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THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Why you should see it NOW.
By Shelby Jones shelby@ufpweekly.com
THE TRUTH
The truth is “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is simply one of the best films I have seen all year. I have been away for awhile and happy I was to avoid some of the recent crap that invaded theaters in December 2011. Wait a second, crappy stuff invaded theaters all year. Kinda like a sports team in need of their ace to come through in the end, Hollywood should be kissing the feet of David Fincher for bringing this trilogy to the big-screen in a sexy, commanding, scary, complicated, and complete way. There were many rumors and talk in the trades about how Tinseltown studio-execs were crossing their fingers on the possible success of “Mission Impossible” and “The Girl with Dragon Tattoo” to save 2011’s box-office tragedies. Tom didn’t deliver but Fincher came through like Jordan in the 4th or Ali in the 12th.
If you do not know David Fincher’s work, you should. His way of making a film is unique and most importantly, he tells the story in the time allotted like very few ever have. Possibly at the end of this film he rushed some parts, but other than that, watching “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” feels like you are watching the story in real time. “The Social Network,” “Seven,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons” all share this compelling DNA from Fincher. All of those films missed not one beat in introducing you to the characters and allowing their arc to crescendo right when the credits are about to roll. When you leave the theater, you will feel like you know all there is to know about “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.”
Our film begins when hot shot magazine writer, Mikael, played superbly by the new James Bond man, Daniel Craig, writes an article that lands him in court because he didn’t check his facts thoroughly (note to self – check complete facts before tell all on ____________) before outing a one-percenter for being a snake in business. When he realizes his career could be over, he his summoned to the estate of one of the craziest Swedish families ever to walk the earth. Full of former swastika wearing Nazis and modern-day suit wearing Nazis, this family is personified by scandal, lots of money and power and apparently a lunatic serial killer in their family.
But this time around, Mikael is provided with one bad-ass fact checker, Lisbeth Salander, aka the girl with the dragon tattoo. Played with a lil freaky sex-appeal, insanity and bad-ass tude by Rooney Mara, Mara will shock many by being sexy-with a punk rock edge. Huh? WTF you say? Yes, her character, although brutally raised and now brutal herself comes off the screen as a girl who deserves to be loved by someone as her life has been one big-godamn dragon. For you football fans out there, did you know that Rooney can go to any NFL game because yes, she is a part of the Rooney clan. If you don’t know the last name Rooney, you are no football fan. Rooney Mara was born in Bedford, New York in 1985. She is one of four children born to New York Giants executive Timothy Christopher Mara and Kathleen McNulty, the granddaughter of Art Rooney, Sr., the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise. Her father's grandfather was Giants founder Tim Mara. Her mother's maiden name was Rooney. (IMDB)
Now that Mikael has tgwtdt, our two heroes set out to solve one murder. Who killed Harriet, one of the youngest daughters in the family way back when. We know the killer is still alive because the patriarch who summoned Mikael is receiving a keep-sake every year that only he and Harriet shared. Who could it be? And that is the beauty of this film. It is part whodunit, part drama, part James Bond where the Bond Girl is actually the real badass. What chic isn’t a bad-ass with a dragon tattoo? See it today, thank me tomorrow.
ABOUT “THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO”
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is the first film in Columbia Pictures' three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson's literary blockbuster "The Millennium Trilogy." Directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the film is based on the first novel in the trilogy, which altogether have sold 50 million copies in 46 countries and become a worldwide phenomenon. The screenplay is by Steven Zaillian.
DISTRIBUTED BY Columbia Pictures (Sony)
DIRECTED BY David Fincher
WRITTEN BY Steven Zaillian
STARRING
Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist
Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo)
Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger
Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger
Steven Berkoff as Frode
Robin Wright as Erika Berger
Yorick van Wageningen as Bjurman
Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger
Geraldine James as Cecilia
MPAA Rating: “R” (for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language)
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