Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The (18)

Drama, Thriller

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

More information on this production is available at www.dragontattoo-movie.co.uk.

The critical consensus

Exuding a barely suppressed rage in every scene, Mara and Fincher elevate a populist novel into a compelling, if overlong drama of bleakness and corruption.

(*) Eddie Harrison, The List, 12/12/2011

Think the US version will untangle the plot and tame the violence? Then Lisbeth’s T-shirt says it all: Fuck you, you fucking fuck. Changed ending aside, Fincher’s take is as faithful as it is fearless. And Mara rocks.

(*) Jamie Graham, Total Film, 13/12/2011

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a success on its own terms, but every aspect of it is overshadowed by another of Fincher’s films...it’s easy to see why the director wanted to make it, but hard to shake the feeling that perhaps he shouldn’t have bothered.

(*) (*) Robbie Collin, The Telegraph, 13/12/2011

A tough, post-punk Tintin-meets-Klute for the Occupy Wall Street set, this kinetic, hard-edged thriller is the perfect festive comedown for Fincher fans and dysfunctional families everywhere.

(*) Damon Wise, Empire Online, 14/12/2011

If only more high-concept Hollywood thrillers were as supple, muscular and purely gripping.

(*) Xan Brooks, The Guardian, 16/12/2011

What follows is thoughtful, beautifully shot by Jeff Cronenweth, and idiosyncratic – but dramatically inert.

(*) (*) Jonathan Romney, The Independent on Sunday, 18/12/2011

If you haven’t seen the Swedish version, this Tattoo will make an indelible impression as a grimly satisfying neo-noir. Even if you have, Fincher’s retelling is good enough to support a second look for some smart story tweaks and a slightly less graphic approach to the book’s scenes of non-consensual sex. The land of the midnight sun has never looked darker.

(*) Siobhan Synnot, The Scotsman, 20/12/2011

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo doesn’t really aspire to be great art, just good, excitingly crafted entertainment with characters you care about. That it succeeds in this respect ensures this self-tagged feel-bad film leaves us with something to feel good about.

(*) Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 22/12/2011

Immaculate style, questionable substance.

Adam Woodward, Little White Lies, 21/12/2011

The annoying thing is, it's riveting...The 150 minutes pass like 150 seconds.

(*) Nigel Andrews, Financial Times, 22/12/2011

Upping the violence, sadism and sex from the original film, Fincher delivers a seedily compulsive glimpse into a cold, brutal universe seething with twisted passions, even if the story is little more than a slick, sick potboiler.

(*) Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express, 22/12/2011

Grim, stylish... but a bit boring.

(*) (*) (*) Chris Tookey, Daily Mail, 23/12/2011

Though it’s the same film, it’s still a fine one, and you can probably add a star if you haven’t seen the Swedish version.

Paul Greenwood, Evening Times, 22/12/2011

The essence of Fincher's film – it's cool. Swedish noir cool with a frosting of Hollywood gloss. Unlike that drink of Bond's, The Girl series has been shaken and stirred. Sup it and see.

(*) Alison Rowat, The Herald, 22/12/2011

It is Mara who is the driving force behind this film: without her, audiences might be forced to focus on the persistently improbable and unreal-looking elements, particularly the sketchily imagined world of media and business.

(*) (*) Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 22/12/2011

Craig is a good fit for his role but it’s 26-year-old Mara who really impresses, mixing the fragility of youth with a fierce determination fostered by a life of hardship and misfortune.

(*) David Edwards, Daily Record, 23/12/2011

Larsson fans probably won't mind, but this latest Dragon Tattoo fails to justify itself so quickly after the Swedish version.

(*) (*) (*) Anthony Quinn, The Independent, 23/12/2011

Ultimately, this brisk, intelligent thriller lacks social and political commitment.

Philip French, The Observer, 01/01/2012

Despite its length, the film doesn’t feel long due to the drawn out but constant revelations in the investigation, the graphic sub-plots and the arresting shots of the snow-covered Swedish countryside.

(*) Callum, TV Bomb, 13/01/2012