Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev
Staring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre and Peter Haber
A film based on the first of the hugely popular book trilogy “Millennium” introduces journalist Mikael Blomkvist, hired as an investigator by a wealthy industrialist to solve the mystery of a niece who disappeared 40 years before.
It’s a gruesome account that uncovers a string of hate crimes, as well as the tattooed girl Lisbeth Salander’s emotionally disturbed history. She has a grim, spectral presence in the opening scenes, before she’s pushed too far and explodes in a moment of shocking, vengeful violence.
A traditional thriller at heart the film is beautifully photographed and skillfully crafted. Originally entitled “Men Who Hate Women” its explicit violence, sex, and use of crime scene photography has earned it an 18 certificate in the UK.