Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer in the David Fincher movie ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’

Drawn from the posthumously published Stieg Larsson book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo of 2005, David Fincher offered edgy suspense, menacing thriller elements, appalling crime and an unlikely heroine and hero pair overcoming powerful forces pitted against the very serious forces of societal politics, family politics and dark secrets that have been hidden for better than forty years. Today we review The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

(From left, Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist and Robin Wright as Erika Berger in the David Fincher movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Daniel Craig portrayed Mikael Blomkvist, co-owner of a prominent magazine based in Sweden. After losing a libel lawsuit to businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström as portrayed by Ulf Friberg, Blomkvist is looking to step away from the magazine when wealthy Henrik Vanger, as portrayed by Christopher Plummer, offers him an unusual request that eases and causes strife in the relationship has with his magazine co-owner and married lover. That co-owner and lover, Erika Berger, is portrayed by Robin Wright.

(From left, Goran Visnjic as Dragan Armansky and Steven Berkoff as Dirch Frode in the David Fincher movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

That proposition from Henrik Vanger is vetted through Vanger’s lawyer Dirch Frode, as portrayed by Steven Berkoff. A delicate and criminal background check offered by Dragan Armansky, as portrayed by Goran Visnjic, introduces the hacker and girl with the dragon tattoo that provided the incredibly detailed and personal background check of Mikael Blomkvist. The offer Vanger makes to Blomkvist is to investigate the 40-year-old disappearance and presumed murder of Henrik’s grandniece, 16-year-old Harriet Vanger.

(Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in the David Fincher movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Lisbeth Salander, as portrayed by Rooney Mara, is the hacker who investigates quite deeply, tactfully, and with an exceptional level of quality for the business run by Dragan Armansky. Dark events in Salander’s past add depth to her story, which is as brutal in the present and past tense. The Lisbeth Salander storyline rivals everything that Mikael Blomkvist finds while investigating Henrik Vanger’s family, the business now run by Martin Vanger, or the antisemitism that runs underneath many of the metaphorical rocks moved about during this investigation.

(From left, Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger and Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger in the David Fincher movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

We see much in the background of Lisbeth Salander both in parallel to the work being performed by Mikael Blomkvist and then in concert with that work. We are introduced to some honorable work by Holger Palmgren, as portrayed by Bengt C.W. Carlsson, and then much less than honorable work by Nils Bjurman. Yorick van Wageningen portrayed Nils Bjurman. The notion of there being mystery, thriller and criminal elements within The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are addressed in edgy and difficult detail within the movie.

(From left, Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander and Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist in the David Fincher movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

The directness of the content without effort to tread lightly on the source material of the novel underlying this movie offers something compelling in the direction for this film. There are credible hints for the type of movie we have here that still leaves much in terms of depth for you to find and enjoy within a new or fresh viewing of the film.

(From left, Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger and Yorick van Wageningen as Nils Bjurman in the David Fincher movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

That there are many layers to the source material that are brought to the screen adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo speak credibly to the achievement that screenwriter Steven Zaillian and director David Fincher make with the movie. Working with difficult themes for mature themes without crossing a line into confusing messages or gratuitous exposition were accomplishments of delivery that lets me respect the work done here. I grant The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as directed by David Fincher 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, January 29, 2022

Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Jamie Lee Curtis in Rian Johnson’s film ‘Knives Out’

What we have here is a genuine, combative family centered, hired investigator detected, murder mystery with intrigue, multiple motivations, and the process of determining the solution over the course of a two-hour and twenty-minute movie. Do you want a genuine selling point for the film? The story underpinning the presentation is not based on something real. The story isn’t adapted from an existing text and modernized for a contemporary audience. Simply stated, Knives Out (2019) isn’t based on anything.

(Standing, left to right, are Don Johnson, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Michael Shannon, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome and Katherine Langford in the film Knives Out. Seated, left to right, are Jamie Lee Curtis, K Callan, Christopher Plummer and Toni Collette in the film Knives Out).

Knives Out is a classic whodunit tale of the death of eccentric Thrombey family patriarch Harlan Thrombey, as played by Christopher Plummer. Don Johnson plays Richard Drysdale, husband to Linda Drysdale, as played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Harlan Thrombey. Ransom Drysdale, the son to Richard and Linda and grandson of Harlan, is played by Chris Evans.

(Jamie Lee Curtis, left, Christopher Plummer, center, and Don Johnson in the film Knives Out).

Another pocket of Thrombey family include Walt Thrombey as played by Michael Shannon, Walt’s wife Donna Thrombey as played by Riki Lindhome, and their son Jacob Thrombey as played by Jaeden Martell. Walt has been placed atop his father’s book publishing business while Jacob is given to an awkward and embarrassing and bawdy personal details through the course of the film.

(LaKeith Stanfield, left, and Noah Segan in the film Knives Out).

Toni Collette plays Joni Thrombey, mother to college student Meg Thrombey, who is portrayed by Katherine Langford. Motive and intrigue are introduced through these two, and the truth is left for you to detect.  K Callan plays Greatnana Wanetta, whose character is played to comedic effect and significant intrigue.

(Daniel Craig in the film Knives Out).

Non-familial characters are introduced to the film Knives Out through police personnel Lieutenant Elliott, as played by LaKeith Stanfield, and Trooper Wagner, as played by Noah Segan. Benoit Blanc, as played by Daniel Craig, is further introduced with a touch of musical flair. Marta Cabrera, as portrayed by Ana de Armas, is further introduced from the beginning of the film.

(Chris Evans, left, with Ana de Armas and Knives Out writer and director Rian Johnson).

Rian Johnson wrote and directed Knives Out. The movie Looper (2012) was offered a warm review by Matt Lynn Digital in June of 2019. Knives Out offers a fair degree of dark humor and cynicism placed next to moral correctness and heart, so as to appeal to a wide range of audience. Political commentary and some of the humor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, though none of that feels like it went too far per my sensibility. I rate the production of Knives Out at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, December 4, 2019