I’ve received emails from several readers, upbraiding me for suggesting that — based on the talents involved and the fact that the original, Swedish “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is a glorified TV movie — the American version would probably be better. Well, the American version, directed by David Fincher (“Seven,” “Zodiac”) doesn’t open until next week but it is way, way better than the Swedish one.
A few thoughts:
1. It’s beautifully cast, with Christopher Plummer and Joely Richardson terrific in small roles and Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig also good in the leads.
2. It’s as brutal as the book (and the original film).
3. It’s the longest film of the holiday season, closing in on three hours, but it doesn’t feel long at all. Fincher makes it move.
4. It’s faithful to the book, but it gets rid of lots of extraneous stuff and adds some emotional beats at the end of the main character, Lisbeth Salander, that makes it feel more clearly like the movie is her story.
5. It’s really, really good (possibly top ten good).
My full review will be in the paper December 21, opening day.