A modern, electronic version of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” plays amidst a montage of disturbing images, including melting faces dripping in metallic liquid, flying insects, and endlessly snaking wires. These are the first images presented in David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” the latest film adaptation of the novel written by Stieg Larsson. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including: Best Actress for Rooney Mara, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. It eventually won the award for Best Film Editing. This film is not even remotely close to what I expected it to be, based on the hype and the popularity of both the Swedish version of the film and the book from which it originated. However, I found myself quite enthralled throughout, and could not turn away from the screen. I highly recommend it to people in need of a good thriller or mystery film.

The film concerns an old man named Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), who has obsessed over the mysterious disappearance of his niece Harriett for the past 40 years. He hires Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a famous journalist, to track down her whereabouts, whether alive or dead. In the meantime, we witness the experiences of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), the same girl that compiled the background check on Blomkvist at Vanger’s request. An emotionally distant girl, who dresses in an obscure manner, Salander is extremely intelligent, and is an expert hacker of computers. From the outside, she appears broken-spirited. But we soon see that she is unafraid to turn the world to her advantage, such as when she blackmails her lawyer in order to take control of her own finances. As a result of her researching capabilities, Blomkvist hires Salander as an assistant in his investigation. In the process, the two become entwined in a web of murders more complicated than they had anticipated.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is as much a character story as it is a murder mystery. Daniel Craig, in a role very unlike his usual heroic persona, plays a broken-down, middle-aged man. Recently recovering from the loss of a libel case that had been brought against him by a wealthy businessman, Blomkvist has all but given up on his career. It was for this reason that he decides to take the job offer from Vanger, as he believes it could be a redeeming experience. Likewise, Salander suffers from past experiences of her own. A hollow, empty shell of a person, she clearly suffered a traumatizing childhood. We rarely see her express anything that resembles human emotion, yet oddly enough are able to gain an insight into what she is thinking at the same time. Physically striking, despite her skinny shape, Salander dresses in a goth style, has multiple piercings, pale white skin, and the namesake tattoo covering the entirety of her back. When speaking, she is blunt, never saying more than is necessary, and often gives the cold shoulder to everyone around her, with the possible exception of Blomkvist, who she seems to gain an attraction to by the conclusion of the film. Rooney Mara was rightfully honored with a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for this captivating role, which is unlike anything I have seen in recent films.  Her uncanny performance is the true highlight of the film.

At the 84th Academy Awards, two very surprised gentleman took the stage when it was announced that they had won the Oscar for Best Editing. “The Artist” appeared to be the more likely winner of the award, and was predicted as the winner by most critics. But after seeing “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” it is not too great of a shock. With its fast, jerky camera shots, sometimes containing only seconds-long scenes, the film still manages to draw you in, refusing to let go of your attention. Its many scenes are overcast with low, yet never over-powering musical rhythms, which build an underlying tension, even during scenes where little action occurs, such as when Salander is in a library doing research on the murder case. Minutes, even hours go by, but time seems to be irrelevant. One question after another goes flying through the viewer’s mind: Where are we now? What have we just discovered? What is about to happen? It is enough to keep any viewer glued to the screen, eager to see the result of the murder mystery unfolding slowly before our eyes.

The lingering effect of this film is not that we have seen a brilliant murder mystery, because the story itself, which we eventually solve, does not stand out as particularly impressive or believable. What really stands out is the way the film is presented. David Fincher, who also directed “The Social Network,” has a great capacity to keep the viewer riveted to his films, regardless of the source material. The film rises above the traditional thriller, even at times reaching the point of a psychological or horror film, especially with some scenes early on that are quite graphic. But, above all, Rooney Mara’s performance will be noted for years to come, not only as an amazing creation, but as a jump-start to a successful career. I eagerly anticipate the next film in the series, “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” which will premiere in late 2013.