If you've read the book and seen the Swedish version, David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is still worth seeing, not for the suspense, of course, but for the beautiful craft and art of a master. I found it better paced than Niels Arden Oplev's 2009 effort, better composed, more expressive, and with greater economy in the story telling. As for the principals, while Michael Nyqvist looks more like the Bloomkvist described in the novel, Daniel Craig is equally convincing as the journalist, and more convincing as the object of female desire, which always seemed to me a bit of wishful projecting on the part of journalist/author Stieg Larsson.
Noomi Rapace created the role of Lisbeth Salander, and in my opinion, remains untouchable as this most fascinating character. Reportedly Rapace was ready to move on, and seems to have done well doing so, adding some much-needed life to the recent, ridiculous "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." Which is not to say that Rooney Mara fails in any way - her performance is truly outstanding in a very difficult role. I think Fincher was right to cast a relative unknown in the role of Lisbeth rather than a better-known actress who would inevitably bring a certain amount of baggage and expectations.
If you have not read the book or seen the previous version, do see this one, but be warned that it is a dark, often violent story set in a Sweden that is far from the beautiful, bloodless IKEA society of rationality and justice you might imagine. In fact, the Sweden of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy is a lot like the film noir world at home, with serial killers, right-wing extremists, an insulated 1%, and spectacularly dysfunctional families.
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