Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is given an assignment to search for a girl who is missing and supposedly dead from forty years ago. He is aided by a cynical, tattooed, and pierced girl named Lizbeth Salander (Mara). As the two team up they witness a series of events that they didn't expect, discovering immense corruption.
The film is a remake of the original Swedish version, which is hailed as a modern-day classic on its own, and the does a good job of living up with an English cast. Mara, as I said, is truly the show-stealer and I hope becomes an unexpected nominee for Best Actress at the Oscars this year. My gripe with Craig is that he is inconsistent with his accent and it makes the setting awkward in that situation. Besides that, the supporting cast is strong, including Christopher Plummer still as good as ever and Yorik van Wageningen as a devious, yet moving villain. It brings you down, but never picks you up, in terms of tone.
The score by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor is top-notch. They were brilliant in the Social Network and still have that magic touch in this film. Again, I hope they receive an Oscar nomination. Jeff Croensworth's dark photography is beautiful and really helps capture the viewer's attention. Everything technical is tied so well together and never feels too overly edited.As a film by Fincher, this film truly holds up and goes beyond my expectations. Though it doesn't compare as well to his recent releases - Benjamin Button and the Social Network - the film feels so quick despite being two hours and 40 minutes. The viewer will be intrigued from the very beginning and it never stops being interesting. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo receives a 3/4.
