Writer: Dzamira Dzafri

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Watch this if you liked: “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and “In Bruges”

Giving high expectations to director Niels Arden Oplov after directing the classic original Swedish version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" seems like a bad idea. So, don't. No other character or story would be as iconic as the dark adventures of Lisbeth Salander, even though the film may have had the same feel.

Even though the story and the storytelling itself aren't very perfect, it is entertaining enough for you to keep watching until the end.

The most surprising feature of the tale was the romantic side to it. Sure, it's about a woman seducing a man and then later blackmailing him to seek revenge for her, but this side of the story will make you feel things you never expect to feel in a Colin Farrell film of all things.

Colin Farrell in his film roles would never be as heart-wrenching and soul-crushing as his character here, Victor. Since the plot and storyline is pretty important in the film, revealing too much about it would ruin things but it is sort of pleasing to see Farrell cry.

Don't even get me started on Noomi Rapace's character. She is always so incredible in all her films, and more so in Niels Arden Oplov's films. She plays a woman whose face is scarred after a car accident and seeks revenge on the drunk driver who had done it to her, and she is so darn good in it. There is a part of her character, though, that seemed a bit too cliche and I expected her to do a lot more, waiting for her character to creep into darker places.

Terrence Howard, who plays Alphonse, is also an extraordinary actor. His portrayal stood out as the best amongst the rest as the guy Victor sought revenge in. He almost made us take pity on him and see the story on his side, which is difficult to do when you're obviously the bad guy.

Of course, the thriller/suspense aspect is there. Sometimes you don't even know what's going on or who's killing what when you watch the violent scenes, but some parts can even be called artistic. They're not regular action scenes like, shall we say, "Die Hard" or "Fast And Furious". Some of these require a bit more brainwork. Actually, the whole movie will require a little more brainwork than if you just want to spend your time watching a mindless gun-infused blockbuster.

Going back to the romantic side of the film, if anything, you should watch it for Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace's strange but exciting chemistry they have on screen and the heart-breaking scenes that had snuck up behind you to tear you to pieces.

A bad side to the story would be how it dragged in the beginning, but once you power through it, the end scenes would be worth it.

So, audiences who love action/thrillers should watch this, as well as people who love a bit of romance, even though that part of the story might be a bit edgy. But some people would quite enjoy a bit of dark romance.

Cinema Online, 06 March 2013