This is a fantastic adaption of the first of three novels in the Millenium Trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson. I have already read the first 2 books and am eagerly awaiting the third, and have been looking forward to seeing this film since I saw it had come out in Sweden. And I must say it is a an excellent adaption and a slow, though well paced thriller. Noomi Rapace is perfect as Lisbeth Salander, and Michael Nyqvist is perfect as Mikael Kalli Blomkvist. The book is a faithful adaption, though it does not end on the down note of the novel, but instead on the start of the next book. My only real complaint is at 152 minutes, I would have liked it longer, and gone more into the film. Without seeing Berger’s character and how Blomkvist has had a long term relationship with his married colleage that also screwed up his marriage, or his affair with one of the Vanger’s, we don’t get his downside, which is what pisses off Lisbeth at the end of the first book, and keeps her from contacting him in the second. Still a very enjoyable and well done film, and a must see, especially before the inevitably subpar US remake (even if David Fincher does do it).

Journalist Mikael “Khali” Blomkvist (Michael Nvqvist) one of the publishers of Millennium Magazine loses a court case with Swedish Industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström (Stefan Sauk) for libel. It seems Blomkvist published a huge story, and then all of his backup disappeared. He has been found guilty of libel, and been given a prison sentence. Blomkvist informs the people at millennium, including his co-publisher and married lover Erika Berger (Lena Endre) that he is leaving the magazine, at least for the time being. A man named Dirch Frobe (Ingvar Hirdwall) hires a man named Dragan (Michalis Koutsogiannakis) to find out about Blomkvist for his boss Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube). Dragan uses his best researcher, the heavily tattooed and pierced Lisbeth Slander (Noomi Rapace) the girl of the title. Lisbeth is a social misfit, and a master computer hacker, who can easily get any information on anyone. Henrik then has Mikael come up to the sleepy island town where he and many members of his family live to investigate the 37 year old murder of his favorite niece Harriet Vanger who used to babysit Mikael when he was a child.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…

Meanwhile we find out that Lisbeth is actually a ward of the state with a guardian, but her current guardian is sick, and now she has a new guardian named Bjurman. Bjurman quickly not only stops her from being able to access her finances, which means she can’t replace her broken laptop, which was smashed by some punks in the subway, but he also forces her to give him a blowjob.

Lisbeth goes to see Bjurman at his home, this time with a video camera, expecting to have to give another blowjob, so she has hid a camera in her bag, but instead, he handcuffs her to his bed and brutally rapes her.

Lisbeth returns again, this time taking control, taking down Bjurman with a stun gun. She ties him up naked, shows him the video tape of him raping her, and then tattoos his stomach with the message that he is a rapist, and tells him that he will give her back control of her finances and with a year sign off that she no longer needs a guardian.

Mikael meanwhile has started his investigation. It seems Vanger has been getting packages every year with pressed flowers in them, something that Harriet always gave to him, and he figures they are from the killer.

Mikael learns about the day that long ago where Harriet disappeared. It seems it was a meeting of the Vanger Group, the company which is owned by the family, all of whom tend to hate each other, and there was a big accident on the only bridge, and Harriet could be seen in footage in her room and then was never seen again. He goes to the local paper and finds photos of her in town during a parade that day, and seeing someone that scared her, and even manages to track down a couple who were taking photos of that direction, where they see a boy.

Eventually Mikael is joined by Lisbeth who has been following via his computer, and leaves him an obvious clue to her, so he is able to find her and get her to join him in the investigation.

Lisbeth had solved some bible verses that had been written in Harriet’s copy of the bible that was left at that the cottage on the island where she stayed, and where her Nazi sympathizing father had drowned the year earlier. And they all have names, and they eventually start to link them to killings of jewish women from way before that time up until her disappearance. And all the killings had strange ritual deaths that link to the bible verses, and they know Harriet knew something about them, because she write it down.

Strangely Lisbeth also starts sleeping with Mikael (though we miss all the rest of his conquests from the book)

Lisbeth goes to investigate company trips at the time’s of the killings, while Mikael goes to to confront the old Harald Vanger (Gosta Bredefedlt) and almost gets himself killed, but is saved by the current CEO Martin Vanger (Peter Haber), Harriet’s brother, but is then knocked out by him and tied up. As Lisbeth learns that it was Martin and his father that were the ones that wrote off the trips.

Martin tells Mikael about the killings that his father showed him how to do, with the ritual, which he did not follow, just the killings. And even had a girl in the basement when he earlier had Mikael over for dinner. And he hangs Mikael up to kill him, but he is saved by Lisbeth and a golf club. She chases Martin on her motorcycle as he runs in his car, and crashes, and she watches as he burns to death, then goes back to Mikael, leaving before the cops arrive.

Mikael then heads to Australia and a large ranch where he finds the still alive Harriet Vanger, thanks once again to Lisbeth.

Mikael brings her back to Henrik, and the whole story comes out. It seems that her father and brother had raped her constantly as they did their killings, and she had gotten sick of it, and had led the drunken father to the dock, and drowned him. A year later Martin had continued raping her, and she was sick of it, so with the help of her closest friend had fled and never looked back, except to send Henrik the flowers, as she loved him like a father.

Mikael serves his term in jail, and is visited once by Lisbeth, who gives him all of Wennerström’s computer files, which proves his wrongdoing. She kisses him and quickly leaves.

The film ends with Mikael out and celebrating having taken down Wennerström, and there is a news report of a mysterious girl having taken much of Wennerström’s money from accounts all over. Mikael sees the footage and realizes it can only be Lisbeth.

•••

A great book, and a very enjoyable film, though the ending is actually from the next book. And without the original ending, that Lisbeth finally realizes she loves Mikael, and buys him a birthday present, but then sees him back with his married girlfriend Erika Berger, that she hates him, which is why she won’t talk to him in the second story.

A very good adaption though, with amazing casting. Worth seeing if you haven’t read the book, and a must see if you have. And you should go and read the book anyway. It is pretty amazing!