Män som hatar kvinnor (2009)

	Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev	INTERNATIONAL TITLE The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo COUNTRY Sweden/Denmark/ Germany GENRE Drama/Thriller/ Mystery NORWEGIAN TITLE Menn som hater kvinner RUNNING TIME 152 minutes
	Produced by: Søren Stærmose
	Written by (based on the novel by Stieg Larsson): Nikolaj Arcel Rasmus Heisterberg

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Lisbeth Salander	Noomi Rapace	½
Mikael Blomkvist	Michael Nyqvist	½
Henrik Vagner	Sven-Bertil Taube
Nils Bjurman	Peter Andersson
Martin Vanger	Peter Haber
Cecilia Vanger	Marika Lagercrantz
Erika Berger	Lena Endre
Dirch Frode	Ingvar Hirdwall
Harald Vanger	Gösta Bredefeldt
Morell	Björn Granath
Harriet Vanger	Ewa Fröling

Review

Stieg Larsson's story is extremely hard-hitting, and Niels Arden Oplev has transferred this potency well to the big screen: Män som hatar kvinnor relishes its brutality the same way The Silence of the Lambs did. The result is that we're alternately attracted to and disgusted by the images and the thematics we're presented. The mystery is solid and well-knit too – in its TV-style format – making the film effective despite a lengthy running time. They say a thriller is only as good as its villain, and one of the drawbacks with Män som hatar kvinnor is that the murderer is no Hannibal Lecter. His family is more fascinating than himself, actually, but to embroider this would be to reveal too much. What should be revealed, however, is the solid craftsmanship behind this production, as well as the interesting historical aspects involved. Män som hatar kvinnor is not masterfully creative, but it does what it does better than most of its peers.

Copyright © 16.06.2009 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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