Män som hatar kvinnor (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)
2009
***
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Tehilla Blad
Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy has become a global bestseller. The adaptation of the first novel introduces its charismatic anti-heroes Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, a tarnished lefty journalist and a deeply troubled Goth hacker, respectively. They join forces to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl 40 years ago. The mystery is intriguing but the payoff is very conventional. Larsson paints a grim picture of modern day Sweden which is rife with corruption and sexual violence, but he also feels compelled to provide instant justice to all the wronged characters. The film, which was edited from a longer TV version, is long and clunky, and it has at least four endings. Followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
