s investigating the lives of family members or seeking to meet with Lisbeth, Craig uses his body language to create a detective which is compelling. It’s an amazing performance from one of the most celebrated actors working in the film industry today.
Finally, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” will earn appreciation of everyone for capturing hardships that detectives are going through. Unlike most literary adaptations, it discusses strong themes everyone would relate to. The film tackles strong themes including identity, sexual assault and trauma which will resonate with everyone. Viewers aren’t required to be fans of the book to acknowledge the movie. It delivers a strong message about trauma that would resonate with everyone. Therefore, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is one of those rare adaptations of a famous book everyone would adore.
Fans of Rooney Mara would definitely enjoy “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and so will movie-goers seeking enjoyable entertainment. A riveting murder mystery classic, it honours an actress which has built a legacy which is iconic.
Nearly 20 years following the publication of a groundbreaking book about female detectives with dragon tattoos embarking on frightening journeys to find serial killers committing crimes that are terrifying, it’s a riveting reminder of an actress that has gained a huge following earning worldwide recognition for her abilities to portray characters that are compelling whose engaging movies are definitely without a doubt worth celebrating.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 