The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Review

Before I get started I want to state that before watching this film I had never seen the Swedish version(Original). Going into David Fincher’s film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo I did not know what the film was about, all I knew was that Daniel Craig, who played supporting actor Mikael, was a journalist caught in a scandal. Well after finally watching it, I really was impressed by the lead actress Rooney Mara(Lisbeth). Fincher always gets those amazing performances from his actresses. Lisbeth reminded me of Marla Singer’s character in Fight Club. Coincidentally directed my Mr. Fincher as well. So Mikael is taken to Hedestad which I believe is a fictional town in Sweden. Mikael is called upon to investigate the murder of Henrik Vanger’s(Christopher Plummer) niece, Harriet Vanger, who disappeared from the island over 40 years ago.

The first half of the film both Lisbeth and Mikael have separate scenes from each other until mid-point they literally plow into each other. The film has a steady pace and I really enjoyed not getting rushed into the story. This film was a bit long, but was justice for the story, and that goes along way. For example The Dark Knight Rises, which in the 3rd act kind of felt squished and rushed. However, The Girl With The Dragon was exceptional and intense. As a fan of crime investigations and mystery this is a must see if your a fan of it as well. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the unique storytelling in the scene where Vanger is describing on what exactly happened the day Harriet disappeared. At that point I was glued, and was ready for the ride. Personally I enjoyed this film and the twist at the end was very intense. However, I really didn’t like the dramatic closure to the film, it could have been better. 3 out of 4, and I will be watching the Swedish version, from what I hear it’s a bit better. Good film, I recommend it, but keep the kids in their rooms, and you might want to turn the volume down in a couple scenes also. The dragon is unleashed more than a few times.