The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

America has a habit of remaking great foreign language films. These remakes are nearly always inferior to the original but they usually find a market because it is a sad fact that cinema-goers are put off by subtitles. As such, The Grudge, The Ring, Let Me In and even Mirrors have all enjoyed box office success despite their foreign language originals being unquestionably superior. 

However, every rule has an exception: enter David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Fincher’s film is that rare example of a remake which can hold its own against its five-star original. Much of this is down to Fincher’s trademark directing, which brings heaps of style and a typically cool soundtrack to the mix (provided by Oscar-winning Social Network composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). There is no better example of this than the Bond-style opening credits which blend oil-soaked images to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. The use of Enya is great too.

It is also testament to Fincher’s storytelling abilities that the audience still remain gripped by the plot. For many, this is the third time that they are hearing this story following Stieg Larsson's book and Niels Arden Oplev's 2009 Swedish original. However, Fincher’s typically fast-paced narrative ensures that the audience does not get bored and as such the film flows better than the original (although purists will argue it is less loyal to the book).

As for the performances, Rooney Mara has a tough job following Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander. Mara is admittedly impressive but, despite receiving rave reviews, she brings nothing new to the role.

Daniel Craig, however, is brilliant as Mikael Blomkvist. This is his most Depp-like performance and Craig instils his character with numerous character ticks and nuances: dangling his glasses from one ear, catching a bottle as it rolls off the fridge, not bothering to name the cat he adopts. Aside from the six-pack, little remains of his Bond persona and Craig delivers his most quirky, vulnerable and human performance in ages.

Ultimately, the original is still the definitive five-star masterpiece that it was two years ago. So think of this as its respectable US cousin: slicker, better-looking and more accessible. In short, it has been given the Fincher treatment and it deserves to find the audience of its predecessor.

★★★★★