The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009) • The Next Reel

"Whatever it is that you’ve been through, you don’t have to tell me. I’m just glad you’re here."

With the international success of Stieg Larsson’s novel “Men Who Hate Women” and its sequels, it was inevitable that a cinematic version would be made. The three films that make up Larsson’s ‘Millennium Trilogy’ were made back to back and were all released in Sweden in 2009 before making their way around the world to financial and critical success. The first film, Niels Arden Oplev’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, introduced the world cinematically to both Lisbeth Salander and the actress who portrayed her – Noomie Rapace. Her work to bring Salander to life is largely what makes this trilogy stand out as one worth talking about. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off a series about the three films in the Millennium Trilogy with Oplev’s 2009 film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

We talk about the story and why it largely works so well – Lisbeth Salander. We look at Rapace as Salander and how well she does with Michael Nyqvist playing the man who brings her in to help him solve this case. We look at what Oplev does here cinematically and make some comparisons with the 2011 David Fincher remake. We chat about some of the violence with the story and debate what it does for the story itself. And we touch on some of the differences between the original cut and the extended TV cuts.

It’s a dark film but certainly one worth watching. We love the mystery presented here, but more importantly, we love that this film gave us Noomi Rapace. We have a great time talking about this movie, so check it out then tune in!

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