DVD Review: David Fincher’s Incredible ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’

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CHICAGO – David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is an absolute masterpiece, one of the best films of 2011 and one of the best thrillers of the new millennium. After I saw it in December of 2011, there was some question of its quality when compared to the original Stieg Larsson books, the Noomi Rapace-starring foreign version, and even Fincher’s previous work, the amazing “The Social Network.” Ignore all that comparison and just view “Dragon” on its own merits. It’s spectacular.

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

Sadly, due to high demand, Sony could only get us the DVD version, so we can’t speak to what most hardcore fans of this movie are probably most curious about — the highly-advertised four hours of special features on the Blu-ray. Of course, we’re not going to be petty and would definitely still recommend that if you have a Blu-ray player, you go with the HD version. Jeff Cronenweth’s incredible cinematography was Oscar-worthy and it looks great in standard. One can only imagine how striking it is in HD. And Fincher’s always had a gift with sound design, so an HD audio track is also something worth including in your “Tattoo” experience.

However, if you don’t have HD capabilities, the standard version of “Girl” is pretty solid. The packaging is notably unique with a cardboard case and a DVD disc that looks like a bootleg DVD-R. The video quality is higher than your average DVD and while you don’t get all of the special features that Blu-ray buyers get, you will find a commentary by the great Fincher, arguably the best working filmmaker. I would have liked a few more special features on the DVD, hence the lower grade above, but the film itself and the commentary track make this a must-own if you haven’t yet upgraded to HD.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Photo credit: Sony Pictures

As for the film itself, I stand by my review from December (and my inclusion of the film in my top ten of 2011) and quote it below:

“Mikael Blomkvist (a perfectly world-weary Daniel Craig) is going through a career crisis. In what could be called the prologue to the action of the film, Mikael is forced to step down from his position at Millennium Magazine after he’s successfully set-up by a fake source slandering one of Sweden’s most prominent businessmen. With his tail between his legs, Mikael attends a meeting with the uber-wealthy Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), a man ready to write his biography but haunted by the tragedy that forever shaped his life. Decades ago, Henrik’s daughter Harriet disappeared. Everyone in the family, including Martin (Stellan Skarsgard) and Anita (Joely Richardson), recognizes that the loss of Harriet and the questions surrounding her disappearance altered the course of one of their country’s most important companies. Can Mikael figure out what happened to her?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 20th, 2012 Photo credit: Sony

While Mikael investigates the past, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) uses the modern investigative tools of the present. The bisexual recluse with remarkable technological skills and a unique fashion sense was hired by the Vangers to background check Blomkvist. So, when she is coincidentally brought in as a research assistant to help him with his book, she already knows everything there is to know about him, most of it obtained illegally. Imagine meeting someone who knows more about you than your family and friends. Especially in this version of the book, there’s a sense that Lisbeth is a counterpart to the missing Harriet. There’s the girl about which Mikael needs to learn her secret – the mystery at the center of the piece – counterbalanced by the girl who knows all the secrets about Mikael. At first, it seems like Harriet and Lisbeth couldn’t more distinctly different and yet I believe the core of the source material is the realization that they have faced the same evil in dealing with truly horrendous men.

Lisbeth Salander is a force of nature. As played with coiled perfection by Mara, she seems like she’s always moving even when she’s standing still. Much was made over the casting of Mara, an actress heretofore known pretty much just for the opening scene of The Social Network” and the poor people who suffered through the remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” She’s simply stunning here, making daring decisions at every opportunity and, most importantly, giving a completely fearless performance. She never holds back. She dives into a complex character and brings her to life. Craig is very good and won’t get nearly the attention he should once again but this is Mara’s movie.”

“Here’s the most important thing to know about “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” – it’s incredibly entertaining. It runs over two hours and it flies like a bullet train. I knew the whole story from front to back and I was still riveted to every single frame. While I may get excited about things that go unnoticed by some (cinematography, art direction, etc.), I find it simply hard to believe that those of you who leave your weighted expectations at the door won’t come out with the same sense that I did – this is some of the best filmmaking of 2011.”

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com