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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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The first film in the American three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson's The Millennium Trilogy. Stars Daniel Craig (Casino Royale) and Rooney Mara (The Social Network), directed by David Fincher (The Social Network, Fight Club).

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig), ostensibly hired to write the memoirs of Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), recruits badass, troubled computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara) to help investigate the 40-year-old murder of Harriet Vanger - Henrik's beloved niece. The odd couple work to unravel the mysterious and gruesome history of the Vanger clan, who live on the isolated Hedeby Island in Hedestad.

Larsson's thrillers have sold 50 million copies in 46 countries, originally made into a film trilogy in the novel's native Sweden.

Starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick Van Wageningen, Joely Richardson

Directed by David Fincher ('The Social Network', 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', 'Zodiac', 'Panic Room', 'Se7en', 'Fight Club')

Written by Steven Zaillian (based on the novel 'Män som hatar kvinno' by Stieg Larsson)

Original Music by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Thriller, Adaptation | 2hr 39mins | Rated (R16) | contains acts of cruelty and rape, sexual violence & offensive language | Origin: USA, Sweden, UK, Germany | Language: English | Official Site »

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The Talk

247 votes / 83 comments

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  • Red

    Get on it. Riveting stuff for those of us who've never seen the originals.

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  •  4

    Matt Glasby, Flicks.co.nz

    Matt Glasby, Flicks.co.nz

    Flicks Writer

    David Fincher’s made some strange career choices (Benjamin Button anyone?), but adapting Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Scandinavian door-stopper might well be the weirdest. For one thing it’s already been done, pretty well, in 2009. For another, the first half of the story – a rather lame murder mystery enlivened by a fascinating central character in troubled hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara) – is 90% exposition meets 10% sexual assault. He’s also retained the book’s Swedish setting and names, so it’s not even a sop to the subtitle-averse.

    So what can we expect from this spruced-up Swenglish version, besides more product placement? For the first hour, disappointingly little. As before, nobody seems willing to snip Larsson’s narrative string, so we trudge through a series of wearying introductions to interchangeable old men (Plummer, Berkoff, Skarsgard), each of whom has a long-buried secret. No scene lasts longer than 30 seconds except those depicting Salander getting abused, which feel endless. It is, to put it lightly, a difficult watch.

    Although Craig is a commanding presence as crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist, it’s not until he and Salander join forces that film emerges from its predecessor’s shadow. When it does, it’s riveting – the leads’ strange chemistry (think little girl lost meets handsome dad) crackles, and Fincher has a real talent for making people looking through files seem fascinating (see Zodiac). Although the excitement subsides after a terrific early climax, it’s an effective, if unfathomable, entry in the Fincher canon. If you’ve seen the original, knock a star off the rating. If you haven’t seen either, watch this one.

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The people's reviews

3 reviews

  • extract from theaterofthecommonman.com

    TheaterofCommon

    A-Lister (?)

    There are many reasons to doubt the necessity of 2011's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. Afterall, I enjoyed Niels Arden Oplev 's Swedish adaption a great deal. To me there was seemingly no artistic need to reboot the film. Today however, I had a powerful lesson in the short comings of my own perception. David Fincher's adaption is near perfect. His film making style and directorial vision wholly supports the disturbingly dark world of investigative journalism. Both Oplev & Fincher were able to portray the gritty underbelly of Stieg Larson's imagination, though Fincher has been able to bring a refreshingly stylised intensity to the material, engaging us even closer into the murky detail.

    Daniel Craig's portrayal of Mikael Blomkist, the disgraced journalist is strong, but is clearly overshadowed by our tattooed heroine Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Rooney, who got her shot at the big time in 'The Social Network', is fully deserving of her return to Finchers Lens. Her role requires she bare almost all that she has to offer, and boy does she. Mara goes about her business with quite resolution despite the most human inner conflicts she would be experiencing. She fully deserves all that the acolations bestowed on her this awards season. If i had a casting vote in the academy it would go her way.

    Thankfully the right people were at the helm of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', as with many that have gone before, it could have fallen into annals of cinematic history only to referred to as a needless remake. However, for me im satisfied. After a significant running time of 158mins I wasn't ready to leave. I would have happily slipped into the next film 'The Girl who played with Fire', in fact that's what I'm going to do now thanks to Niels Arden Oplev and his Swedish trilogy.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • Beautifull Film. A MUST see.

     5

    JayC4Shaw

    A-Lister (?)

    WARNING: before reading my review please note that I haven't read the book first, nor have I watched the 2009 movie from Europe. Therefore my review is soley based on this film.

    I love this film. It really draws your emotions, keeps you on edge and tests your ability to witness the most shocking and horrible of circumstances. This is great in a packed theater full of people who is just as shocked or horrified as you are in the most tragic parts. These tragic scenes are played really well: Rooney Mara is a STAR in the making, so well in fact, that you feel your vindication is totally justified when she reaps her revenge....

    Star cast is brilliant however, some characters casting means the movie (if you haven't read the book or seen the other film) is quite predictable. BUT the twists and turns and the development of the key characters relationship: Lisbeth and Mikael, is such that makes this movie a must see by all. THE OPENING CREDITS are like a better done version of the James Bond opening credits. 5/5 stars.

    Agree? Disagree?...

  • LET ME IN with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

     4

    AdamatDramaTrain

    Superstar (?)

    Having seen and loved the FIRST fantastic film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's first book in the trilogy,I just have to ask, why the Hollywood remake? What's the point - especially so soon after the first? And it's set in Sweden too! Like, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was a fabulous, moody new take on the vampire genre adapted from a great book - so why the almost instant US remake which was almost the same? LET ME IN was good and interesting for movie nuts and film students - but why remake the original so soon and so similar? Fincher is a brilliant director (SOCIAL NETWORK, FIGHT CLUB, SE7EN). Even his worst films (PANIC YAWN and BENJAMIN BUTT-CRACK) are technical marvels - precise and crafted cinematic gems. So, Fincher's TATTOO is a great movie - but based on the same source material as the original movie, this is nothing new or needed. The first film was excellent. Whay more does this add? Well, beautiful cinematography and a stunning soundtrack for sure; Rooney Mara is great as are most of the cast... but... why? If you enjoyed LET ME IN despite LET THE RIGHT ONE IN you'll love it. If you've not seen the Swedish version of DRAGON TATTOO - see this, but see the original film too. And if you've not read the book? Well, good for you! Darn literature! It's keeping people away from the cinema! Books should be banned! Only the other day I saw a kid READING (yes! reading!) HARRY POTTER!!! Doesn't she know how much cash goes into making movies?! Get your head out of books and go see the film, damn you! Anyway, hard to forget the first film (cos it was so bloomin recent!) so I couldn't help but compare and, ay, there's the rub! Anyway - I'm just off to remake THE ARTIST, in Swedish... but, silent...

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    • jacqui

      I love reading but for EFFS sake your point of view is epic. Love it. I feel better that I am going to go see it tonight with reading first

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Press Reviews

  • A.V. Club (USA)

    All surface—magnificent, arresting surface, but surface all the same.
    Read full review

  • Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

    It worked for me.
    Read full review

  • E! Online.com

    It isn't a bad movie, but Fincher is capable of better.
    Read full review

  • Empire (UK)

     4

    His film is not for the faint-hearted.
    Read full review

  • Entertainment Weekly (USA)

    A brilliant franchise movie.
    Read full review

  • Guardian (UK)

     3

    It is a muscular, overwhelmingly confident movie – and its brutal violence is thus even tougher to take.
    Read full review

  • Hollywood Reporter

    Fine American version of the literary sensation delivers everything except that something extra.
    Read full review

  • Observer (UK)

    This brisk, intelligent thriller lacks social and political commitment.
    Read full review

  • Rolling Stone

    Gloriously rendered but too impersonal to leave a mark.
    Read full review

  • The New Yorker

    A bleak but mesmerizing piece of filmmaking.
    Read full review

  • Time Out (USA)

    It moves like a mad dog, looks like a hi-def dream and is deliciously cast.
    Read full review

  • Total Film (UK)

     4

    A controlled, mesmerising, beautiful thriller scarred by scenes of unshakeable brutality and breathless tension.
    Read full review

  • Variety (USA)

    A fastidiously grim pulp entertainment that plays like a first-class train ride through progressively bleaker circles of hell.
    Read full review

  • Village Voice (USA)

    Leaner, meaner, more high-powered, stylish, and deftly directed.
    Read full review

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