Surprisingly good

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2012)

I must admit that, when I heard they were making a "Hollywood" version of the Swedish film of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I groaned. Another original ruined. Though the trailer looked promising and Daniel Craig struck me as ideal for the male lead, I settled down to watch it with some reserve.
No need. In many respects, it is a substantial improvement. The acting is better, the sets somehow work better, and the soundtrack is appropriate. Best of all, however, is that they stick closely to the original plot, including the very end, which, for some reason, the Swedish version missed off.
Those who have read the book and seen the original film will know that they both include some rather graphic scenes of sexual violence. Since the English-speaking peoples tend to be a bit more prudish about these things than the Swedes, I had been curious to see how they would be handled. The answer is, not badly. Though the worst of the violence is not shown, we are left in no doubt about what's happening. Even better, one crucial scene, where Lisbeth turns the tables on her tormentor, is shown more or less in full.
Daniel Craig's performance as Blomqvist is excellent, but he is not alone. Rooney Mara is a revelation as Lisbeth. Both are given sterling support by Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Plummer, and an array of other performers. They handle the well-scripted dialog with conviction; I particularly enjoyed the exchange between Blomqvist and Lisbeth about the string of Bible-related murders, which shows the girl whose disappearance Blomqvist was called in to investigate is just part of a much bigger, nastier picture.
Such trimming as was made was mostly well judged. In the original, the disappeared girl is found in Australia, but here they settle for London, merging her fate with her sister's. The legal case Blomqvist was involved with when we first see him is not omitted, but its importance is reduced, removing something I felt was a bit of a distraction in the book and the Swedish film.
A very creditable job all round then. Having seen all three Swedish films, I'm now actually looking forward to the remaining English-language remakes.
Rating: A pleased 8/10.