When a discredited journalist (Daniel Craig) is given a forty-year-old murder case, he enlists the aid of a girl with unique computer hacking skills and a dragon tattoo named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they put clues together and dig deeper into the mystery they face increasing danger from an anonymous killer while Lisbeth confronts the demons of her past. The danger they face helps drive the story forward, but doesn't feel real till later in the film. What makes the movie fresh and keeps you watching is Lisbeth, as she careens through the film, knocking all obstacles out of her way.
While many aspects of this movie have been seen before (the mystery is predictable and the main character, Mikael Blomkvist, is fairly standard for the genre) Lisbeth is completely unique. She is as socially awkward as she is merciless in dealing with her enemies.
Early in the film as Mikael is taking the first steps in the mystery, Lisbeth is facing twisted hardships and responding to them in equally twisted manners, and her methods are so dark that you'll find yourself wishing the story would stop cutting back to Mikael and his comparatively normal life on the frozen island of a wealthy industrialist Swedish family trying to solve a murder.
On the surface, this is a mystery about a killer of women, but "Girl With A Dragon Tattoo" is actually a character piece. Rooney Mara plays Lisbeth with dark precision and dangerous purpose and steals the focus of the film. Mikael's story, although more easily relatable, takes a back seat to Lisbeth’s, which centers on sexual abuse.
From every technical stand point this movie shines. The cinematography is well crafted and adds eeriness to every moment. It shows you enough of the most brutal moments to disturb you without overly disgusting you. The soundtrack adds even more to the creepy nature of every moment.
But everything isn't perfect in this mystery thriller. As mentioned before, many aspects of the story aren’t really new. The beginning of the movie also moves at a sluggish pace, which works well for establishing Lisbeth as a character, but makes Mikael seem slow and incompetent as an investigator. Several scenes and images are disturbingly brutal and keep this from being a movie for all audiences.
Powerful acting, great cinematography and a unique titular character make this film a great experience, but its handful of flaws and dark images will keep it from appealing to all audiences. For fans of mysteries and brutal visuals, this will be a winner.
4 "Dragon Tattoos" out of 5
Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron
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