Strong start, fizzle finish.

Rating: 7/10 (22 December 2011)

Bottom line: Rooney Mara is razor-sharp in this stylish but very uneven (and very long) very dark drama. It's about 30 minutes too long--and the final half-hour, which focuses on an unrelated (and uninteresting) villain, torpedoes the entire movie. I figured out who the ultimate villain was very early on (due to unfortunate casting---as the actor always plays the heavy so it was no surprise at all). I really, really wanted to love this movie and waited with great anticipation for its opening for months. Alas, I left disappointed. And judging from the other movie-goers reaction, I wasn't alone. For such a strong start, the ending was milquetoast and not worthy of the build-up.