SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

chimera3 This is another movie that spoke to me from an unknown source. In 2009, I really didn't pay much attention to where certain movies came from and dove in head first. When I first watched this set of movies (before it was even thought of to be remade in a horrible fashion), I had zero idea what I was getting myself into and had no idea what to think. So I eventually checked this out from my local library and sat down to watch it.Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace, who would later be in "Prometheus") is a devil-may-care computer hacker with her own mysterious past. Then she comes across a story by one Mikael Blomqvist, an editor for "Millennium" magazine, that has to deal with the mysterious disappearance of Harriet Vanger, the daughter of rich man Henrik Vanger. In the process, she runs across a number of interesting characters who try and block her progress.It is eventually revealed that she is a vigilante who takes great pride in what she does and establishes a makeshift friendship with Mikael by the time the movie is over, for he saves her life from the hands of a hulking brute and a lackey or two. The two eventually part company for the time being, of course, since Lisbeth is not the type of person who likes to stick around for too long.Forget about the subtitles and just enjoy the movie. Granted it has some seriously dark overtones, sit back and watch it. It has suspense, mystery, action, you name it. If you're into anti-hero female protagonists who have no problem throwing a few punches and defending themselves in rather ingenious ways, this movie is for you.

TheLittleSongbird Although this Swedish version of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' was followed by two sequels and an English language film a couple of years ago directed by David Fincher, it is very much the best of the four films.It is a very loyal adaptation of the book (generally one of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations around), which is a fantastic read and has become of my favourite books recently, adhering closely to many of the book's events and such and also perfectly maintaining the bleak and murky atmosphere the book effortlessly creates. However, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' works even better on its own terms. The central relationship between Mikail and Lisbeth is ever so slightly rushed, however it still resonates while wisely not taking over the story too much (doing a much better job in this aspect than Fincher's.Fincher's version may be more audacious visually, though this film is a long way from a hack job, and the script here does occasionally lack polish and flow. However, the atmosphere is much more effective here and there is generally more tension and chills, and personally prefer the performances here too (though Rooney Mara in Fincher's film is certainly no slouch).Enough with the comparisons. 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2009) does look great, the bleakness of the setting adds so well to the atmosphere and it's tightly edited and very nicely shot. The haunting and doom-laden score fills one with dread and creates a lot of rich tension. Neil Arden Oplev's directing is masterful, building on the tension and suspense to frightening heights while also directing with a lot of class.'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's' story is incredibly gripping, there is a lot of subplots and characterisation and the film remarkably makes everything intriguing, layered and complete. The long running time allows this to happen admittedly, but with a good deal going on and with deliberate pacing the film easily could have rushed through things or neglected aspects but very rarely does those things. The subplots are superbly chilling with constant and effortless delivery of shock after shock. The bleak and murky atmosphere is present throughout, as is the dark and at times brutal (but not gratuitously so) tone, with plenty of twists and turns that shock and surprise better than a lot of thrillers from the US.All the acting is very good indeed, but it's the two leads that really impress. Michael Nyqvist makes his vulnerable and flawed character a fascinating character that could have been less complex in lesser hands, but the film does belong to Noomi Rapace, whose seamlessly enigmatic performance is positively screen-burning.Overall, a great film and one of not many book-to-film adaptations that treats its source material with respect. Swedish thrillers don't get much better than this. 9/10 Bethany Cox

classicsoncall I had heard of this film of course but didn't realize there were two of them. Now that I know, and after reading other reviewers who've compared the two, I'll look forward to the American version.This was a rather engaging thriller that took the expected number of twists and turns on the way to a resolution. I found it hard to warm up to the character of Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), but by the time she got around to dealing with her thug guardian Bjurman (Peter Andersson) she won me over. The backdrop of the Swedish National Socialists and the Nazi connection to the Vanger family provided an interesting plot element, as American films don't generally delve into that sort of territory, so that made for a fresh and different perspective.You have to pay attention though. There are a lot of names and relationships thrown at the viewer and it's a little difficult to follow. Having learned this long ago, I generally take notes and keep them handy while watching. This film in particular, and especially with the unfamiliar sounding foreign names, could be an unexpected challenge for many viewers. However the extra effort should prove rewarding.As the story closed I couldn't help drawing a comparison to a couple of well regarded American films. The picture closes with Lisbeth having a Kyser Soze moment transforming into a completely different persona, right after having performed a Shawshank Redemption style raid on the Wennerstrom bank account. It was a triumphant ending for a character who endured all manner of degradation while involved with the Vanger case.

Khemaluck Deeprawat I regret watching this film. Not because it is of low quality but because its message is nothing but "you should return evil with evil" and there are some scenes in the film that were so violent that I could hardly watch.OK. I must say that the film is well-directed, well-paced, thrilling, it is a high quality suspense film if you are talking about it in terms of movie making. People can be glued to the screen because of the film made them feel excited.Well, but if you are a person who believes in love and hope and the power of love and forgiveness, you shouldn't watch this film. Because there is little of that. The whole thing, beside investigation and mystery, is about revenge and how you should return violence with violence. It depicts evil and the fruits of evil and no real or true message about how you should deal with evil in this world beside violence. The film implicitly tell us that it's OK to kill, it's OK to beat and torture someone, if that person is already evil. It's OK to kill your father if your father abuses you. It is OK to stand and watch someone die although you can help, because that person is evil. These kinds of things are understandable but they are wrong messages to be sent into this world already full with too much evil and violence.The main character of the film is presented as a woman hero, someone who is very strong, very smart, with a dark and hurtful past. I don't know what's the big deal about the tattoo dragon on her back either. It looks scary to me.