The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an incredibly immersive tale of mystery and suspense. The environment is dark and dismal, with men arbitrarily assaulting women, raping them, and murdering them in brutal ways. The original title is literally translated to Men Who Hate Women, which is a far more apt title based on the thematics threading themselves through every plot line. Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) is a computer hacker investigating journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Nyqvist) on trial for a libel suit. Mikael is hired by Henrik Vanger (Taube) to investigate his niece's disappearance from 40 years prior. He believes she was killed by a member of his own family, of which three are neo-Nazis and the rest are cruel and hateful. He has reached a dead-end when Lisbeth, who is still hacking his computer, discovers the answer to the puzzling set of numbers that stopped him. He enlists her help and together they stumble on something far bigger and more disturbing than they first imagined.
Lisbeth is inwardly preoccupied, but incredibly resourceful when the outside world intrudes on her. We imagine Lisbeth's past based on a few facts--she has a probation officer and she was previously in a psychiatric hospital--but we end the film knowing very little about her history with any certainty. We are forced to witness her current abuse, by strangers and by authority figures, in scenes that are difficult to watch. But they are necessary for us to understand her sense of meaning and rightness in the world. I do not believe we are meant to relish the revenge that is taken against these women-hating men, but it is clear that the author believes in some form of justice despite the horrible events that take place. It seems that what Lisbeth represents may be far more important than who she actually is.
The acting was phenomenal, due to Rapace's burning intensity and Nykvist's everyman curiosity. The cinematography and editing suffered from a few mistakes, but on the whole they never detracted from the experience. The cinematics were surprisingly precise, with almost all of the elements combining into a taut, intellectual thriller that kept you guessing until the very end. There are only a few suspects, so it is possible you may have guessed the evildoer before being revealed, but by that time the whole crux of the movie has shifted so that what you thought was fact turns out to be a lie. It very effectively gives us a plot twist that is neither predictable nor gimmicky. This is a well-made movie, unexpected but much appreciated, depressing but hopeful, that will keep you gripped to your seat. Watch it. I plan on watching the sequel while it's still in theaters. Stay tuned.IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/