The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Kicks Ass!

STIEG LARSSON’S ORIGINAL SWEDISH VERSION IS FULL OF SUSPENCE AND SHOCK
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 Reviewed by Denise Smith, April 2012 
*****

It must be said, after reading the book and seeing the 2011 English version remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer, which in itself was a gripping piece of cinema but course with the Hollywood makeover, I could not wait to see what happened next.   Luckily enough all three original Swedish films of Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy was already made in 2009.   

In the first instalment, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduces the two main characters for the  first time:

Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), is a disgraced investigative journalist who works at a Swedish political magazine called ‘Millennium’, who exposes a corrupt businessman but when taken to court; he loses the liable case against him.  After resigning as Editor, Blomkvist is then asked by wealthy industrialist, Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) to investigate the disappearance of his niece who went missing from their family island, 40 years ago.  Henrik, who has been tormented by the loss of his niece for decades and spent his life trying to find her, is convinced that a member of his family has murdered her.   

Blomkvist and Lisbeth

Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo who is an excellent computer hacker working for a security firm who has been investigating Blomkvist for Henrik Vanger. Lisbeth’s story takes a while to get started with only a few flashbacks that give you an insight to why she is different and never trusts men and this is where we get hooked with the character, wondering what has happened in her past to make her act the way she does. 

Bjurman taking advantage of Lisbeth.

Because of Lisbeth’s troubled past and who is left without a family, the State issues her with a guardian but when she is assigned to a new guardian Bjurman (Peter Andersson), he takes advantage of her situation by withholding her finances and forces her to perform sexual acts so she can get her money.  This leads to a very graphic anal rape scene and torture that will leave you in shock but there’s nothing better than a women scorned and revenge is sweet.  You have never seen revenge like it but it is the only way Lisbeth can get the control of her life back.  

Lisbeth is the driving force behind this film and continues to hack Blomkvist and ends up working together in the investigation who forms an unusual relationship with Blomkvist.  Together, uncovering immense corruption beyond anything you have ever imagined with the dysfunctional Vanger family uncovering the grim world of Nazi rapist serial killers and a torture chamber leading to why Harriet disappeared all those years ago.  While out jogging Blomkvist becomes the target of a deer hunting shoot and ends up running for his life.  Just how close are they at solving the mystery and who wants the past to remain a secret. 

Blomkvist on run after being shot.

When it comes to crime fiction, the Scandinavians seem to be the masters at it, so what is their secret, why is the Nordic formula so successful?  Of course, Stieg Larsson died at the age of 50 in 2004, a year before his books were published and never got to see his work on screen or see the phenomenal success that it is. Larsson, was an expert in right-winged extremist and neo-Nazi organisations so you could say that the film made famous due to his untimely death and almost sounds like his biographical life story.

It is the original ‘whodunit’ murder mystery that will get you gripped to the edge of your seat trying to work out who did it and understand Lisbeth but it is not for the faint hearted with brutal violent scenes of rape and murder.  Throughout the movie there’s a sense of underlying bad, that there is evil around but if you have been hooked to the phenomena of Stieg Larsson’s best selling crime novels, the Millennium Trilogy then you will not be disappointed with the film adaptation of this gripping violent thriller.  Most of the cast is typically looking Swedish accept, Noomi Rapace whose performance is outstanding and is made to took different because she is different.  The setting in Sweden helps with the dark storyline and the film can either be watched in Swedish language with English subtitles or English language audio which takes nothing away from the film.

Oplev, the director definitely stays true to the main story of Larsson’s book, that will keep book fans happy, its not often you leave the cinema happy with the film staying true to the book but this gripping cinematic thriller will not leave you disappointed.   Although, Lisbeth's story is not completed and you are left wondering and wanting more which is why you you want to see the next two movies, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest if you want to complete the story of Lisbeth Salander which I am guessing you will once you see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.