Today I thought I would try my hand at a drama. I have a tendency to lean toward entertaining movies. Explosions, comedy, ... explosions! Every now and again I'll watch a drama, but I always walk away feeling like the world is a cold, dark, and heartless place. So, I usually just avoid them. In this case I had heard from many people that this movie is amazing. That the writing is awesome. That the acting is superb. Even if I do not care for the genre as much, I figured I would see what all the hype was about.
So, here we go...
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, and Christopher Plummer
Overview - Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young girl almost 40 years ago. Knowing he can not hope to find her alone, he hires the extremely talented Lisabeth Salander (Mara) to help him. But if he knew what he was getting into, he never would have taken the job.
Review - This film won an Oscar, as well as 12 other awards. God help me, I don't know why. Remember, I view everything from an entertainment value standpoint, and normally dramas don't fall into my "norm". The movie was incredibly well filmed. The cinematography and settings were nothing short of genius. David Fincher (director) does not know how to make a bad film. He has helmed such masterpieces as "Fight Club", "Panic Room", and "Zodiac". Rest assured that the visuals are as stunning as they are communicative.
They really snagged a dynamite cast with this one. Daniel Craig, though he looks like a grown love child of Mickey Mouse and an Auto Sales Balloon Man, is one of this generation's best actors (in my opinion). I think his take on James Bond is as unique as it is entertaining, and I have yet to see anything with him that I didn't like. Christopher Plummer has always been stellar. From Captain Von Trapp (Sound of Music in 1965) to Dr, Parnassus (Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus in 2009) he captures the essence of his characters and takes the audience along for the ride. Rooney Mara, on the other hand, has done very little outside of "The Social Network". Her character, a low-budget investigator with a dragon tattoo, is (in my humble opinion) not a hard role to portray. She is a black-wearing, depressed, recluse. According to a census poll taken in several New York high schools in 2012, roughly 2500 teen girls fit this same profile. Though most of the tattoos are across their lower back. Needless to say that I don't think that this was Mara's big breakout moment in moviedom.
Now, let's talk about the content. Disgusting. Appalling. Sickening. All these words describe, but fall short of, the appropriate description of this film. If this was the only film David Fincher had made, I would avoid his movies from here on out. We get to watch a girl be raped, the same girl disembowel a man, a girl rip off her clothes and have sex, and a man get strung up in a harness to be raped and murdered ON FILM! I'm sorry, but that's a story you would stop your crazy ex-military uncle from telling you. "Seriously uncle Joe! Keep that crap to yourself. I'd like to go through life NOT thinking everyone is a creepy axe murderer, thanks." Regardless of how great the script is, how amazing the cinematography is, or how wonderful the actors are, this simply is not a story worth telling. There was a movie back in 2006 starring Paul Walker called "Running Scared" that found the heroin face-to-face with a married couple that kidnap, rape, and murder children ON FILM! Regardless of the actors ability, or the story-tellers ability to connect you to the plot, it sickens me to think that anyone out there would even THINK this is a story that people want to hear about. "Yes, I would love to hear a story about the Korean girl you boinked, shived and burned alive, grampa." I don't think so. How does a self-respecting man (or human) sit in a directors chair and direct a scene where someone is getting raped. Sorry Fincher. I can't back you on this one.
As amazingly shot, and told, as this movie was, I have to give it a 1 out of 5. The only reason I gave it ANY markings is because it was a story that had not been done in this country (the original was made in Sweden in 2009). However, I do not feel the uniqueness of the story justifies the flat out evil it shows.
I thrive on feedback, so let me know what you think. entertaindave@gmail.com and follow me on Twitter @entertaindave
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