Review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) by Dan T — 05 Dec 2012

There's no denying that the source material for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is brutally graphic and downright depressing. Don't expect a happy-go-lucky mystery film when you watch it as the themes and tones are extremely dark and there a couple of scenes that are very hard to stomach (if you've read the book, you know what scenes I'm talking about). However, the thing that makes this movie so good is that fact that, even with this dark and troubling plot, the film is still able to be captivating and enthralling.

Enough can't be said for Rooney Mara's performance as Lisbeth Salander, who shows total and utter dedication to the title role. Her on-screen presence can't be denied and I believe this is a part she was born to play. Daniel Craig is also terrific in the film as the investigative protagonist, bringing an intense yet charismatic feeling to the character. Equally impressive is David Fincher's directing, which is on full display here. Having seen everything he's been involved with from Alien 3 to Social Network, I believe this is one of, if not the best, film he's done to date.

This movie can't be recommended to everyone but if you enjoyed the book as much as I did, you'll more than likely enjoy watching this movie. I haven't seen the original Swedish version so I can't make any comparisons, but this U.S. version is quite a treat.