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A journalist belonging to the Millennium magazine is facing legal issues due to an article that he published against a Swedish businessman which may not have accurate references and information. Henrik Vangard (Plummer) is an aging businessman belonging to one of Sweden's largest industrial organisations. He wishes to hire Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) to solve a mystery which has been remained unsolved for almost 40 years. Henrik's beloved niece, Harriet, went missing from the family estate 40 years ago and has never been found since. Nobody knows if she is dead or alive and somehow Henrik feels that Mikael can be of help. In return, he offers a large sum of money and some evidence which would help Mikael get free of his legal troubles that he is currently facing. Lisabeth Slander (Mara) is a computer hacker who has a had a very rough childhood, ranging from sexual abuse and emotional torture. Mikael decides to hire her to assist him in his investigation and help dig up some information. The movie is quite a decent thriller with a gripping mystery. The movie stands out because it is very realistic and practical with no outlandish stunts and super-human skill and intelligence. Rooney Mara's character of Lisabeth particularly stands out due to her dark, Gothic look, mixed with high levels of attention and sharp intelligence. The movie run time is a bit too long (150-odd minutes) and there are patches where the movie gets a bit slow. The mystery and climax is not very exceptional but starts revealing itself bit by bit until you might have figured most of it out yourself before the movie tells you so. Its that dark, spunky, racy movie with a blend of crime, drama, romance and sexuality.

Thumbs up: Amazing performances by Craig and Mara

Thumbs down: A bit too long, realism has taken precedence over entertainment

Rating: 7.5/10