A journalist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing -- or dead -- for forty years by a young female hacker.
Review
I initially watched the film. Then I read the book. Now I've revisited the film one more time and I'm still struggling to write a review for a film that in essence is an old fashioned whodunit but in reality is a completely different beast altogether.
Michael Blomkvist is a disgraced journalist who has been convicted for printing lies about high powered business magnate Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Before he begins his jail term he is offered a freelance assignment by Henrik Vanger who wants Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his niece, Harriet, who went missing some forty years prior to their meeting and who Vanger believes has been murdered. Blomkvist accepts Vanger's offer and begins his investigation into the Vanger family along the way crossing paths with private investigator and hacker Lisbeth Salander who joins him in his pursuit of the potential murderer.
That's a very brief outline of the story and plot and I don't want to really say much more. There really is so much more to it than what I've just written but that would take up precious room and lead us into potential spoiler territory. The fact of the matter is, the less you know about the film the more effective and engaging it will be for the you.
The cast are of the highest standard, with Noomi Rapace as Salander being the highlight and stand out by a country mile. She's the one your the least sure about, she gives nothing away and is an enigma right up to the end of the film. Your not going to learn a lot about this character's back story, that's left as part of the mystery and makes the character all the more interesting for it. Michael Nyqvist plays Michael Blomkvist with a weary persona and baggage that you can physically see. This man has been through the wringer and it shows on every wrinkle on his weathered face. These two main leads carry the film and don't show any sign of dropping it along the way. Confidence seems to be a theme throughout the film making experience and these two have it in abundance.
The flow of the film is terrific, the fact that its over two and half hours long but feels more like and hour or so is testament to the pace and story that's offered up. It literally jumps from clue, to clue and doesn't stop for anything other than another grizzly discovery. I mentioned that it was an old school whodunit, in the style of a Poirot or Miss Marple, the difference being however is that it has a pulse, it has energy to burn and is bang up-to-date.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo pulls no punches what-so-ever. It depiction of abuse, rape and mutilation is unflinching. The camera gets right into the think of things and doesn't pull away. You have to know that when your watching this, your going to experience everything, there's no safety of the camera moving away, you will see it all. This is strong, confident film making and makes for a more powerful effect.
I really haven't seen anything like this since Silence Of The Lambs and I would happily place this right next to it in terms of quality. I was toying with giving this a four star rating, but the on second viewing you can see how much went into making the thing, the experience and tribulations the cast must have endured and the fact that its so in your face takes it up that extra notch.
Its a five star review and well worth it.
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