The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 2011
I didn’t know anything about this movie going in, thinking it would be some kind of action movie. Really it is more of a mystery with some really sexually violent stuff thrown in, including a couple of graphic rape scenes. That just doesn’t do it for me, and I think it is exemplary of some of the big flaws in this movie. The characters are good and the story is pretty good along with the slow unraveling of the mystery of a missing teenager from the 1960’s. But there is a bunch of stuff about a disgraced newspaper guy that is just kind of thrown in there, along with the rape scenes. And there is a giant clue to the whole mystery served up on a platter right when we are introduced to it.
That said the movie is still entertaining and the performances are good. I just think the movie goes over the top with the depraved violence, treading into the grounds of slasher porn. A movie can be dark without going where this one went. And the movie is also long. It is quite a while before anything even starts happening. But one thing it has going for it is a different setting, Sweden (with Daniel Craig at a newspaper and everyone speaking English, I thought it was London at first), so it is a little exotic in that sense. Because the disappearance happened in the 60’s there are some historic elements, but that also means all the people involved are pretty old at this point.
Good movie, but be warned.
Written: 05 Nov 2012
Owned on: Digital