The plot follows the characters of Mikael Blomkvist, an ambitious reporter who has recently been framed and sentenced for slander against a corporate tycoon, and Lisbeth Salander, a gothic and sexually explorative computer hacker, who come together to work to solve a 40 year old murder mystery for a wealthy businessman. Soon they get in over their heads and start to uncover family secrets.
The characters are very unique, especially Lisbeth's character. She was very entertaining and mysterious at the same time. Normally, I don't enjoy murder mystery/thriller type stories, but this movie was about the character development as well as the murder mystery at hand. I liked how the characters were different and weren't the run-of-the-mill people who usually pair up to solve crimes. I have not read the book, so I'm not able to dissect how the adaptation fared, but the story was very entertaining.
The cinematography was really nice. The film was beautiful and the angles that were used were great. The movie kept pace with the story but wasn't distracting.
The movie really was about the actor's performances in the movie. I have no idea how well the two leads, portrayed their counterparts in the novel, but they did a perfect job in the movie. Noomi Repace does an amazing job with what is easily one of the hardest characters to portray in a long time. She came across vulnerable but at the same time very independent and gutsy. Somehow, she made us empathize with her character, which is an amazing feat. Without the right actress, she could've easily become the antagonist of the movie. Michael Nyqvist also does a nice job. I really liked him in this movie, he was the right counterpart with Lisbeth's character. Their relationship was endearing to me, even surrounded by the dark tale going around them. The rest of the actors did as good as a job as any, they definitely had the right look to them.
Even though I can usually care less about crime/murder dramas, I wanted to know more about these characters when I was done with this movie. There were some hard parts to watch and it pushed a line that some American filmmakers dare to cross, but it only earned my respect. I enjoyed how the director included what was needed for the story, not necessarily what was needed to please an audience or keep away from any taboos, which is what film-making should be about. I don't understand why a remake is needed, this movie can and will transcend to an American audience. There were several antifascist/communist undertones that may not entirely transcend however those were not necessary to the plot and were a product of the culture where the movie was made and the novel written. In any event, I will still see the remake to see how it comes out. Also with the recent Let The Right One In, Sweden is definitely making a name for itself with great movies. "Have you had sex before?""I'm 24" -- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
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