Movie Review The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010) 

Directed by Niels Arden Oplev 

Written by Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel 

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist 

Release Date March 19th, 2010 

Published October 10th, 2010

A murder mystery over 40 years old draws in a reporter and a computer hacker in Director Niels Arden Oplev's adaptation of the late Stieg Larsson's novel “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The girl in question is Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) the aforementioned computer hacker who, when we meet her, is on the tail of a reporter, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist).

The reporter has just been sentenced to several months in prison over a libel charge though he believes he's been set up. This however, has nothing to do with her investigation. Blomkvist is being sought by a man named Henrik Vanger (Sven Bertil Taube) who wishes to hire him to investigate the disappearance of his beloved niece Harriet more than 40 years earlier.

Needing money and with a reporter's nose for a good story; Mikael accepts the job and moves to Vanger's isolated island home where he and his family are the only inhabitants. There is only one bridge on and off of the island and on the day of Harriet's disappearance the bridge was off limits due to an accident. This leaves only members of Vanger's family as possible suspects.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth begins to follow the investigation by hacking Mikael's computer. When she discovers something that Mikael did not do, she cannot help but inform him and soon involves herself with the case and eventually with Mikael. Their relationship intensifies in unexpected fashion and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” becomes deeper and more involved.

Moody and atmospheric, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has the minimalist aesthetic that is the preference of Swedish filmmakers but also a distinctly pop polish to its punky, goth, techie heroine. Director Niels Arden Oplev makes wonderful use of actress Noomi Rapace as both an actress and as a plot device. Her look, tattoos, piercings, spiky hair intrigues us, her manner, her suffering draw us closer to her and whether the mystery plot is really all that involves doesn't really matter, we want to follow her.

Not to be outdone, Michael Nyqvist more than holds his own as the weather-beaten reporter with nothing to lose. It is almost entirely up to Nyqvist to sell the romance between Mikael and Lisbeth and his effortless vulnerability in the face of her hard aesthetic makes believable the moments when the 40 something journalist and the 20 something tattooed hacker end up in bed or share an unexpected kiss. 

Viewers will need to take note; “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” contains scenes of sexual violence that are more than a little disturbing. Lisbeth is raped in the film and then takes some righteous and arresting revenge on her attacker in scenes that do not merely border on exploitation. They do however lay the groundwork for the character of Lisbeth, giving her one shattering back-story with more than one strong payoff.

That said one can understand if someone is offended by the sexual violence of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” For those who can stomach it however, the film is a corker of a mystery. A near masterpiece of anxious suspense and eerie Swedish intrigue, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” will thrill any willing audience.