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While moody teenagers (and moms with cougar tendencies) continue to sink their fangs into Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, the rest of the world has (finally!) moved on—to Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy. The books have found their place on best-seller lists around the world, and the films based on the series have even lured mainstream audiences to art house theaters to see what all the fuss is about. And with the Hollywood remake (directed by David Fincher) still two years away, it’s worth overcoming your fear of subtitles to seek out the films in their original Swedish.
The first film in this dark and haunting trilogy is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (or, in Swedish, Män Som Hatar Kvinnor—which, incidentally, translates to “Men Who Hate Women,” a title that makes perfect sense as the story unfolds).
While awaiting a three-month prison term for libel—in a lawsuit that he claims was a set-up—Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is summoned by wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) and offered a lucrative job as a private investigator.
Forty years ago, Vanger’s beloved niece, Harriet, disappeared. Vanger suspects that she was murdered—and that one of his family members killed her—and he wants Blomkvist to solve the case.
As Blomkvist begins digging into the lives of the Vanger family, he’s closely watched by Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a talented young hacker with a troubled past. When Lisbeth manages to put some of the pieces together, she reaches out to Blomkvist—and the two team up to investigate a series of gruesome murders that could be connected to Harriet’s disappearance.
I’ll admit that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has a number of factors that might make mainstream viewers shy away. For starters, it’s in Swedish—so you’ll have to read the dialogue instead of simply sitting back and absorbing the story. Not only that, but it’s just over two and a half hours long—so not only will you have to commit to reading the subtitles, but you’ll have to commit to reading them for two and a half hours. It’s a daunting challenge—but one that’s definitely well worth a little bit of effort.
Despite its somewhat intimidating runtime, Dragon Tattoo is an engrossing film—one that feels much shorter than its 152 minutes. As the story unfolds, you’ll quickly get caught up in these intriguing characters and their eerie—and often cover-your-eyes shocking—story. Nyqvist’s Blomqvist is sharp and intense—unassuming yet relentless in his investigation. He can wander around in the background without really standing out—or attracting too much attention—and it makes him the perfect guy for the job.
Lisbeth, on the other hand, is anything but unassuming. She’s edgy and mysterious, pierced and tattooed. And, despite her cold and withdrawn demeanor, she won’t back down from a fight. Her background, too, makes her a fascinating character. You won’t always understand why she does the things she does, but you’ll be drawn to her nonetheless. It’s a challenging, complex role, but Rapace handles well—so well, in fact, that I can’t think of any pretty young Hollywood actress who could fill Lisbeth’s black platform boots quite so perfectly.
Together, Blomqvist and Salander definitely make an unusual pair, yet they work so well together. They make The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo something special: a dark and often disturbing thriller that will make you glad that you decided to brave the subtitles.
