Original Title
Män som hatar kvinnor
Genre
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
Director
Niels Arden Oplev
Country
Sweden
Cast
Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Peter Andersson, Marika Lagercrantz, Ingvar Hirdwall, Björn Granath, Ewa Fröling, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Annika Hallin, Tomas Köhler, Gunnel Lindblom, Gösta Bredefeldt, Stefan Sauk, Jacob Ericksson, Sofia Ledarp
Storyline
After being sentenced to three months in prison for slendering a corrupt entrepreneur (Stefan Sauk), journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is hired by a wealthy industrialist (Sven-Bertil Taube) to find out who murdered his nice who disappeared 40 years earlier.
Opinion
Disappointment. That is what I usually experience after watching a film adapted from a book/novel I loved. And the more I love a book, the bigger the disappointment is. So since I loved Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, I was expecting to be let down. Instead I was utterly shocked. Why? Because this version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has to be one of the best adaptation ever made. But it's not just a great adaptation to a book I loved, it's also a captivating, absorbing thriller.
As I mentioned above, the film is very faithful to the book, and thank to its almost three hour length it manages to go deep and in detail, and its brilliant storytelling will keep you glue to the screen and entertained from start to finish, even though, like me, you have read the book. Or if you have seen the American movie starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. However, there are some subplots that are left out - like Mikael's passion for women - but after all those plots are not that important, and it allows the film to focus on the main plot even more. But I do believe they brought up all the evil too soon.
As gripping and thrilling the story is, what I liked the most about Larsson's book is the characters, and I can't believe how well they are delivered by the film. There's good character development, and a great insight into the characters, especially Lisbeth, is given. You will definetly enjoy the characters on screen.
And this brings me to the casting. First, every single character looks just like I pictured them. Second, the actors all portray their characters in the right way. Especially the two leads, Michael Nyqvist who does a really good job in the role of Mikael Blomkvist - you will immediately sympathize with him - and Noomi Rapace who overshadows by miles Nyqvist delivering an outstanding performance as Lisbeth Salander.
At last but not least, the film also features a beautiful cinematography, stunning locations and a musical score that fits the story and adds tension.
As I mentioned above, the film is very faithful to the book, and thank to its almost three hour length it manages to go deep and in detail, and its brilliant storytelling will keep you glue to the screen and entertained from start to finish, even though, like me, you have read the book. Or if you have seen the American movie starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. However, there are some subplots that are left out - like Mikael's passion for women - but after all those plots are not that important, and it allows the film to focus on the main plot even more. But I do believe they brought up all the evil too soon.As gripping and thrilling the story is, what I liked the most about Larsson's book is the characters, and I can't believe how well they are delivered by the film. There's good character development, and a great insight into the characters, especially Lisbeth, is given. You will definetly enjoy the characters on screen.
And this brings me to the casting. First, every single character looks just like I pictured them. Second, the actors all portray their characters in the right way. Especially the two leads, Michael Nyqvist who does a really good job in the role of Mikael Blomkvist - you will immediately sympathize with him - and Noomi Rapace who overshadows by miles Nyqvist delivering an outstanding performance as Lisbeth Salander.
At last but not least, the film also features a beautiful cinematography, stunning locations and a musical score that fits the story and adds tension.
I don't remember much from this version but the brutality of the scenes here were so similar to the book that this made me avoid watching the American version for a long time. I have yet to read the rest of the trilogy but when I do, I'll be revisiting this one as well. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you! In my opinion this wasn't as brutal as the book. The rape and tattoo scene were handled very well.
DeleteGreat review! I gotta admit, it's been so long I can't remember a lot of the original story, but I remember loving this adaptation MUCH more than the glitzed-up Hollywood one. It felt so much gritty and closer to the book :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've watched the American version only once and before reading the novel, so I'm pretty sure my opinion will be different the next time.
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