An Absorbing, Entertaining Crime Drama for Grownups
The late Swedish author Stieg Larsson wrote a series of three novels collectively known as the Millennium Trilogy. The books have been made into three Swedish-language films that have already been released in many countries, and the movie under discussion here — the first in that series — is known in English as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009). An American version of this movie, which will also have this title, is scheduled to be released in 2012.LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
There are many good things about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo(2009), but the most striking is its central female character, Lisbeth Salander, played by actress Noomi Rapace. Lisbeth is a small, wiry, sullen 24-year-old goth with tattoos and body piercings. She's a gifted computer hacker who works for a Stockholm-based company called Milton Security. Lisbeth is a violent young woman, and one of the most fascinating aspects of the story is discovering how she got the way she is.
The other main character is a middle-aged investigative journalist named Mikael "Kalle" Blomqvist (Michael Nyqvist). While waiting to serve a three-month jail term for libeling a tycoon, Blomqvist takes a temporary job working for the octogenarian industrialist Henrik Vanger. The journalist is tasked with trying to solve the mystery of what happened 40 years ago when Henrik's niece disappeared. The investigation uncovers some ugly secrets and a pile of bodies.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a skillful mix of film noir, procedural and thriller that doesn't shy away from sex and violence.
English-Language Audio Track
The DVD containing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo provides two audio tracks, one in the original Swedish, the other in dubbed English. The English-language track spoils the organic feel of the film, and I strongly recommend watching it in Swedish with the English subtitles.Curb Your Enthusiasm dvd
Bonus Materials
The main extra on the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo DVD is a 12 1/2-minute English-language interview of lead actress Noomi Rapace, who seems quite different from her character, Lisbeth Salander. Rapace has several interesting things to say, including that she doesn't want to reprise the role in the American version. Also, the actress portraying Lisbeth's mother is Noomi's real-life mom.
Another extra is a chart of the Vanger family tree. Note that the chart shows Harriet, the character who went missing back in 1966, to be the grandniece of Henrik Vanger, though in the film she is said to be his niece.
The late Swedish author Stieg Larsson wrote a series of three novels collectively known as the Millennium Trilogy. The books have been made into three Swedish-language films that have already been released in many countries, and the movie under discussion here — the first in that series — is known in English as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009). An American version of this movie, which will also have this title, is scheduled to be released in 2012.LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
There are many good things about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo(2009), but the most striking is its central female character, Lisbeth Salander, played by actress Noomi Rapace. Lisbeth is a small, wiry, sullen 24-year-old goth with tattoos and body piercings. She's a gifted computer hacker who works for a Stockholm-based company called Milton Security. Lisbeth is a violent young woman, and one of the most fascinating aspects of the story is discovering how she got the way she is.
The other main character is a middle-aged investigative journalist named Mikael "Kalle" Blomqvist (Michael Nyqvist). While waiting to serve a three-month jail term for libeling a tycoon, Blomqvist takes a temporary job working for the octogenarian industrialist Henrik Vanger. The journalist is tasked with trying to solve the mystery of what happened 40 years ago when Henrik's niece disappeared. The investigation uncovers some ugly secrets and a pile of bodies.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a skillful mix of film noir, procedural and thriller that doesn't shy away from sex and violence.
English-Language Audio Track
The DVD containing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo provides two audio tracks, one in the original Swedish, the other in dubbed English. The English-language track spoils the organic feel of the film, and I strongly recommend watching it in Swedish with the English subtitles.Curb Your Enthusiasm dvd
Bonus Materials
The main extra on the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo DVD is a 12 1/2-minute English-language interview of lead actress Noomi Rapace, who seems quite different from her character, Lisbeth Salander. Rapace has several interesting things to say, including that she doesn't want to reprise the role in the American version. Also, the actress portraying Lisbeth's mother is Noomi's real-life mom.
Another extra is a chart of the Vanger family tree. Note that the chart shows Harriet, the character who went missing back in 1966, to be the grandniece of Henrik Vanger, though in the film she is said to be his niece.