The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It's rare for a film to completely capture the essence of an international bestseller—particularly a grim, suspenseful thriller—but this intense, indelibly gripping Swedish screen adaptation of the 2005 first novel in the late Stieg Larsson's acclaimed trilogy succeeds on all levels. As the story begins, veteran Stockholm financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is found guilty of criminal libel for his attacks on a corporate tycoon and ordered to serve a six-month jail sentence. But before he's sent to prison, Mikael is approached by Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), the aristocratic patriarch of a prominent industrialist clan, to investigate what happened to his beloved teenage niece, who mysteriously disappeared back in 1966 during a family gathering on remote Hedeby Island in Sweden's frigid far north. And Vanger's wary lawyer has hired a pierced-and-tattooed 24-year-old hacker to spy on Mikael: the resourceful Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a sullen, bisexual, tomboyish truth-seeker who is determined to wreak revenge on predatory misogynists who abuse their power. Working together in an uneasy collaboration, kindred spirits Mikael and Lisbeth struggle to solve this 40-year-old ‘cold case.' Danish director Niels Arden Oplev distills the essence of Larsson's visually brutal, often disturbing, neo-Nazi whodunit concept, effectively discarding details that would clutter up the complex, twisting-and-turning narrative. One of Europe's top-grossing films of 2009 (tentatively slated for a Hollywood remake in 2012), this is highly recommended. (S. Granger)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Mar. 15, 2011—Music Box, 4 discs, 539 min., in Swedish w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $59.99, Blu-ray: $79.99—Making its first appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, Stieg Larsson's Dragon Tattoo Trilogy compiles The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009), and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009)—all of which sport great transfers with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. The trilogy includes a bonus disc with special features including “Millennium: The Story” featurette (49 min.), an interview with stars Noomi Rapace (20 min.) and Michael Nyqvist (13 min.), additional interviews with cast and crew (13 min.), a “Niedermann vs. Paulo Roberto” behind-the-scenes of a fight segment (10 min.), a poster gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning trilogy.][DVD/Blu-ray Review—Feb. 28, 2012—Music Box, 4 discs, 540 min., in Swedish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $59.99, Blu-ray: $79.99—Making its second appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, Dragon Tattoo Trilogy (Extended Edition) compiles the 2009 films The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest—all of which sport great transfers with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on the DVD versions and DTS-HD 5.1 sound on the Blu-ray release. Bonus features include extended versions of all three films, along with the identical special feature disc carried over from the previous boxed set release, with extras including “Millennium: The Story” featurette (49 min.), an interview with stars Noomi Rapace (20 min.) and Michael Nyqvist (13 min.), additional interviews with cast and crew (13 min.), a “Niedermann vs. Paulo Roberto” behind-the-scenes look at a fight segment (10 min.), a poster gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: likely the definitive release for this phenomenal trilogy.]