Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer
Rated: 18A
Running time: 158 minutes
If you've gone to the airport or the beach anytime in the past few years, you no doubt are familiar with this book. Even if you haven't read it, you've seen more than a few other people reading it. There is also the possibility that you saw the original Swedish film version. Well, this review does not do a comparison but rather comes from the view of someone who is only now being exposed to Stieg Larsson's best-selling The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
With Zodiac and Seven under his belt, David Fincher is pretty much a go-to director for these types of films and he certainly once again weaves a good yarn involving some people doing very horrible things. Right off the bat, the cast is fantastic. You can never really go wrong with Daniel Craig and this time is no different as he plays a research journalist who has some bad publicity and is lured away to a wealthy family's island to write a memoir. The memoir, of course, focuses on the mysterious disappearance (murder?) of a sibling. The star of the show by far, however, is Rooney Mara (a.k.a. the girl with the dragon tattoo). Mara is a young woman who has seen the short end of the social system yet has an amazing talent for hacking and research. The chemistry between the two is fantastic and together they unravel the family affair.
I have no doubt the book is better (it always is). But at this time of year, if you're looking for some entertainment to cleanse the pallet from all that sugary holiday viewing, look no further. One thing I can guarantee - this is not a Christmas movie, which is always refreshing this time of year.
