Dragons and Chilli Nuts

When I heard that a new version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was being shot, I was not convinced that the story could survive the Hollywood treatment. Like a lot of people, I have read Stieg Larsson’s trilogy and also watched all of the Swedish adaptations of the books. The material is gritty, challenging, often shocking but ultimately rewarding. Would a major studio really depict some of the more graphic aspects of the story?

I’m glad to say that my fears were not justified in any way. It really is a fantastic movie in it’s own right and I feel it is a more faithful portrayal of the book than the Swedish movie. It certainly develops the relationship between there main characters and explains why Lisbeth feels such anger towards Mikael in the next past of the story. The fact that the Swedish version never did this satisfactorily was a major failing in my opinion.

One thing struck me during this movie was the accents. Or to be clearer, why does everyone speak with a Swedish accent apart from the male lead?

I know it’s the first week of 2k12 and the following statement therefore does not carry the weight it should, but this is the best film I’ve seen this year!

Finally, I learned a important lesson about chilli nuts and rubbing your eye after eating them; don’t do it!