Chances are, you've probably heard of this film. More than likely, you've heard of it because of the book, now a staple of tube reading everywhere and read by everyone from middle-aged housewives to university students. An odd thing really, given quite how extreme the subject material often is but hey, it floats our collective audience boat. The book served up a potent mix of historical mystery, crime thriller and disturbing sexual behaviour in a rather brilliant if occasionally long winded story, penned by the late journalist Stieg Larsson.
The film follows the story of the book pretty closely. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is a young hacker with a disturbed background who crosses paths with the disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) as they try to solve the mystery of a girl who disappeared 40 years previously, Harriet Vanger.
Now, drumroll and lights down. Is it any good? Is it faithful? Has it improved in any way? Will Mark ever get the hang of spelling Swedish names? (Answer to the last one: Not likely and apologies to all Swedes because he is being a bit crap). Allow me to put it like this. What director Niels Arden Oplev has done is to strip all the unnecessary elements out of the book and leave TGWTDT a complex, fascinating and taut thriller that does not feel afraid to make you look human evil in the eye. The film is not an easy watch. Films can often be misogynistic (see a good deal of slasher films) but rarely do they consider the topic of misogyny. The interesting thing about TGWTDT is how it considers not just the idea of a male hatred of women, but how the various support structures created by both sexes manage to create long lasting damage that creates perfect 'victims'. Victims such as Lisbeth Salander, and other characters I cannot mention for fear of spoilers.
The nature of this evil and the pain it inflicts on its victims, such as in the relationship between Lisbeth and her new guardian Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson, who is excellently loathsome in his role) is presented unflinchingly but never leeringly, and it is these vital hooks that pull us into the deeply unpleasant but brilliantly told story. Of course, a film that hooks by its story and themes has to have good characters. Lisbeth Salander is played with almost eerie perfection by Noomi Rapace, who seems to have gotten the mannerisms of Lisbeth from the book down to a 'T'. Oddly, she is even more sympathetic than in the book. Fundamentally, she is the same character, but thanks to a merciful re-jig of the book's plot, we are left wanting to see her again and understand more about her. Mikael too is a more likable character than in the book but without compromising his flawed personality traits. Michael Nyqvist is of course not the focus of the film, but does a superb job of counterbalancing the character of Lisbeth - their personalities are curiously similar and yet opposite at the same time which is what makes this vital relationship work.
The film is very grungy looking, and when I say 'grunge' I don't mean the sickly shade of vomit green Michael Bay likes to shade things in all of his horror remakes. I mean that the film is stark, unpleasant; cities look menacing and sick, the countryside cold and empty. Nowhere is safe in TGWTDT. Despite being two and a half hours in running time, which is hefty for any thriller, the film is pretty snappily paced, and mercifully, there are no endless board meetings and sandwich making, with the latter of which the book had an almost fetishistic obsession. It's comforting to know that some filmmakers will actually take risks in an adaptation to improve the material instead of being too terrified to take a chance. Recommending this film is easy, watching it is not; it's a tough film, believe me. Still, you get what you expect to see. If you came looking for a series of constant explosions and gunfights, then you're probably in the wrong film. On the other hand, if you want a challenging, brilliant and disturbing film then this is the right film for you to watch.
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