The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Length of film:  158 Minutes 

Rated: R   

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Director:  David Fincher

Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright

IMDB Rank: 7.8/10

Part 1 Time:  100 Minutes 

Part 2 Time:  58 Minutes

Where does the first part end?  Mikael and Lisbeth are collecting evidence coming closer to identifying the true identity of the serial killer of women. They have a have a romantic encounter and speak in the kitchen the following morning.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “I like working with you too!” Mikael (Daniel Craig) speaks to Lisbeth (Ronney Mara).

First line of dialogue on the second part: “It could have been a stray shot.” Frode (Steven Berkoff) speaks to Mikael (with Martin (Stellan Skarsgard) present) at Vanger Industries office. Mikael requests access to the corporate reports for the company looking for evidence.

How jarring is it when the first part ends?  Somewhat, Mikael has tracked down the photograph showing a group of people on the sidewalk. One of these individuals is the serial killer, but which one? With the photograph over 40 years old will it be still possible to truly identify the serial killer.

Which part is better? Part two is better as we are able to discover the true identity of the serial killer, the motive behind the crimes, and the resulting aftermath. Part two moves quite quickly in comparison to part one and can be confusing at times, but nevertheless is very satisfying.

Academy Awards: Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Leading Actress (Rooney Mara- Nominated), Best Cinematography (Nominated), Best Sound Mixing (Nominated), Best Sound Editing (Nominated).