Sometimes, but not often enough, American directors get European remakes right. Such is the case with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, in which filmmaker David Fincher revisits twisted serial-killer turf in a hypnotic land of ice and snow.

Fincher's electrifying storytelling makes the most of unsettling visuals, large casts, complex plots and sharp dialogue. His fascination with dark material and masterful technical skills serve him well in the remake of 2009's Swedish-language "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", based on the popular pulp thriller. This first in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy was the best of the three Swedish-made films, and the tautly stylish American version compares favorably with the original adaptation.

Following a libel suit, disgraced investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired by industrialist and family patriarch Henrik Vanger (a pitch-perfect Christopher Plummer), whose beloved teenage niece, Harriet, disappeared in 1966. Blomkvist enlists ace computer researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to assist him. Together, they uncover a series of disturbing developments leading to a particularly depraved serial killer.
The sum of the parts — an evocative mood, haunting music and exceptional ensemble cast — is superbly sinister. Fincher handles the most lurid aspects deftly, capturing menace and grim despair in the frosty Scandinavian landscape.

Review by Claudia Puig [USA Today]


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