I can see why this book series sold so well: it’s very pulpy and fools you into thinking it’s more adult than it really is by presenting disturbing content in a way that feels cheap and trashy. Take the elaborate set-up we get for Lisbeth’s character before she enters the main story. Emotionally it hits all the right buttons, but it’s so fucking ridiculous and over the top that you can’t take it as serious as the movie wants us to. The investigation side of the story is alright, but due to the density of the book it’s way too reliant on convenience, exposition and, again, schlocky sensationalism. We can’t just wrap up the whodunit with a classic denouement, no, we need an extended torture scene followed by a chase scene! It’s almost needless to say, but Fincher’s not exactly working with the best material here. Yet, I still like the movie overall. His filmmaking is as perfect as it can be (atmospheric cinematography and score, great sense of pace) and the characters really pop as a result of great dialogue and acting. Rooney Mara is truly excellent here, her acting is so good that I didn’t even need that aforementioned set-up to be sold on her character, everything is already implied with the acting. As a character piece of two damaged individuals it’s a lot more interesting, and Fincher knows that too, because the movie doesn’t wrap up after the whodunit is solved. All in all, it’s a good movie with a mediocre script that’s below Fincher’s talents.

7/10

I cannot deny that this movie is well made. It's atmosphere, mystery and thriller elements are all top notch. The story is solid. The detective work is engaging and well depicted.


That said, there were other elements that felt grotesque, gratuitous and just extended the runtime a lot. This is a looong movie, and it's made even longer by [spoiler] a bunch of scenes of sex and sexual assault [/spoiler] that we really do not need. Like sure, some of it goes to telling us about Lizbeth's backstory and character, but I honestly think the movie would have been better without them.
I think the main justification for why they're there is to establish the characters in ways that only really matter if this movie has sequels, which it was clearly intended to (as the books and Swedish adaptations do), but they never really eventuated. In light of that, I feel that nothing would be lost without those scenes, and the first half of the movie would be shorter and tighter, and the age rating could also probably be bumped down.

Overall, I found this a very stressful viewing experience, and not one I'd recommend for the faint of heart, by any means. If you're not easily shocked, you'll find a very good mystery thriller here.

A solid thriller, if a little confusing at times.

Since I haven't read the book, I was a little overwhelmed by the numerous characters and names, many of which are never seen or only appear onscreen once or twice. Subtitles helped a lot but I still found myself having to go back or pause to remember who someone was. Part of this can also be attributed to some quick cuts. Maybe it was my imagination but it felt like shots that revealed information onscreen (e.g. a photo or text) were very short. I think making these shots a second or two longer would have been helpful.

Performances were well done. Neither Craig or Mara blew me away but I don't have any complaints either. I was suprised to see quite a few big names present: Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, and Joely Richardson. It was also fun to see Joel Kinnaman make an appearance in such a minor role since this was prior to his rise in popularity.

Ultimately, this is a pretty depressing film. Having just watched The Nightingale, I think I was a little numb or desensitized to the violence but there is one particularly brutal and horrific scene involving Mara's character. The entire film emphasizes a bleak, dark, grey atmosphere that never really lets up. Even the plot itself, concerned with the presumable death of a young woman amidst a family of Nazis, is bleak. In short, this is a heavy thriller, though it does have small moments of hope.

Even though I might not watch it again because it's so bleak and depressing, I definitely recommend it if you like dark thrillers.

Discredited journalist "Michael Blomkvist" (Daniel Craig) is invited to undertake some family investigation work by retired industrialist "Henrik Vanger" (Christopher Plummer). It turns out that a young girl disappeared from the family mansion some forty years earlier and he wants to know what happened. Meantime, the enigmatic young "Lisbeth" (Rooney Mara) is trying to break herself free from the influences/perversions of her legal guardian "Bjurman" (Yorick van Wageningen). She, having been the source of the information and investigation that lead to the earlier troubles of "Blomkvist" is particularly adept at survival! As the mystery deepens, the former engages the detection services of the latter and their search for the truth becomes distinctly perilous. The book is great, and this adaptation does it justice for the most part. Perhaps the screenplay could have been a little tighter, the first half hour takes it's time to get going, but once we have been introduced to this top notch cast representing the somewhat dysfunctional family then the pace of the film really hots up. For once, Craig delivers well and there are strong performances from Steven Berkoff, Stellan Skarsgård and Plummer ensuring that things build nicely to a denouement that, though perhaps not too surprising, is patiently and tensely delivered by David Fincher. Every bit as good as the first film version of this tale, a testament to what an A-list cast can do with a strong story and creative direction. Well worth a watch.