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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Movie Review

Posted by in Book, Film, Review, Thriller | 5 comments

Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Andersson

Score: 8/10 (watched with English dubbing)

A nice review by first time reviewer Colin Baker.

This movie was something I was intrigued by as I have heard the Americans are planning a re-make, and unfortunately in my experience this normally means a less than atmospheric Hollywood-ized version of an excellent movie, (See Insomnia and La Femme Nakita).

As I expected it was a very good movie, a few issues, but on the whole a great (and long-ish) thriller. As with some of the European movies I have seen, they are able to convey a sense of atmosphere and mood without the need for the actor to say or do anything (not totally sure where this comes from, although I think the weather may play a part).

It would be difficult for me to do a proper plot synopsis, for fear I may give some things away. Essentially it is a search for answers about a long ago murder that a wealthy benefactor (Sven-Bertil Taube) would like clearing up before his death – The murder victim was a relative of his.

The benefactor hires an investigative reporter, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) to search for the answers. As usual the reporter has his own emotional baggage to carry around.

Nyqvist is pretty impressive, giving a sense of ability to do his job (as a detective), without being a “genius”. Bringing me on to one of the best things about this movie. There are no amazing leaps made. Hard to describe, but I always refer to TV shows like CSI, were if it wasn’t for sheer fluke, the killer would get away. There is no ridiculous use of technology to solve the crime. It is just good old fashioned detective work.

It is difficult to describe the relationships that go on in the movie without giving away some good plot points, but suffice to say there are emotions within the movie, that are believable without being too far fetched. The male lead has some stiff competion from an excellent female character (Noomi Rapace), who although not essential to the plot, adds to the tone of the movie and has some very tough scenes, which in my opinion she pulled off perfectly, very reminiscent of Anne Parillaud in Nikita.

There are some more graphic scenes of a sexual nature, that also add to the movies atmosphere, and it will be interesting to see how the ‘oh so P.C.’ american film makers deal with these. But those of a, lets say, more squeamish disposition (re:violence to women) may find a little too much.

On the whole though the movie was a really good watch, and at a reasonable time, it did not seem to drag.

One tip though, if you watch it, try not to make a note of the running time of the movie as this will take a bit of the suspense away, (you will know what I mean come the end).

Long live the European film industry still making great movies without resorting to comic books.

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  • http://recycledcinema.com Charlie

    What on earth would you watch the movie with English dubbing?! Watch it with subtitles like a REAL film lover. This film deserves nothing short of 10/10 and I believe that watching with the film in it’s original version versus those ridiculous dub tracks really does make a huge difference.

  • http://film-book.com Film-Book dot Com

    I’m glad you did not spoil the film. The film is very good and I have to admit I am looking forward to what Fincher does with the material. I just saw the second part in theater. It’s like the theatrical release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

  • http://bit.ly/dzpmEC Jens Altmann

    I just saw it last week (with German dubbing — I was Making a Fail at the time, and I can’t read subtitles while working). I liked most the changes they made from the novel (the Wennermann subplot as it was in the novel wouldn’t have worked in the movie). In general, I found the acting a bit too laid back in places; the detective work, while absolutely compelling in the novel, dragged a bit — people looking at old photos and documents isn’t as exciting to watch on a screen. But, yeah, I liked it enough that I’ll want to watch the sequels. But I won’t watch the US remake — I can’t imagine that they won’t sanitize and defang it.

    BTW, the Swedish original title translates as “The Man Who Hated Women.” Which is far more descriptive of the story’s theme, wouldn’t you agree?

  • Ingmar53

    It is suggested in the review that the Lisbeth character is “not essential to the plot.” Really? Her hacking skills alone are crucial to solving the crime. Also, a previous post admonishes, “Watch it with subtitles like a REAL film lover.” While I might generally agree, things are not so black-and-white. There is good dubbing and bad dubbing. And the act of reading subtitles is an entirely different experience than hearing dialog. Also keep in mind that subtitle translations generally capture only a fraction of the dialog that is spoken. If you want to see an example of excellent dubbing, see another older Swedish film, Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers” which was dubbed into English by the original cast under Bergman’s direction. In such a visually rich and hypnotic film, dubbing allows the non-Swedish speaking viewer to fully watch the film and absorb more of the dialog. Let’s not be snobs and imply that there is only ONE way to watch a movie… if you are a “REAL film lover.”

    • http://www.liveforfilms.com liveforfilms

      Excellent comment.

      If you are a real film lover you just love films however you like to watch them. That’s the way I see it.

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