Pass the Popcorn: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Based on the book with the same name, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is about a damaged woman who specializes in technical research and a journalist trying to solve a wealthy family's cold case mystery. The movie plays more like Zodiac than Silence of the Lambs as the two main character's story lines build separately for the first forty minutes or so. Mystery does give way to tension as the second act revs up and the "first" ending provides enough little twists to satisfy the journey. I say "first" ending because, much to some people's chagrin, there's somewhat of an extended epilogue to finish off the last 20 mintues of the film.

Rooney Mara's transformation from a pretty young lady in real life to a hardened, tortured youth with a dragon tattoo is remarkable. Daniel Craig is pretty straightforward, which is a little disappointing because his character makes several decision that could've been represented with a more complexity. Regardless, the performances of the cast still come in above par. Finally, the music selection and score provide a gritty eeriness that ramps up when necessary, creating added complexity without overwhelming the experience.

While The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo isn't Fincher's strongest effort (it's hard to beat Seven and Fight Club), it's still solid procedural worth seeing.