THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011)

Summary:

Disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist accepts an unusual assignment from wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger: to investigate the forty-year-old disappearance of Henrik's beloved niece, Harriet Vanger, from the isolated island owned by the powerful Vanger family. Blomkvist, facing a libel conviction and professional ruin, delves into the dark history of the clan, uncovering a web of secrets, corruption, and unspeakable violence that has festered for decades beneath a veneer of respectability.

As Blomkvist struggles with the complex family dynamics and cryptic clues, his path crosses with Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant but deeply troubled computer hacker with a photographic memory and a fierce disdain for authority. Lisbeth, initially hired to conduct a background check on Blomkvist, becomes inextricably drawn into the investigation, bringing her unique skills and brutal past to bear on the case. Together, this unlikely duo unearths a shocking series of murders and a deeply disturbing truth that threatens to expose the Vanger family's darkest secrets and put their own lives in peril.

Keywords: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011, Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Mystery, Thriller, Drama, Stieg Larsson, David Fincher.

Plot:

The film opens with Mikael Blomkvist, a renowned financial journalist for the magazine Millennium, losing a high-profile libel case against corrupt industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Facing a prison sentence and professional humiliation, Blomkvist resigns from Millennium. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander, a highly intelligent but socially alienated and traumatized computer hacker, is introduced conducting a comprehensive background check on Blomkvist for a mysterious client. Her life is complicated by her legal guardian, Nils Bjurman, a sadistic man who exploits her vulnerability and abuses her during their mandatory meetings.

Blomkvist is contacted by Henrik Vanger, the aging patriarch of the powerful Vanger industrial empire, who offers him a lucrative assignment: to write the Vanger family history. However, the true purpose is for Blomkvist to discreetly investigate the disappearance of Henrik’s beloved niece, Harriet Vanger, who vanished from the family's secluded island estate nearly forty years prior, in 1966. Henrik believes Harriet was murdered by a member of his own extended family and that her killer still resides on the island. Blomkvist, intrigued and needing the money, accepts the offer and moves to Hedestad, the town near the Vanger compound.

As Blomkvist delves into the Vanger family archives, he uncovers a history rife with Nazi sympathies, anti-Semitism, and deep-seated animosities. His investigation focuses on a series of framed photographs Harriet sent Henrik every year on his birthday, which abruptly stopped the year she disappeared. He also finds a list of five women's names and phone numbers, along with biblical verses, in Harriet's old diary. These clues, combined with his own research into the Vanger family tree and their contentious relationships, lead him to suspect a serial killer may be at work, linking Harriet's disappearance to a series of unsolved murders of young women in Sweden decades earlier.

Simultaneously, Lisbeth Salander, after being brutally raped by her guardian Bjurman, exacts a horrifying revenge. She ambushes him, tattoos "I am a rapist pig" on his abdomen, and gains control of his finances and legal guardianship. Her focus then shifts back to Blomkvist. Having hacked into his computer during her initial background check, she observes his progress on the Vanger case. Intrigued by the complexity of the mystery and a faint connection to her own traumatic past, she begins to offer subtle, anonymous assistance, eventually revealing herself to Blomkvist.

Their partnership begins tentatively. Blomkvist, initially wary of Lisbeth's unconventional methods and abrasive demeanor, quickly recognizes her unparalleled hacking skills, photographic memory, and intuitive grasp of complex patterns. Lisbeth, in turn, finds a rare sense of purpose and a flicker of trust in Blomkvist, who treats her with respect despite her eccentricities. They combine their strengths: Blomkvist's journalistic tenacity and interviewing skills with Lisbeth's ability to access restricted databases, decode encrypted files, and piece together seemingly disparate information.

Their investigation uncovers a shocking pattern of ritualistic murders, primarily of young women, linked by the biblical verses found in Harriet's diary (Leviticus 20:22, 24, 25, 27). The verses describe various abominations and punishments. They realize that Harriet herself was investigating these murders, which were committed by her father, Gottfried, and later continued by her brother, Martin Vanger. The two men were serial killers who targeted women, often with religious overtones, and Harriet had discovered their horrifying activities.

The climax arrives when Blomkvist, following a lead to a secluded cabin, is ambushed by Martin Vanger. Martin reveals his and his father's horrific crimes, confessing to the murders and Harriet's apparent death, and prepares to torture and kill Blomkvist in his soundproofed basement. However, Lisbeth, having tracked Blomkvist's movements and sensing danger, arrives just in time. She incapacitates Martin with a golf club and then forces him off the road in his car, leading to a fiery crash that kills him. Her intervention saves Blomkvist's life and brings an end to Martin's reign of terror.

Following Martin's death, Lisbeth and Blomkvist discover that Harriet Vanger is, in fact, alive. She had fled the island to escape her abusive father and brother, with the help of her cousin Anita. They track Harriet down to Australia, where she has been living under a new identity. Harriet returns to Sweden, reuniting with a delighted Henrik, and the mystery of her disappearance is finally solved. The Vanger family's dark secrets are partially exposed, though the full extent of Gottfried and Martin's crimes remains largely hidden from the public.

With the Harriet Vanger case resolved, Blomkvist shifts his focus back to Wennerström. Using Lisbeth's unparalleled hacking skills, they expose Wennerström's vast network of illegal activities, including arms dealing, prostitution, and money laundering. The exposé, published in Millennium, vindicates Blomkvist and restores his reputation, while completely destroying Wennerström's empire. Lisbeth, having successfully orchestrated the downfall of both her abuser (Bjurman) and a powerful corrupt figure (Wennerström), and having amassed a considerable fortune through her hacking, finds a fleeting moment of peace. The film concludes with Lisbeth, having developed genuine feelings for Blomkvist, seeing him celebrating with his colleague and lover, Erika Berger, and deciding to leave his life, riding off on her motorcycle, a solitary figure once more.

Cast (Lead Roles):

• Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist
• Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander
• Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger
• Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger
• Robin Wright as Erika Berger
• Yorick van Wageningen as Nils Bjurman
• Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger
• Geraldine James as Cecilia Vanger
• Steven Berkoff as Dirch Frode
• Ulf Friberg as Wennerström

Crew:

• Director: David Fincher
• Screenplay: Steven Zaillian
• Based on the novel by: Stieg Larsson
• Producers: Scott Rudin, Ole Søndberg, Søren Stærmose, Ceán Chaffin
• Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth
• Editing: Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
• Music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
• Production Design: Donald Graham Burt
• Costume Design: Trish Summerville

Release Info:

• Original Release Date: December 20, 2011 (USA)
• Language: English
• Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Drama
• Running Time: 158 minutes
• Accolades: Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Nominated for Best Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing.