LinhThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Advance Screening); crime mystery thriller film review
March 23rd 2010 11:49
Misogynistic Murders by Linh
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is based on the book of the same name by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. In Sweden the film is also called Men Who Hate Women - Män som hatar kvinnor, and the book is the first of what is now called the Millennium trilogy, named after the magazine for which the main character, Blomkvist, works. The other two books (The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest) have already been made into films and have become a phenomenon in their native country of Sweden. Whether or not you’ve read the first book or the other books, the film is still an enthralling crime thriller that will mercilessly grab your attention, leaving you breathless.
The story begins with a successful and reputable journalist named Michael Blomqvist from the magazine Millennium who has been investigating a story on the powerful and corrupt industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. He publishes a story that is found to be libellous, and he is convicted and faces imprisonment in six months time. Meanwhile, a young, female computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander who works at a security firm, hacks into Wennerström’s computer to gather information about Blomqvist. She discovers he is innocent of all charges and it’s likely he’s been framed.
Blomqvist soon receives a call from an associate who recommends him to a friend named Henrik Vanger. Vanger has spent the last forty years searching for the truth about the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger, whom he believes has been murdered by one of his family members. He hires Blomqvist to assist him in the case. Within days, Lisbeth is regularly hacking into Blomqvist ‘s computer and is instantly intrigued by the Harriet Vanger case. Blomqvist notices someone hacking his laptop and his encounter with Lisbeth leads to a partnership of mutual respect, and fleeting romance. The mystery of Harriet’s disappearance unravels as a result of bible references and other clues that lead Mikael and Lisbeth to the killer.
Michael Nyqvist is excellent and brings a calm, composed and trusting persona to the investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Noomi Rapace is a striking and formidable force as the intelligent cyber-hacker Lisbeth Salander, who gives the film most of its edgier moments. Her bisexuality is downplayed, yet gives an insight into her openness in some areas of self-expression while being withdrawn in others.
Other notable performances include Sven-Bertil Taube as Henrik Vanger, who hires Blomkvist to investigate his niece’s disappearance; Peter Haber who turns creepy and violent as the unassuming Martin Vanger, brother of Harriet and President of the Vanger Corporation; and Peter Andersson is fabulous as the nasty Nils Bjurman, the corrupt lawyer and guardian of Lisbeth Salander who torments and tortures her.
Director Niels Arden Oplev has created a near-perfect adaptation of the book in a film that is as gripping and intense as the novel. Oplev maintains the focus on the major storyline and minor subplots have been dropped that don’t impact on the overall story arc. There are no 3D visuals or special effects in this film. He uses old-fashioned filming techniques to keep the audience immersed with the mysterious events and the wonderful performances from the cast captivates throughout the film’s entire two hours and forty minutes. The film is so engrossing, that the time flies by, making it feel shorter than it is.
The film works well on many levels, even with so much from the novel dropped from the final cut. Much of the lead characters’ backgrounds and history are revealed bit by bit as they become embroiled in a forty year old suspected murder case of a sixteen year old girl from the rich Vanger family.
There are some brutally explicit scenes in the film that were in the novel and director Niels Arden Oplev and actress Noomi Rapace believes the rape, and violent scenes were necessary to develop and enhance the characterisation of Lisbeth. The major themes in the film follow those found in the novel, including violence against women, corporate greed and the long-lasting threads of Nazism felt in society and flowing from one generation to the next. They are crucial to the story and characters, and in building suspense for the audience.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is consistent, comprehensive and will be an instant classic as one of the few films to be equally matched or better than the book from which it is based. There are already rumours of a Hollywood re-make which audiences would expect to be over-hyped, have a star-studded cast and may not deliver on what it promises.
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil Taube, Ingvar Hirdwall, Peter Andersson, Marika Lagercrantz, Lena Endre, Björn Granath, Ewa Fröling, Tomas Köhler, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Stefan Sauk, Annika Hallin
Writers: Rasmus Heisterberg (screenplay), Nikolaj Arcel (screenplay), Stieg Larsson (novel)
Producers: Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Lone Korslund, Ole Søndberg, Mikael Wallen, Peter Nadermann, Søren Stærmose, Jenny Gilbertsson, Susann Billberg-Rydholm, Jon Mankell
Cinematographers: Jens Fischer, Eric Kress
Original Music: Jacob Groth
Film Editor: Anne Østerud
Languages: Swedish with English subtitles
Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
SECRET SURVEILLANCE: Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) captures visual evidence for the Harriet Vanger case In the film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Image: Yellow Bird, Rialto.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is based on the book of the same name by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. In Sweden the film is also called Men Who Hate Women - Män som hatar kvinnor, and the book is the first of what is now called the Millennium trilogy, named after the magazine for which the main character, Blomkvist, works. The other two books (The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest) have already been made into films and have become a phenomenon in their native country of Sweden. Whether or not you’ve read the first book or the other books, the film is still an enthralling crime thriller that will mercilessly grab your attention, leaving you breathless.
The story begins with a successful and reputable journalist named Michael Blomqvist from the magazine Millennium who has been investigating a story on the powerful and corrupt industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. He publishes a story that is found to be libellous, and he is convicted and faces imprisonment in six months time. Meanwhile, a young, female computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander who works at a security firm, hacks into Wennerström’s computer to gather information about Blomqvist. She discovers he is innocent of all charges and it’s likely he’s been framed.
Blomqvist soon receives a call from an associate who recommends him to a friend named Henrik Vanger. Vanger has spent the last forty years searching for the truth about the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger, whom he believes has been murdered by one of his family members. He hires Blomqvist to assist him in the case. Within days, Lisbeth is regularly hacking into Blomqvist ‘s computer and is instantly intrigued by the Harriet Vanger case. Blomqvist notices someone hacking his laptop and his encounter with Lisbeth leads to a partnership of mutual respect, and fleeting romance. The mystery of Harriet’s disappearance unravels as a result of bible references and other clues that lead Mikael and Lisbeth to the killer.
Michael Nyqvist is excellent and brings a calm, composed and trusting persona to the investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Noomi Rapace is a striking and formidable force as the intelligent cyber-hacker Lisbeth Salander, who gives the film most of its edgier moments. Her bisexuality is downplayed, yet gives an insight into her openness in some areas of self-expression while being withdrawn in others.
Other notable performances include Sven-Bertil Taube as Henrik Vanger, who hires Blomkvist to investigate his niece’s disappearance; Peter Haber who turns creepy and violent as the unassuming Martin Vanger, brother of Harriet and President of the Vanger Corporation; and Peter Andersson is fabulous as the nasty Nils Bjurman, the corrupt lawyer and guardian of Lisbeth Salander who torments and tortures her.
VIOLENT VIOLATIONS: Nils (Peter Andersson) subjects Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) to frequent sexual and mental abuse In the film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Image: Yellow Bird, Rialto.
Director Niels Arden Oplev has created a near-perfect adaptation of the book in a film that is as gripping and intense as the novel. Oplev maintains the focus on the major storyline and minor subplots have been dropped that don’t impact on the overall story arc. There are no 3D visuals or special effects in this film. He uses old-fashioned filming techniques to keep the audience immersed with the mysterious events and the wonderful performances from the cast captivates throughout the film’s entire two hours and forty minutes. The film is so engrossing, that the time flies by, making it feel shorter than it is.
The film works well on many levels, even with so much from the novel dropped from the final cut. Much of the lead characters’ backgrounds and history are revealed bit by bit as they become embroiled in a forty year old suspected murder case of a sixteen year old girl from the rich Vanger family.
There are some brutally explicit scenes in the film that were in the novel and director Niels Arden Oplev and actress Noomi Rapace believes the rape, and violent scenes were necessary to develop and enhance the characterisation of Lisbeth. The major themes in the film follow those found in the novel, including violence against women, corporate greed and the long-lasting threads of Nazism felt in society and flowing from one generation to the next. They are crucial to the story and characters, and in building suspense for the audience.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is consistent, comprehensive and will be an instant classic as one of the few films to be equally matched or better than the book from which it is based. There are already rumours of a Hollywood re-make which audiences would expect to be over-hyped, have a star-studded cast and may not deliver on what it promises.
INJURED INSTINCTS: Mikael (Michael Nyqvist) suffers a shot to the head from an unseen shooter In the film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Image: Yellow Bird, Rialto.
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil Taube, Ingvar Hirdwall, Peter Andersson, Marika Lagercrantz, Lena Endre, Björn Granath, Ewa Fröling, Tomas Köhler, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Stefan Sauk, Annika Hallin
Writers: Rasmus Heisterberg (screenplay), Nikolaj Arcel (screenplay), Stieg Larsson (novel)
Producers: Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Lone Korslund, Ole Søndberg, Mikael Wallen, Peter Nadermann, Søren Stærmose, Jenny Gilbertsson, Susann Billberg-Rydholm, Jon Mankell
Cinematographers: Jens Fischer, Eric Kress
Original Music: Jacob Groth
Film Editor: Anne Østerud
Languages: Swedish with English subtitles
Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
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