Completely exceeded my expectations, the buzz about this movie is totally justified.

Rating: 9/10 (20 August 2010)

"You don't know my family. You don't know what they're capable of. "
A disgraced reporter is hired by a wealthy older man to investigate the mysterious disappearance and possible murder of his favorite niece many years ago. The reporter, Mikhail, is eventually joined by a emotionally damaged young and mysterious computer hacker named Lisbeth. They both face a considerable amount of danger as they dig into the girl's death and the many secrets of her family.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was very good. Even better than I expected. I have no experience with the book (yet) so I can't make that comparison, but judging the movie only on it's own merits leaves very little doubt that it's high quality in every way.
It's a murder mystery and suspense thriller (the best of those genres that I've seen in quite a while) that's outright brutal to watch at times. The story is riveting, and I found myself wanting to know what happened to young Harriet back in 1966 as much as any of the characters in the movie did. Lisbeth and Mikael were two excellent and complex protagonists who are expertly played by their respective actors, the entire movie is thrilling and engaging, and the ending was satisfying. This was an excellent movie overall, and I recommend it to anyone who likes murder mysteries and can handle some pretty graphic and violent scenes.