Plot: Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) tries to solve a 40 year old murder with the help of young hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara.) Lisbeth is sexually assaulted by her lawyer, but strikes back. Blomkvist uncovers half century old sex crimes enroute to the surprising ending.
There are some powerful scenes in the movie, and maybe that is enough. Only a fan can follow the complex plot which is crammed in and brimming over. I read the books and saw the Swedish version of the movie, and I am sure I missed things. A non-fan would need three viewings. There are too many villains, too many Vanger Family relatives and too many gray-suited businessmen.
Rooney Mara and the costumer Trish Summerfield gave Lisbeth with a great look. She is detached and damaged, smart and tough. I liked her look, even though the book's Lisbeth is more petite
The best parts are the scenes when she goes crazy and gets revenge. Mara does a great job of coming alive and being psycho. I don't think she is psycho often enough.
The worst scenes are the crime procedural parts; these are too packed together to be fun. Also we don't see the genius Hacker part of Lisbeth enough.
The sex scenes between Lisbeth and Mikael don't make sense, and they did not make sense in the book either -- hard to believe Lisbeth and Mikael are any kind of couple.
Daniel Craig plays a more thoughtful character than James Bond, and he does well. His well known face does not detract because he is deeply in character.
In summary, some excellent scenes Lisbeth is still a great character, but the complex story is too thin to connect all the cool scenes together. This movie would benefit from Cable News style subtitles to people what is going on.
