After the departures of The Social Network and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, this does have the air of Fincher getting back to his old stomping ground of the gritty adult thriller. For those who have, like me, managed to avoid both the books and the Swedish films, the plot revolves around a murder mystery. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is recruited by an elderly corporate magnate (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the unsolved disappearance of his daughter forty years ago. Plummer's Henrik Vanger lives on his own island, which is also home to many members of his dysfunctional family, and Blomkvist moves into an empty house there to commence his investigation. Where the titular Girl comes into it is uncertain for a good half of the running time. During this period, Fincher frequently cuts back and forth between Blomkvist and tattooee Lisbeth Salander, their plotlines remaining separate until he eventually recruits her as his research assistant.
The search for an actress who could play this extremely complex, forbidding character - she's a outcast loner rocking a goth/punk look, declared socially incapable by the state, and a computer genius, her frightening exterior hiding a vulnerable, sensitive soul - was legendarily extensive, but Fincher eventually admitted that the best choice was an actress who he worked with in The Social Network, Rooney Mara. Great choice. She is incredible, completely submerging herself in the character, managing to be completely convincing in her every skill and nuance. There's an incredibly fine line to walk with this character, but Mara balances on it like an expert. Noomi Rapace received stellar notices for her original take, but I find it hard to believe Mara fails to equal her.
Fincher exhibits a confidence throughout that evinces justified faith in the source material. An attention-grabbing title sequence that recalls the similarly creative openings of Se7en and Fight Club starts us off with unexpected gusto, but the ensuing opening of the film proper is a little bewildering, throwing several characters at us, thickly accented dialogue (although Craig keeps his own natural accent) and some apparently unmotivated intercutting. Never fear, though, for we are in the hands of a master: before long the plot chrystallises and its grip tightens like a vice as the temperature plummets. As soon as Blomkvist's interest is piqued on learning of this missing girl, so is ours. Just try turning away from the screen during the next two hours.
The cross-cutting between Blomkvist and Salander for the first half does make for an occasionally lurching pace, but the rhythm soon settles down. The tempo feels akin to Zodiac, as does Fincher's masterful use of time-compressing montage, but this is a film whose thrills are more immediate, though no less intense. Its fictional origins also allow its mystery to be solved in a way that Zodiac's couldn't be, and it's a resolution that's unforeseen, satisfying, and slightly convenient all at once. The search for the killer proves, ultimately, to be a little bit of a red herring, as the film continues for a stretch after the big reveal. It is then that the film reveals itself to really be about its lead pairing, whose relationship is fascinating and perfectly judged. Structurally, the shape of the narrative doesn't quite fit the template, but that is presumably down to the source. And anyway, what would Fincher want with something conventional?
Summary
Fans of the novel and/or the Swedish film(s) may have a different perspective, but The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is utterly compelling, and looks a lot like a new Fincher masterpiece. A word of warning, though: its original Swedish title, Men Who Hate Women, gives a clue to its uncompromising content.
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