The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

UK Release Date: 20 December 2011
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Steven Berkoff, Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Yorick van Wageningen, Robin Wright
Runtime: 158 mins
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Review:
David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opens with mystery and is then immediately followed by an abrasive opening title sequence. A computer generated, black liquid-ooze created by Tim Miller's Blur Studio visually depicting brief glimpses of the film's future imagery. Flashes of hornets, a dragon, a spreading fire - vivid symbolism of Lisbeth's story. Bolstered by a violent, raspy rendition of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song from Karen O, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Karen O's vocals struggle to reach the surface - the song constantly feels like a desperate gasp for air, a cry for help. Eliciting feelings of discomfort and distress. It's an impressive and inspired collaboration that captures the challenging viewing experience of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in less than five minutes. 

That sense of bitterness continues with the film's score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross create an uncomfortable and unsettling sound that feels alive. Tracks that evoke fear, intrigue, romance and suspense. The emotive range on display is somewhat staggering. Experimental with the instrumentation throughout. Piano, xylophone and drums blend together with found sounds and synthesisers to craft something truly unique. The use of an organ to amplify a brooding, foreboding impression of dread. At times it can be brash and invasive - a grating mix, scratching and screeching in the background. Yet, there's also a patience within the often consistently ambient and steady tempo. 

Even when the score is stripped away, an ominous soundscape remains. There's a consistent sound carried over between the diegetic and the non-diegetic. Two elements working in tandem allowing David Fincher to rely on the film's sound design to heighten the suspense. Piercing gun shots and high-pitched screams interrupt the fleeting moments of silence, dragging the audience back to the mystery that captured them initially. 
 
That feeling of cruelty and angst is carried on by the imagery. Entrancing despite the brutal subject matter. There's an animosity present within the intense shot selection, emphasised best through the contrasting use of wide angle lenses and extreme close ups. One of the many effective stylistic choices in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Several sublime point of view shots placing the audience into characters' psyche, a yellow haze dominating flashback scenes and elevated voiceover of Leviticus bible passages. Continuity of atmosphere and emotion from every facet of Fincher's technical arsenal. All accomplished without the added benefit of Rooney Mara's transformative performance as the titular character. 

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