I think, perhaps, that was what most disappointed me about the American version — it was more about the core idea of the book (Men Who Hate Women, its original Swedish title) than the tattoo itself. However, no one would’ve understood if the film was called Men Who Hate Women; the book phenom is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so calling the movie something different would’ve been an epic failure to capitalize on its popularity — something definitely necessary, given how hard it is for R-rated films to make as much money as PG-13 ones.
The first part of my two-part review of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has been posted at Escape Pod. Be warned: it contains many spoilers.
Three Dragons, Three Tattoos: a review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Part 1 of 2)