A complex, dark mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing till the end

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2014)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo begins with disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) who is battling a massive libel case which has the potential to destroy both Blomkvist and his family. Things take a turn for Blomkvist when wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) offers to get the case against Blomkvist dropped if he can solve the 40 year old mystery surrounding his niece's disappearance. With the help of investigator and expert computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), they both try to get to the bottom of what has happened to Vanger's niece.
I really like films that keep you guessing and this film did precisely that. Although it is a rather slow film, it was always interesting. Every single segment in the film was like another piece being added to the jigsaw puzzle. Blomkvist's investigation isn't made any easier by the fact that Vanger's family don't really speak to each other after the little girl's disappearance and therefore he finds that he has to conduct separate investigations with each family member.
This is initially structured as 2 separate story arcs; Blomkvist is investigating the disappearance of Vanger's niece whilst Salander is investigating Blomkvist, but she also has her own problems with her sleazy guardian which leads Salander to investigate him as well. Once she has completed her investigation on her guardian (I won't reveal plot points here, so you'll just need to watch the film), Salander is invited to assist Blomkvist in solving the missing girl's disappearance. She, in effect, becomes Blomkvist's research assistant.
As well as the film being constantly engaging and constantly leaving you in suspense, I also found the character of Salander to be fascinating; her dark and multi layered complexity made her very interesting. I also thought that Rooney Mara was excellent in her portrayal of Salander and managed to balance her emotions really well; at time she was rather meek and quiet, but there were also times when she showed that she wasn't a woman to be reckoned with. Daniel Craig was also very good in the lead role and the rest of the principal cast all did an OK job, but for me it was Rooney Mara that stole the show. Fincher's direction was also spot on.
If you are a fan of mystery films and films that keep you guessing, then TGWTDT will be right up your street. It is a slow burning film so it will require patience, but the pay off makes it worthwhile.
SIDE NOTE; I haven't seen the Swedish version yet, but having enjoyed this version I will be sure to check it out.