Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Writer: Nikolaj Arcel,Rasmus Heisterberg
DVD and Blu-ray release date: July 19 2010
Studio: Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment
No of discs: 1
Region: 2
Price: From £10.99-£16.99
Running Time: 147/153 mins (DVD/Blu-ray)
Certificate: 18
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Lena Endre, Ewa Fröling
Swedish director, Niels Arden Oplev’s adaptation of the first novel in Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, is a mind blowing entrancing mystery thriller, paving the way for an already highly anticipated sequel.
Middle-aged journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), loses a libel case brought against him by corrupt industrialist, Hans-Erik Wennerström and faces a three month prison sentence. Impressed by his reputation for thorough investigation, wealthy businessman, Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), employs Blomkvist to solve the mystery of his 16-year-old niece’s disappearance some forty years ago. Racing against time, Blomkvist must solve the mystery before his sentence begins. Teaming up with Lisbeth Salander, a troubled punk and professional computer hacker who was hired to research Blomkvist, the Vanger family’s dark and bloody past is uncovered.
The unlikely duo make an efficient team and as the spark between them grows so does the threat to their lives. Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth makes a fantastic female lead, fiercely independent, ruthless, impulsive, unpredictable and vulnerable. Having been dealt a painful hand in life, Lisbeth tries to forget her scars, remember to “never fall in love” and survive however she can. As an ex-young offender, now 24, she must regularly report to her guardian, a “sadist pig and rapist” who creepily asks how many partners she has had and what her sexual preferences are before blackmailing and threatening her into performing oral sex in order to access her money.
Fascinated by the rarity of wholesome squeaky-clean Blomkvist and what he is researching, Lisbeth continues to monitor his computer activity, eventually sacrificing her anonymity in order to make contact: “I presume you are up-to-date as we seem to be file sharing?” Unrelenting Blomkvist will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, being warned by the previous detective who covered the case: “Give it up before you become obsessed yourself.”
The slow unravelling of the mystery, simmering sexual tension and mutual curiosity between the two leads, coupled with their good humoured banter, makes for a whirlwind two and a half hours.
*****
Special Features:
• The Girl Who Played With Fire sneak peek
• Interviews
• Photo gallery
• The Vanger Family Tree
