Anyone who has tried to adapt the late Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo into a feature film, whether it be the 2009 Swedish film or the new “Americanized” version, has found themselves stuck in a moral quagmire.
The source novel is unflinchingly brutal, perpetually dark and often disturbing.  It is a story founded on furious vengeance and manic violence; even worse, a by-the-numbers murder mystery that relies on shock value for kicks, not to mention its questionable eye-for-an-eye morality.  In it, innocent people suffer and evil people suffer more, often in very cruel and unusual instances. 
So it is up to those adapting such a lurid piece of literature, in this case screenwriter Steven Zallian and Director Davind Fincher, to make the most of Larsson’s twisted plotline.  Remarkably, they pull it off with zeal and no small amount of style.
Zallian, an Oscar-winner for his script for Schindler’s List, expertly handles the story of a disgraced journalist (played by Daniel Craig) who is enlisted to investigate the death of a young girl that had occurred over 40 years prior.
Simultaneously, the script follows the mysterious Lisbeth Salander, an expert computer hacker with a rough past and poor people skills; she is eventually called on to help Craig’s character as the investigation takes on a more sinister demeanor.
There is a lot of ground to cover in the 600-plus pages of Larsson’s book (including family histories, romantic subplots, serial rape and Nazis), and though the film is almost three hours long, is does not miss a beat, moving swiftly from one plot point to another.  As a result, the end product is lean, mean and a little insane, thanks to some idiosyncratic performances from Stellan Skarsgard and Rooney Mara.
Mara, as the titular Salander, is particularly surprising.  With only a few roles on her resume, including the Nightmare on Elm Street remake and a brief role as Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend in Fincher’s The Social Network, this is her breakout role.  Her Salander is cold, fierce and controlled, but with a glimmer of human sincerity at her core.  Mara humanizes the larger-than-life heroine and takes a lot of risks in the process.  In the end, she pulls it off with style.
A lot of credit also goes to Fincher, whose slick, dark style is perfectly suited for the script.  Though he has proven his versatility with films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Social Network, his best films are the ones with a distinctive atmosphere, like Zodiac and Fight Club.  
Dragon Tattoo functions as a hybrid of those two films in particular, though not in terms of plot; rather, it is a testament to Fincher’s ability to soak the screen in suspense.  He heightens the chill of Sweden, the thrill of secrets and the sinister nature behind each and every character.  In Fincher’s world, no one can be trusted, and everyone has a dark secret to hide.  His approach, coupled with the bountiful intrigue of Zallian’s script, make a feast for the senses, albeit one best served for strong stomachs.