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THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

I love Lisbeth Salander.

I read the “Millennium Trilogy” by Stieg Larsson and while some of it kind of bored me at times, pretty much any time Lisbeth Salander was on the page, it was great. The first book, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is my favorite of the trilogy. It’s also my favorite of the three original Swedish language movies, which starred Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. At the time, to me Noomi WAS Lisbeth. I though she totally owned the role. Now that I’ve met Rooney Mara’s version, I’m torn. Mara was amazing, too.

David Fincher directs this American version of the edgy thriller, still set in Sweden, but now told in English, albeit with Swedish accents. It seems an off choice, but I’m glad it wasn’t totally retrofit into an All American story.

Daniel Craig plays investigative reporter and magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist, who is hired on by a rich man to write his memoirs, but really, to solve a mystery. The client introduces Mikael and Lisbeth, and together they work to get to the bottom of things. Along the way we learn about Lisbeth’s life and how she ticks. Lisbeth is a fascinating character, and while her look can be distracting, it’s her actions and demeanor that really get your attention.

This is a pretty brutal flick, and many would say not very necessary, since it’s very similar to the original, but I liked it plenty. I’m not sure about the opening credits sequence, though. Great song, but it really didn’t fit, in my opinion. Still, I recommend the movie, at least as a rental.

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