The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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This Swedish thriller, adapted by Stieg Larsson's novel, part one of a trilogy, arrives surrounded by good buzz but its plodding pace and uninspired direction makes comparisons to a Sunday night BBC mini-series hard to ignore. And why is the titular girl rendered a sidekick, a character that if the writers were in a mean mood could tell the story without her involvement?

After losing a high profile libel case, disgraced journalist Blomkvist (Nyqvist) is approached by Martin Vanger (Haber), wealthy industrialist who employs him to solve the disappearance of his niece Harriet who went missing some 40 years ago. With nothing better to do before he serves his sentence, Blomkvist accepts the gig and stays in a cold shack on Vanger's expansive grounds to research the case. The Vanger estate is still occupied by all the Vangers, each estranged from the next, and whom Martin hints could be responsible for Harriet's vanishing: "I suspect everyone and no one." Blomkvist goes about piecing the clues together and finds that the family have a sordid past including a flirtation with Nazism. Are the two linked?

Since the film is called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this synopsis would be incomplete without mentioning Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) but in actuality could be written without flagging her at all. A disturbed freelance researcher in trouble with her new parole officer who demands sexual favours for a quiet life, Lisbeth has had a tough upbringing that director Oplev shows in flashback. For the first hour, Lisbeth and Blomkvist's paths don't cross until, for reasons that remain unclear, she hacks into Blomkvist's computer and drops cryptic hints, nudging Blomkvist in the right direction. Why the whole subplot with the evil parole officer is included also remains unclear. Lisbeth isn't an interesting character and her idiosyncrasies are tacked on to make her stand out: she's got a nose ring so she must be edgy, she's bisexual so she must be edgy, she's got a massive dragon tattoo on her back so she must be edgy. And so on. Why she deserves the title is beyond this reviewer. This isn't her story. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom isn't called Short Round and the Temple of Doom. Lisbeth is nothing more than a plot device, something Blomkvist needs when his research runs into a brick wall.

There are other elements that prove troublesome too - for instance, how could Blomkvist, waiting to serve time in prison, be allowed to shoot off to Australia? Why would a wealthy industrialist, who could have his pick of researchers, retired detectives, private investigators, etc, pick a disgraced journalist whose face is all over the news? That said, in the (overlong) 152-minute running time there are moments that impress. The performances are subtle and low key and Oplev displays the ability to keep interest ticking over until that underwhelming climax.