The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Stieg Larsson's international literary bestseller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is incredibly dark and suspenseful. But it is also incredibly dense and at times laborious reading. In 2009, the Swedes adapted this difficult material into a very fine film with a standout Noomi Rapace as heroine Lisbeth Salander. There's nothing wrong with the film whatsoever, except that it has a bit of a made-for-TV feeling. This is why David Fincher's hyped-up "Hollywood" version is so much better. Stylish and deeply atmospheric, his take on the blockbuster offers major dramatic impact via stark and beautiful cinematography and a perfect cast, from Rooney Mara as Salander and Daniel Craig as journalist Mikael Blomkvist (who team up to investigate a 40 year-old murder) to every excellent supporting actor, notably Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard. It's an intense moviegoing experience that makes this mystery story one of the best films of the year.