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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Play trailer Poster for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo R 2010 2h 32m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 186 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Wealthy Swedish recluse Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) needs closure. Forty years ago, his beloved niece disappeared, never to be seen again -- and circumstances have led him to believe that a member of his own repugnant family must be responsible. Vanger hires stoic journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and scrappy, chain-smoking hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to come to his island, dig deep into chilling family secrets and unmask the killer once and for all.

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

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Critics Consensus

Its graphic violence and sprawling length will prove too much for some viewers to take, but Noomi Rapace's gripping performance makes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo an unforgettable viewing experience.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 08/30/2018
The film is certainly faithful to every detail of the novel's intricate plot, which is fair enough, but does give it the feel of a plodding TV whodunit rather than a cinematic experience. Go to Full Review
Jen Chaney Washington Post 07/09/2010
An engrossing and classically suspenseful story Go to Full Review
Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness 06/30/2010
C-
Revel[s] in its seedier aspects ... while appropriating every aesthetic trope from the modern Hollywood thriller handbook. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia 05/09/2024
7/10
A thriller that maintains a considerable amount of mystery by narrating, with pulse and intrigue, a disturbing story about men who hate women. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 08/18/2023
2.5/4
For all its attempted strangeness, the story contains some standard mystery-thriller tropes that are all too identifiable and eye-rolling in this context. Go to Full Review
Paul Kanieski KSQD Community Radio 07/21/2023
The striking compositions by cinematographers Jens Fischer and Eric Kress are expressive and varied. Lighting ranges from naturalistic to subtly expressionistic, and different hues are used to convey both physical exteriors and interior emotions. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Thomas H. @Hitman777gb 1d I loved this movie. Noon Rapace is very good at playing the character. See more Blake- N @PBSAniDom 1d The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is, for me, the best modern crime film from 2009. It is sharp, gripping, and completely unforgettable from start to finish. Every scene feels intense and purposeful, and the movie never loses its momentum. What makes it stand out most is its atmosphere. The film creates a dark, icy mood that perfectly fits the story, and that tone stays with you long after it ends. It feels smart, confident, and far above the usual crime thriller. I first watched it on Amazon Prime back in 2019, and it immediately became one of those films I always remember as something special. The performances are strong, the direction is excellent, and the whole movie has a powerful edge that keeps you locked in. Overall, this is a masterpiece of modern crime cinema. It is stylish, haunting, and brilliantly made, with the kind of quality that earns repeated praise. Easily a 10/10 for me. See more Oaklee D @ODie63 Jan 11 A tense rollercoaster ride. See more Christian M @chriss17eu Dec 28 I approached the film adaptation of 'Millennium' with low expectations after finding the novels dense and exhausting. The movie, however, dismantles that skepticism through its remarkable fidelity and clarity. Visually and atmospherically, it mirrors the images I had imagined while reading with striking precision. The screenplay intelligently condenses the complex narrative, not just adapting but clarifying it, transforming confusion into cohesion. Performances are a major strength: Noomi Rapace’s Lisbeth Salander is magnetic and essential, while Michael Nyqvist provides balance, sharing the spotlight effectively. The restrained cinematography serves the story with clarity rather than spectacle. Difficult themes—racism, misogyny, and violence—are handled firmly without sensationalism. Ultimately, the film succeeds where the novel failed for me: it engages, sustains interest, and even improves the experience for certain viewers. See more Damien S @RT47420453 Nov 27 Deeply disturbing but fast-paced, heart pounding... Crazy to think that the original writer said these are based on actual events of research he did as a journalist. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 20 Success in 2 hours and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Grisly Images, Disturbing Violent Content, Sexual Material, Language, Nudity and Rape!!!!!!!!I In Swedish and American English audio options with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $10,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Read all reviews
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

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Movie Info

Synopsis Wealthy Swedish recluse Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) needs closure. Forty years ago, his beloved niece disappeared, never to be seen again -- and circumstances have led him to believe that a member of his own repugnant family must be responsible. Vanger hires stoic journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and scrappy, chain-smoking hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to come to his island, dig deep into chilling family secrets and unmask the killer once and for all.
Director
Niels Arden Oplev
Producer
Søren Stærmose
Screenwriter
Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel
Distributor
Music Box Films
Production Co
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Film Väst, Sveriges Television, Yellow Bird, TV2 Norge, Danmarks Radio, Det Danske Filminstitut, Nordisk Film, Nordisk Film & TV-Fond, ZDF Enterprises, Svenska Filminstitutet
Rating
R (Grisly Images|Disturbing Violent Content|Sexual Material|Language|Nudity|Rape)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 19, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 3, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.1M
Runtime
2h 32m