[9.00/10] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Män som hatar kvinnor

a.k.a.

The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Brief review: "The Girl with the Dragon Tatto" is very well-produced and nicely-crafted Swedish thriller and it can go alongside with most of the new Hollywood movies. The script is based on the first of Stieg Larssons' three bestselling novels, and it's more than just your usual crime-thriller kind of script, it also has a substance involving personal lives of some characters present which gives this movie more emotion and makes it more thought-provoking for viewers. Two and a half hours may seem long to some but this film keeps your interest throughout, and even though it may seem slow at times, it was perfectly-paced. The performances are top-notch! Michael Nyqvist inhabits the role of Mikael pretty comfortably, spending quite a lot of time looking surprised, but Nooni Rapace as Lisbeth is something else again – practically an elemental force – never was someone so vulnerable and so dangerous at the same time. Her character is intense, hurt, angry, and resolute to find justice. Both lead actors are superb and even at two and a half hours where the pair essentially dominate most of the screen time, they're always interesting to watch. The film is dark, yet brightly-shot and beautifully-directed by Niels Arden Oplev. The Scandinavian landscape has its part in guaranteeing the story's success, too. Like in the wonderful "Let the Right One In", the cold, snowy environment provides the ideal backdrop for one of the most chilling and grisly tales of murder ever committed to film. "Män som hatar kvinnor" is a gripping, suspenseful and beautifully-crafted mystery thriller that delivers!