The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

I have to confess to hearing much but actually knowing very little about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo before I went to see it. I was aware of the original Swedish movie starring Noomi Rapace (though as yet have not seen it) and that it had been just three years since it’s release. I was interested to see whether this would be a cynical Hollywood cash in or a legitimate attempt to bring a popular story to a wider audience. My first clues to the latter were immediate. Director David Fincher has been responsible for two of my favourite films in Seven and Fight Club as well the strongly executed Zodiac, The Social Network and the often harshly judged Alien 3. My second clue was the blistering credit sequence. A nightmarish mini tale told to a thumping, screaming cover of Immigrant Song sets the tone for the nightmare that unfolds both in the story and characters. This isn’t going to be pretty.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (18)

Part one of Stieg Larsson’s famous Millennium trilogy has been vividly brought to life with all of the hard-hitting, emotional but ultimately rewarding attributes that characterise the novels. It is a faithful portrayal of Larsson’s famous novel, features a strong cast and boasts a tense and mostly gripping plot. It is an interesting combination of the slick Hollywood crime drama mixed with edgy Scandinavian film influences. It retains much of the explicit, sadistic sexual violence and the spiralling emotional turmoil suffered by the title character and new feminist icon Lisbeth Salander. Despite this it remains a largely life affirming story however has a tendency to veer into Hollywood territory.