Ol' Jack Burton here with a review that doesn't count toward my incredibly behind quota. Caught Män Som Hatar Kvinnor, or Men Who Hate Women at home after finishing the book. The book's English title is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a suspense/murder/thriller/corporate espionage novel full of tension and fantastic characters. The film, made in Sweden, fully captures the atmosphere and ambiance of the novel and I was amazed at how well crafted it was. It reminded me of the Bourne films in that they exude a sense of timeless conservativeness, that is, they (and this) will probably be as appreciated in twenty years as they are now. As with the Bourne films, Män Som Hatar Kvinnor doesn't rely on gimmicky filmmaking or presumptuous artsy-fartsy bullshit. It's meticulous, straightforward, brutal at times, and draws out fantastic performances from the actors.
The story centers around Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist recently convicted of libel against a powerful corporation headed by bully extraordinaire, Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Blomkvist leaves Stockholm in disgrace to work for Henrik Vanger, the retired CEO of the Vanger Corporation. Vanger needs Blomkvist to look into his niece's mysterious disappearance in 1966. Blomkvist is aided by a private investigator, Lisbeth Salander, an antisocial, tattooed, pierced, punk chick who kicks ass and takes names, social security numbers, bank account statements...
As I said in my review of The Lovely Bones, I don't expect a word-for-word translation of the novel into film format. That isn't realistic. But that also seems to be the weak point of this movie. The novel moves at a breakneck pace and the film does as well, often making the 2.5 hour run time feel like 1.5 hours. The problem is that the movie attempts to jam pack--or at least allude to--as much as possible from the novel. And in return, it often cuts corners and we lose a lot of the tension and the feelings of frustration that the protagonists encounter. It all just seems too easy for them to figure everything out. I didn't particularly feel a sense of satisfaction with the end, nor did it feel as "earned" as it should have.
Don't get me wrong: I wholeheartedly enjoyed the film. It was just a little anticlimactic. I don't know if that is perhaps because I had literally just finished the book hours before sitting down to watch it, but I had hoped for a little more on the corporate espionage and mystery fronts.
All in all, I'd definitely pick this up on Blu-Ray if it ever comes state-side. I'll probably start reading the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire soon and try to get a copy of the film adaptation. Till then, Pork Chop Express is signing off.
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