The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

Director:

David Fincher

Writers:

Steven Zaillian (screenplay), Stieg Larsson (novel)

Stars:

Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer

Won 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Craig	...	Mikael Blomkvist
Rooney Mara	...	Lisbeth Salander
Christopher Plummer	...	Henrik Vanger
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Martin Vanger
Steven Berkoff	...	Dirch Frode
Robin Wright	...	Erika Berger
Yorick van Wageningen	...	Nils Bjurman
Joely Richardson	...	Anita Vanger
Geraldine James	...	Cecilia Vanger
Goran Visnjic	...	Dragan Armansky
Donald Sumpter	...	Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell
Ulf Friberg	...	Hans-Erik Wennerström
Bengt C.W. Carlsson	...	Holger Palmgren
Tony Way	...	Plague
Per Myrberg	...	Harald Vanger

Storyline

This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

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Plot Keywords:

journalist | computer hacker | background check | disappearance | libel | 

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Taglines:

What is hidden in snow, comes forth in the thaw.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Sweden Norway

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

La chica del dragón tatuado

Filming Locations:

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, Ullensaker, Akershus, Norway

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$12,750,000 (USA) (23 December 2011)

Gross:

$102,515,793 (USA) (16 March 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The full musical score was released on December 9, 2011. Seven days prior to the official release, composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross released a 6-track sampler of the score online for free. The download was also accompanied by a free 8-minute trailer for the film available via iTunes.

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Goofs

When Lisbeth searches Hans-Erik Wennerström on Google, the search results list a Wikipedia article first that lists Hans-Erik Wennerström's birthday as "May 29, 1952." When Lisbeth clicks through to Wennerström's Wikipedia page, it lists his birthday as "12 June, 1951."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell: What kind is it?
Henrik Vanger: I don't know. White?
Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell: And the frame?
Henrik Vanger: Dark.
Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell: Postmark?
Henrik Vanger: Same as last time.
Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell: And no note.
Henrik Vanger: No.
Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell: I'm so sorry, Henrik.

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning of the film's opening studio intros of Columbia and MGM, Leo, the MGM mascot's roar is silenced.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Rape Squad (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Ain't Fit To Live Here"
Written And Performed By Joakim Nilsson,
Rikard Edlund, Axel Sjöberg And Jonatan Ramm
Courtesy Of Nuclear Blast GMBH

User Reviews

A superb and chilling thriller

I've never read Stieg Larsson's millennium novels, so I can't say how faithful this film is to the original material, but I am a big fan of the Swedish adaptation by Danish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev. Now, I know the fact that Hollywood is obsessed with remakes annoys the hell out of us, but I think there can always be room for different interpretation, different vision and approach and that's what David Fincher's version excels in. It's more detailed, more curious, and more unafraid. It's a superb and chilling thriller with an astounding performance by Rooney Mara. Whether or not this version is better can be argued but it certainly is a solid film… Rooney Mara, with her skinny body and goth hairstyle and excessive piercings and tattoos and her attitude, I think Mara manages to give a more complex Lisbeth Salander than Noomi Rapace's portrayal. But it's mostly thanks to screenwriter Steven Zaillian who covers information that the previous adaptation would simply skim or just talk about instead of exposing it. Fincher and Zaillian want to seriously show how dark, troubled, but motivated Lisbeth is. And some may consider this approach to be too brutal or unnecessary but I think it's no more brutal than Fincher's previous thrillers like Se7en. This is after all, in its essence, a movie made solely for Fincher's fans or those who are comfortable with his style. Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography work is fantastic by the way, it plays on how much you can handle. It goes along with the script that tends to be explanatory. Whatever loopholes or gaps that the previous adaptation had, Fincher's film fills it and explains it in its own way. Lisbeth Salander to me is a rebel, she lives by her own rules, but she's also by herself, this version wants to instill in her mind the idea that perhaps she could be sociable or she could be considered normal if she just gets that attention that she never did, and that's what warrants a different ending. Mara is absolutely phenomenal as Lisbeth, it's a defining role for Mara, she's made it her own. She's fierce, highly driven, but there's a sense of innocence to her as well. She thinks her anger and actions are justified and the film successfully encourages us to agree. All those tattoos and piercings are like 'keep off' or 'stay away' sign, perhaps because of years of rough background, going from one guardian to another, so when somebody genuine like Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) comes along, he represents the safety that desperately longs for but would never admit to. I think it's smart that Fincher and Zailian shows the estranged family side of Blomkvist, they see it as important for Blomkvist to be able to relate to Henrik Vanger's (Christopher Plummer) dilemma and I think that's a smart move. Craig is the weakest link because his accent keeps going on and off, I'm not sure if he even tries to sound Swedish at all, it's quite the distraction. But he works with what's given to him, keep in mind that the title is not Blomkvist with the dragon tattoo. Of course nowadays you can't talk about Fincher's movies without talking a bit about the unconventional score by Oscar winners Atticus Ross and Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor. In fact, the movie pays an amusing homage to NIN. Those of you film score aficionados would probably find Ross and Reznor's tunes for this film rather eerie and chilling, which it then pretty much serve its purpose. Having said that, at times I find the score a bit forceful and it's like the same soundwave echoing over and over again with the intent to hypnotize. I don't think the opening graphic credit is all that impressive, it's an interesting take but it looks out of place, it looks like it should be a separate music video and it doesn't necessarily introduce the tone of the film that you're about to see. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is definitely not a movie for the faint of heart, it's a movie that would rattle your comfort cage, and I think audiences will be divided, you'll either truly love it, or truly detest it, but there will hardly be a middle ground.