Often intense, but never fully satisfying due to the inconsistent pacing.

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2011)

(Credit IMDb) Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vanger's are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.
This is well made, often intense, and a good sense of mystery, but as I said in the subject title it's hard to get through sometimes. I understand the point was to be leisurely paced, but sometimes it was too much to bear, and I sometimes thought "Get on with it" That being said it contained many chilling moments. Where she gets revenge from the rape is not only chilling, but heavily powerful as well, and it certainly stuck with me. While the middle is hard to get through, the finale made up for it. It was touching, intense, and even shocking. Noomi Rapace is also a pure stand-out.
Performances. Noomi Rapace is a revelation. Her eyes tell the story most of the time, and I was purely astonished by her performance here. She was the main reason that kept me watching. Michael Nyqvist is very solid for the most part. Not as interesting as Noomi's character, but he was good nonetheless. His chemistry with Noomi was good as well.
Bottom line. It's certainly a professionally well made movie, but frustrating to watch sometimes. Is it worth a recommendation? You bet! But if the middle didn't drag so much, it would have been even better.
7 ½ /10