First Hit: Exciting, suspenseful, and an interesting Swedish mystery film based on the first book of a trilogy called "Millennium" by Stieg Larsson.
I must say I was a bit shocked by the level of sadistic and hostile sexual behavior as represented by 4 of the men in this film. In those moments it was hard to sit still without squirming. However, the Swedish title means "Man who Hates Women" and the screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg clearly dictated this tone.
However, this tone has a counter weight which lives in a internally raging but quietly intense Lisbeth Salander (played by Noomi Rapace), a young computer hacker, and a thoughtfully kind Mikael Blomkvist (played by Michael Nyqvist), an investigative reporter who just lost a libel case.
A powerful industrialist wants to find out what happened to his favorite niece who disappeared from his huge home on a family island some 40 years earlier. He hires Blomkvist because he is honest and a good investigative reporter.
Unbeknownst to Blomkvist, he is assisted by the tattoo and pierced laden Salander because she sees that he’s a honorable man. Eventually, Blomkvist discovers his hidden computer ally and together they work to resolve a string of very old murders.
This resolution also assists Salander in resolving some of her personal angst and sets her off on a new life.
Rapace is powerful and clearly the star of this film. Although she is on the screen less than Nyqvist, her character is what sets the mood, tone and temperament of the film. Every scene she is in, she captured my attention. Nyqvist is a little soft spoken and less driven than what I would have expected from an investigative reporter but he's a great counter to Rapace. The Director, Niels Arden Oplev, did an outstanding job of walking the line between the exploitation of sadistic behavior and providing enough of what drives Rapace and Nyqvist to find a resolution to the mystery.
Overall: Although I was uncomfortable at times, I was impressed with this film and if the other two novels from this trilogy hit the screen, I will be there to see them.