The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo reviews
Review by on 25 Sep 2010
A frenetic, action packed Hollywood thriller THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is not. Huge explosions are few and far between; there is no over-choreographed fight sequence, no nail biting car chase, and no evil mastermind with designs on world domination. Instead Neils Oplev's adaptation of Stieg Larson's international best-seller is an exciting, engaging but not understated affair.
For those who are new to Larson's trilogy, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is the first in a three part series of novels adapted to film about a young twenty something girl called Lisbeth Salander, and a left-wing journalist by the name of Mikael Blomkvist. Salander is not the standard movie heroine: instead a violent, anti-social, bisexual, punk, computer hacker. Noomi Rapace plays the character with ferocious intensity, nose piercings and all, and as Salander she is instantly believable as well as a captivating on screen presence. As a passive foil to her character, Michael Nyqvist plays Blomkvist, and together the two embark on an investigation on an age old murder case.
Oplev's film is based around a well paced, and intriguing narrative, and the film’s script is well written and enjoyable. Rapace is particularly excellent as the film’s heroine, and is complemented by a brilliant supporting cast, and a distinctly Swedish aesthetic – and not just one comprised of Ikea furniture – Oplev's adaptation of Larson's novel is a highly enjoyable thriller, but one without the plastic wrapped sheen of the standard blockbuster offerings.
Julian Harris
For those who are new to Larson's trilogy, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is the first in a three part series of novels adapted to film about a young twenty something girl called Lisbeth Salander, and a left-wing journalist by the name of Mikael Blomkvist. Salander is not the standard movie heroine: instead a violent, anti-social, bisexual, punk, computer hacker. Noomi Rapace plays the character with ferocious intensity, nose piercings and all, and as Salander she is instantly believable as well as a captivating on screen presence. As a passive foil to her character, Michael Nyqvist plays Blomkvist, and together the two embark on an investigation on an age old murder case.
Oplev's film is based around a well paced, and intriguing narrative, and the film’s script is well written and enjoyable. Rapace is particularly excellent as the film’s heroine, and is complemented by a brilliant supporting cast, and a distinctly Swedish aesthetic – and not just one comprised of Ikea furniture – Oplev's adaptation of Larson's novel is a highly enjoyable thriller, but one without the plastic wrapped sheen of the standard blockbuster offerings.
Julian Harris
Film details
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
MILLENNIUM TRILOGY
Actor: Michael Nyqvist
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Actor: Noomi Rapace
Actor: Sven-Bertil Taube
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Actor: Noomi Rapace
Actor: Sven-Bertil Taube
Sweden, 2009.
152 mins. with English subtitles.
Back to the film page
