Review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) by Saurabh L — 08 Dec 2012

Brutal and yet strangely compelling, this second make of the European version makes a few changes, but ultimately is about as successful as the first version. The only thing was that the twist wasn't really hard to guess at before the end frames. it has some excellent acting, and the interesting characters of the book. Some of the structural changes bring Sander into the story sooner, and that's of course when the story takes off.

The suspense is well modulated by Fincher, and you do find yourself feeling a bit paranoid by the end. All the performances are top form, and although you can quibble about who plays a better Sander, the effect is the same. It's gritty and unforgiving in its exploration of the dark nature of the story. It was also nice to see Daniel Craig playing a not-so-tough character. The exploitative moments are well-used, and they advance the story rather than detract from it as they might have in lesser hands.