A movie you can sink your teeth into - satisfying!

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2011)

Finally got a movie I could sink my teeth into, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." One of the things I liked best was its length, which, like a book you find yourself drawn into, you feel delighted and look forward to spending some time with these characters and this story. The plot developed the leads separately, brought them together and then gave them time to interact and time to give a satisfying conclusion so we find out what finally became of the missing girl. So I was happy to sit and participate and see what would happen, like a satisfying mystery or spy story. And Rooney Mara is very hot as the female lead, showing her sexuality in a very natural and appealing way, at least for me. Not at all in a smutty way, even though the temptation must have been there. She plays a self-imposed outcast, not a misanthrope.
And as for Daniel Craig, I disagree with Roger Ebert, that he comes across with the same confidence he showed as James Bond. In fact, like 'The Descendants,' where George Clooney allows the older daughter character to, at times, overshadow his character so that he really does come across as the clueless, feckless father, Craig also doesn't seem to demand the audience's attention be focused on him. Nor is he a particularly strong character – he never fights anyone; it is Dragon Girl who gets the chance to do damage to the villains. In fact, Craig's best qualities are the humanity and sense of character he brings to a role, without any melodramatics, exaggeration or heroics. He just allows us to sympathize with his character, as he did in 'Defiance.' So, overall, I was drawn to these characters and plot line – a satisfying film experience – 3 ½ stars of 4, an 8 stars out of 10.