Millénium

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.

Awesome Swedish film with a intelligent story. a journalist and a troubled young female hacker works together on resolving a 40 year old mystery involving a disappearance, murders, Nazis and one hell of a dysfunctional family. the storytelling by the director was great and captured my attention for almost 2,5 hours. the character buildup is thorough and makes a solid foundation for the rest of the film. in addition the characters are straightened by a superb cast played by Michael Nyqvist and especially Noomi Rapace. Camera work and the overall look of the film is astounding, especially on bluray. the movie takes you to it's locations and doesn't let go until the story is complete. a must see for those who likes an intriguing edge of your seat thriller.

Although this Swedish version of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' was followed by two sequels and an English language film a couple of years ago directed by David Fincher, it is very much the best of the four films.

It is a very loyal adaptation of the book (generally one of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations around), which is a fantastic read and has become of my favourite books recently, adhering closely to many of the book's events and such and also perfectly maintaining the bleak and murky atmosphere the book effortlessly creates. However, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' works even better on its own terms. The central relationship between Mikail and Lisbeth is ever so slightly rushed, however it still resonates while wisely not taking over the story too much (doing a much better job in this aspect than Fincher's.

Fincher's version may be more audacious visually, though this film is a long way from a hack job, and the script here does occasionally lack polish and flow. However, the atmosphere is much more effective here and there is generally more tension and chills, and personally prefer the performances here too (though Rooney Mara in Fincher's film is certainly no slouch).

Enough with the comparisons. 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2009) does look great, the bleakness of the setting adds so well to the atmosphere and it's tightly edited and very nicely shot. The haunting and doom-laden score fills one with dread and creates a lot of rich tension. Neil Arden Oplev's directing is masterful, building on the tension and suspense to frightening heights while also directing with a lot of class.

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's' story is incredibly gripping, there is a lot of subplots and characterisation and the film remarkably makes everything intriguing, layered and complete. The long running time allows this to happen admittedly, but with a good deal going on and with deliberate pacing the film easily could have rushed through things or neglected aspects but very rarely does those things. The subplots are superbly chilling with constant and effortless delivery of shock after shock. The bleak and murky atmosphere is present throughout, as is the dark and at times brutal (but not gratuitously so) tone, with plenty of twists and turns that shock and surprise better than a lot of thrillers from the US.

All the acting is very good indeed, but it's the two leads that really impress. Michael Nyqvist makes his vulnerable and flawed character a fascinating character that could have been less complex in lesser hands, but the film does belong to Noomi Rapace, whose seamlessly enigmatic performance is positively screen-burning.

Overall, a great film and one of not many book-to-film adaptations that treats its source material with respect. Swedish thrillers don't get much better than this. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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.

I am among, I guess, those very few people in Europe who have not read the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson, but, not feeling in the mood to see another too emotionally engaging romance or drama, although its being my favourite genre, I went to see what is depicted by Larsson's fans as a captivating and gripping thriller.

Indeed, I can't say whether the movie proves adherence to the novel, which is something by the way difficult, considering the length of the book, however, I can say that the product is a well-crafted piece of cinema, which leaves also interesting food for thought. Used as we are, as southern Europeans, to see at Northern, and mainly Scandinavian countries, as models of democracy, economic progress and social welfare, it's quite surprising to see a modern Sweden stained by corruption and unscrupulous tycoons. Moreover, it is quite upsetting to get to know how Nazi extremist and insane ideas were rooted not so much in the history of the country, but in the conscience of people, in this case of a powerful and wealthy family, where the hatred towards the Jews has mixed with the hatred towards women, turning the lives of whole generations into a hell of ferocious violence and horror.

As far as the thriller story, it's engaging, but carried on very carefully, every aspect being under control, with flashbacks constantly reassuring us about aspects we have already perceived, without moving a little apart from a well consolidated stylistic model of this kind of movie genre. Sometimes a little slow, sometimes too indulging in violent scenes, but with a strong directing consciousness supporting it. Convincing and really good the performances offered by the whole cast, unknown to the great public, but I would underline the actress playing Lisbeth as really outstanding and upsetting in her mental and emotional distress. On the whole, it's not a masterpiece, but a good and well made movie.