Brilliant, but not one for the family

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2011)

If, like me, you've read the books and seen the Swedish adaptations you're probably itching to see what Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and director David Fincher have got to offer. You won't be disappointed.
Set in Sweden, the story follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) and his 'research assistant' Lisbeth Salander (Mara) as they attempt to solve an old murder case and, in the process, uncover some pretty dirty family secrets.
Despite the epic running time (over 2.5hrs) this is a master-class in cinematic tension and it's even worse if you know what's coming – I spent most of the film poised to cover my eyes for the Bjurman/Salander scenes.
Mara is outstanding as Salander. Her natural prettiness is just about disguised (all those piercings are real) and although she plays a more self-assured version of Salander, her social awkwardness still feels authentic.
My only rant is over the accents. Craig doesn't even attempt a Swedish accent but everyone else is giving it a go. In every other way he has 'de-Bonded', but that accent Plus they've changed the ending, but I probably shouldn't tell you any more about that.
@any_noise