15 Massively Underrated Movies From The 2010s

2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Rooney Mara Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Sony

David Fincher is among the great directors of the last 25 years, and made one of the great films of the 2010s in The Social Network, which maybe explains a slightly more muted response to his take on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Coming out a year after The Social Network, the film was largely praised, but it wasn't effusive - a 7.6 on Rotten Tomatoes, 71% on Metacritic, - and it underperformed at the box-office, shutting down hopes for a full Fincher trilogy.

With an effective reboot on the way, it's startling just how much this movie seems to have been forgotten about, and how much more praise it deserves. Fincher's trademarks are all over this movie, from the icy blue and black colour palette marrying perfectly with its frosty setting, to the sheer darkness that lies within and a chilling score, as he attempts to reveal even more depth to the story and its characters.

Rooney Mara, meanwhile, gives a stunning performance in the lead role, where she is not only completely committed but runs the full gamut of emotions in a performance where she has to be intelligent, introvert, ferocious, and vulnerable at the same time. Noomi Rapace might have done it better, but this film as a whole boasts more style, chills you to the core, and deserved much more than being a single instalment.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.