Verblendung

If I have to use a single word to define this movie I would use 'Engaging' as the movie is quite gripping.

The movie is a crime thriller in which a journalist is helping a old industrialist with the help of a female hacker and the main leads are Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace.

The movie is very gripping and will keep you engaged Special credit to be given to the screenplay writer. Background music is good, locations are very beautiful. Acting is perfect.

Overall a good and engaging thriller movie to watch.

I went to see this film having heard nothing about it at all and another film I wanted to see wasn't on the Sunday matinée bill...so, this looked interesting...best 5 Euros I've spent in a long time. Very, very good thriller but NOT FOR CHILDREN and I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed it - well filmed and well acted by the main protagonists; I know nothing of Swedish actors but apparently Michael Nyqvist is well known and I thought Noomi Rapace was brilliant (a young, headstrong, tattooed and "talented" computer hacker Lisbeth Salander with a traumatized past) I thought the film was superbly directed (Niels Arden Oplev); I am already looking forward to the second film later this year AND I will go and buy the books...

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been a worldwide phenomenon for a while now. In book form, the original film, and the Hollywood remake. It is a disturbing, yet riveting tale, as is the story behind the author who made it. While Fincher's version is visually and stylistically more striking, I feel this original Swedish film does a better job bringing the disturbing mystery to the silver screen. Structured much more fluidly than the Hollywood version, the mystery of a missing girl flows and develops slowly, dishing out red herrings and suspense with each turn (something lacking in the Fincher version). It also stays closer to the original title of the book (and theme) Men who Hate Women. In the end, this is a dark tale of what rape does to women and to the world. Not everyone's idea of 'entertainment,' but a thought-provoking mystery for those with strong stomachs.

An intrigue fueled slow building thriller, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is a refreshingly different take on the "whodunit" crime genre. This Swedish movie has loads of great cinematography, taking advantage of the beautiful Swedish country side as well as framing the eerie story. The principal characterizations are quite well suited by the cast who fit naturally in the roles they play with great realism. Like I have already noted this is a much different presentation as compared with American filmed crime thrillers. Even though this obviously has a well-funded budget it is grittier and less commercialized thus lending a realism over glossiness. The music score also adds quite a bit of ominous darkness.

I guess if you want to be overly critical you could punch a hole or two here or there, but I think this story comes off so most all viewers will ignore any inconsistencies in favor of the mysterious pieces which, eventually, add up, but not too fast – keeping the viewer invested and hoping to figure out how it may all end.

Though graphic at times, it isn't "porn-horror", "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is a dark story where the unsettling pieces fit. I am fairly certain it will not be released in the US, but if you can see it do so as it is a well crafted and executed drama.

I decided to go all-out and give myself the full Millennium experience by watching the TV miniseries (9 hours in total) over the space of three nights. As a result, these reviews are of the extended, three-hour editions of each film rather than the condensed, theatrical two-hour versions.

Wow. I loved it. I'm not a huge fan of the crime genre, and I haven't read the books, but THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is a difficult film to fault. It's a mature and mannered piece of film-making, dealing with adult and taboo themes and wrapping the reader up in a realistic and conscious mystery yarn.

Despite the slow pacing, the movie is thoroughly engaging. Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace are both excellent leads, bringing to life fully flesh and blood characters who engage the reader's sympathy and emotions throughout. The thriller aspects of the story are exciting and as a whole this is a mature and fully developed piece of work. Onto the next...