Good mystery thriller with grisly bits

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2012)

I have not read the book, not seen the theatre version, or seen the remake for dumb audiences that cannot be bothered to read subtitles. I have watched the original Swedish TV mini series in two parts. A good mystery made in laid back, brooding Scandinavian style - a la Wallander (Hendriksson) and 'The Killing.' The thriller aspects are not overdone, so cars do not jump off roads in CGI and endless build ups are avoided. The story of a left wing, crusading journo (Blomqvist) trying to uncover a 40 year old mysterious disappearance of a multi-millionaire magnate's niece is deftly and slowly told against a background of shuttered lives and shuttered doors on an island setting. The interconnection of the journo and a rather psychotic young woman (Salander) works naturally and the unlikely Holmes/Watson combo solve the plot without too many blistering coincidences or plot contrivances. the acting is restrained and good - not too overboard and emotional (as the remake appears to be) - the direction slowly building to a climax, and the script - given the material - not too over cooked. A small problem is the porno-like violence involving Salander, which, while not graphic, seems overdone for the plot and a little tacked on. But have to see the other two films/books to judge whether it is all part of the bigger scenario. Why was a remake really required, except for US dumba**es?