I have wanted to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for months so when Matt asked me to choose the next movie, I jumped at the chance to suggest it. This movie is based on a book by Stieg Larsson. He wrote three books in this series before he died, and the books have become hugely popular. There’s a reason the books are popular; they are fantastic.
Normally, I cringe when great books are made into movies because the movies never seem to measure up. This movie is an exception. There are few deviations from the book and the movie captures the creepy factor the book oozed. It is important to note this review is for the Swedish movie. An American version is scheduled to be released in December 2011.
The movie starts with a journalist, Mikael Blomkvist on trial for libel. Though he maintains his innocence, Blomkvist loses the case and is sentenced to a prison term. To save his magazine, Millennium, further embarrassment, Blomkvist steps down from his position and takes a job working for an elderly businessman, Henrik Vanger. Vanger has been mourning the death and disappearance of his favorite niece, Harriet, for decades. He wants to make one last attempt to find her killer before he dies. He knows Blomkvist is a tenacious journalist and will be perfect for the assignment.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to Lisbeth Salander, a strangely dark young woman who works as an investigator at a security firm. Salander is being manipulated and abused by her state-mandated guardian and you see her fire and intelligence simmer below the surface as she submits to his sleazy advances.
In the course of his investigation, Blomkvist learns of Salander’s skills as a hacker/investigator and they begin working together to solve the mystery of Harriet Vanger’s disappearance. While working together, Salander begins to trust someone for the first time in her life.
The twists and turns in this movie come fast and furious as the pieces of the case fall into place. There are many subtleties to this movie that may be missed by a viewer who hasn’t read the book, but the lack of these nuances won’t keep you from enjoying the movie.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo earns five stars. The acting is excellent, the dialog is crisp, the pacing is perfect and the cinematography is poetic. Anyone who has read my reviews in the past knows I’m no fan of subtitles, but I never noticed them because I was so thoroughly drawn into the story. I highly recommend this movie (but be warned, it is violent) and also encourage you to read the book.
Michelle D. Kieffaber
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