The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo



The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo



The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a Swedish film that hearkens back to the age of the film noir detective stories of the 40’s.  It’s a ‘whodunit’ that involves the discovery of dark secrets on the path to uncovering the mystery.  The use of computers is the primary investigative tool.  I marveled with all that they were able to accomplish with the computer as much as their cleverness at piecing together the puzzle.

The story follows Mikael Blomvkist (Mikael Nyqvist), a disgraced investigative journalist, who has been summoned by Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), the wealthy elderly patriarch of a prominent Swedish family, to solve the mystery of his long lost niece, Harriett, before he dies.  His beloved Harriett disappeared 40 years earlier and Henrik suspects that a member of his dysfunctional family is the culprit.  Mikael enlists the aid of a troubled young hacker named Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace).  She is the titular ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’. Lisbeth has a mysterious, troubled past and a hatred of men, but is an unparalleled hacker who can find out just about anything. 

Henrik is near the end of his life, but the disappearance of his beloved niece 40 years prior has haunted him every day of his life.  He suspects a family member did it in order to crush his spirit and they may have succeeded.  The question is ‘Who’.  Henrik has nothing but contempt for his entire family and rules out no one as a suspect. 

As good as Mikael is as an investigator, the young punk-fashioned Lisbeth is even better.  She is so good that she is even employed by a large corporation despite her pierced leather clad appearance and surly demeanor.  Lisbeth’s dark past of abuse has caused her numerous psychological issues that have required she be monitored by a state appointed guardian.  Unfortunately, the newly assigned guardian provides some the film’s darkest and most disturbing moments.  Lisbeth takes an interest in Mikael and secretly supplies him with information for his research.  Mikael is adept enough to discover that Lisbeth is the source of his information (or did Lisbeth want to be found) and enlists her aid directly. 

The movie has many subtexts of sexual politics and portrays men as oppressors and abusers.  In fact, the book this movie was based on was originally titled ‘Men Who Hate Women’.  Lisbeth’s abuse at the hands of men is what has made her into what she is today.  She is smart, tough, angry, and guarded, but I would definitely not call her vulnerable.

As Mikael and Lisbeth start to dig, they uncover much more of the Vanger family’s dark history than just the disappearance of the niece.  The family’s secrets are so dark and hidden that the uncovering of them threatens both of their lives. 

I felt this movie started slow, but as it evolved it does become riveting.  You try to decipher and interpret clues along with Mikael and Lisbeth.  As they come closer to solving the riddle the danger increases and you are at the edge of your seat as time runs out.  It’s a race to find the answers before sinister forces stop them.

If you are in the mood for a good old fashioned whodunit detective story, then this is for you.  It’s a Swedish film, but you can watch in either sub-titled or dubbed.  The cinematography of the Scandinavian countryside is beautiful and expansive.  I will say there are some disturbing violent scenes and some deep psychological issues that are explored (I won’t say dealt with).  If you can handle that then go for it. 

I rate this movie ***