THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (B+)

Bottom Line: Based on the international best seller and the highly rated Swedish film of the same name (two things I neither saw nor read) this is director David Fincher’s shot at another Oscar – after, unfortunately, not winning last year for the remarkable THE SOCIAL NETWORK. This captivatingly tense, brutally bleak, gruesomely slow-burn thriller may have a few minor bumps along the way – like being too brutal, bleak and gruesome – but it’s still an edgy, razor-sharp, well constructed and superbly acted (actress Rooney Mara deserves a nom), cinematic nail-biter. A solid movie for those who can handle it, DRAGON TATTOO is, indeed, the feel bad movie of the holidays!

Rated: R
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgard and Christopher Plummer
Directed by: David Fincher
Running time: 158 minutes
Story: Based on Stieg Larsson's posthumously published crime thriller trilogy, "The Millennium Series." The book describes the mystery surrounding the long-unsolved disappearance of an heiress. A journalist recently dinged by a libel case and a young female hacker try to resolve it, stirring up bundles of personal and industrial corruption along the way. (Sony Pictures)

Trailer: http://www.dragontattoo.net/