As I walked into the movie theater sparsely filled with the few people attending so late at night, I braced myself for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on the international best-selling novel of the same name, by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. The movie had a raunchy reputation, but I was not prepared for what was about to come for the next two and a half hours.

The story revolves around the character Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a writer who recently lost a libel suit along with his journalistic reputation, but is now hired by wealthy millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to discover what truly happened to his granddaughter, Harriet. Along the way and after several twists and turns, Blomkvist requests the aid of an assistant to investigate the case, a wayward youth by the name of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Salander is a unique character that has suffered a great deal, but is considered among the best of private investigators in Sweden. Together, Salander and Blomkvist work to find the true whereabouts of what happened to Harriet, a task that soon threatens their very lives.

Though I loved the movie and its deep plot lines that actually made me think, I despised one major aspect of the movie—the numerous sexual encounters. Many of the sex scenes seemed unneeded, especially for the murder mystery plot to make sense. However, the acting, the effects and the characters themselves develop to the point of taking your emotions with them on the thrill ride that is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Overall, this movie is a must see in my book.

Disclaimer: This movie is not for the meek as it is rated “R” and contains strong language, murder, many sex scenes and rape.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars