What Do The Critics Say?

"It's the rare 2 1/2 hour film that doesn't make you look at your watch once. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is such a film." WASHINGTON POST "This is a franchise express you’ll want to get aboard now. ***** (FIVE STARS)" EMPIRE "It's intense, graphic, frightening. And, yes, exhilarating." PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Heart-stopping...edge-of-your-seat thrills from start to finish. ***** (FIVE STARS)" DAILY MIRROR "Magnificent and dazzling. **** 4 STARS" TOTAL FILM "Brilliantly directed, beautifully shot and superbly written." VIEW LONDON "It's an exhilarating ride – well paced, gripping and with an intelligently crafted narrative." SKINNY "A poisonous gem, in large part thanks to fearless performances and an unwaveringly graphic sensibility that doesn’t flinch at the most horrific parts of Larsson’s story." AV CLUB

"What a blast! Ten minutes into this movie and I am completely hooked...this will be one of your most satisfying cinematic experiences. ***** (FIVE STARS)" WAIKATO TIMES “A perfect thriller...taut, thought-provoking, sexy, stylishly shot, cleverly scripted, brilliantly acted. ***** (FIVE STARS)" SUNDAY STAR TIMES "A mind-bending and mesmerizing thriller.' LOS ANGELES TIMES "Biggest thing to emerge from Sweden since Abba...well worth watching. **** 4 STARS" NZ HERALD "It's hypnotically watchable and tense as a drum." NEWS OF THE WORLD "An adrenaline-pumping ride." NZ WOMAN'S WEEKLY "Tense and exciting... intelligently adapting the novel’s many complexities. **** 4 STARS" THE LISTENER "A finely plotted, stylishly photographed and brilliantly acted whodunit that clocks in at 2 1/2 hours but never seems long." NEW YORK POST

The Millennium Series Story The Millennium Series is based on three voluminous books, the result of a crime debut that in itself is a story of an extraordinary kind. The interest for the books, both nationally and internationally, has been almost unprecedented. The myth around the writer and the books are both tragic and mesmerizing. The author Stieg Larsson, investigating journalist himself at the magazine Expo, wrote three books of 600 pages each before handing it in to the publishing company Norstedts. Tragically and unexpectedly though, Stieg Larsson passed away from a heart attack before the first book was ever published. However, the buzz around the books had already started to spread, and the following marketing campaign was proportional to the interest. sixty thousand copies of the book were printed, the largest first edition for a Swedish crime debutant ever. The Millennium Series is a unique and new form of conspiracy and crime, written with equal parts of thorough research and enthusiastic narrative zest. The first book has the character of a classic 'who done it', the second is more of a nerve wrecking thriller, the third, besides being a thriller also has great parts of court drama to it. Instead of the classic Superintendent character, the main character duo in The Millennium Series are the investigating journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his reluctant partner Lisbeth Salander, a world class hacker with a definitive social behavior problem. The stories take place just as naturally in Stockholm, Göteborg Alingsås (Nosseberga) and the small northern village Hedeby. The major part of the first book, "Män som hatar kvinnor" is now a major film release titled "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (aka 'Men who hate women) and is a classic who done it: a modern variety of Dorothy Sayers one might say; which ends in a dirty and bloody family drama with many corpses in the wardrobes. The gallery of characters that are introduced in the first book are found again in the second ("The Girl Who Played with Fire") and third one ("The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest"), and new characters are added. At the centre we have a mismatched, but unbeatable couple: Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Stieg Larsson wrote the two characters based on an adult version of two very famous Astrid Lindgren characters: Bill Bergson the Master Detective and Pippi Longstocking. In "The Girl Who Played with Fire" Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about the sex trafficking trade are murdered and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable, vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society: but no-one can find her. Blomkvist doesn't believe the police. He uses all his resources to prove Salander's innocence, uncovering her terrible past, spent in criminally corrupt institutions. Yet Salander is more avenging angel than helpless victim. She may be an expert at staying out of sight: but she has ways of tracking down her most elusive enemies. In book three Lisbeth Salander is plotting her revenge against the men who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist from Millennium Magazine, Salander must not only prove her innocence, but identify and denounce the corrupt politicians that have allowed the vulnerable to become victims of abuse and violence. Once a victim herself, Salander is ready to fight back. Meet The Director - Niels Arden Oplev "Many people have asked me, if I felt honored to be chosen to direct the feature film "Men Who Hate Women" based on the first book in the Millennium trilogy of Stieg Larsson. The truth is: When the producer Soren Staermose asked me the first time, I said no. I had heard of the books, but hadn’t read them. Furthermore, I didn’t have the time and intention to do a thriller for the cinema. Soren came back six months later and asked me again. The production time had been pushed and he was very enthusiastic about me doing the film. So I read the book, it was very intriguing but I didn’t see it as a thriller. I saw it more as a mystery drama with strong and special characters, who develop through out the story. I really connected with this material, Lisbeth being a dark rebel and Blomqvist a leftist watchdog. I told Soren, that I would do the film, but only if I had artistic control over cast, script, length, final cut etc. Having this control, I saw as the only way for me to do a successful film based on such a popular book. That I had the sovereignty to make every decision being about doing the best possible film. I wanted a film with strong emotions, strong characters and a controversial and intriguing story. This is my trademark already and this book had it all. The visual style and production design had to show a big and special film. And I wanted all the small clues and details in Larsson’s book to be there: old still photos, which makes Harriet come alive, old footages from the bridge accident, Lisbeth having a photographic memory etc. And I would like the film to keep the edge, that the book has." Oplev asked two of the best writers in Scandinavia, 2005 Robert Award winners Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel ("Kongekabale"), to write the script. Together they dissected the book and plotted out the storyline. With the clock ticking down to the start of shooting the start of shooting Tusse Lande and cast the film in a month. "I am hysterical with finding the right actor for the characters. There must be a special connection between the actor and the character. The actors must have the shine of the character. The Swedish star actor Michael Nyqvist present us with the humanity, empathy and heavyweight intellectualism, which we expect from his character Michael Blomkvist. And he does this so well, that we are captured in excitement all the way though the story. Lisbeth Salander is possibly the character in modern Scandinavian drama with the most expectations attached, and I can’t believe the luck we have had in finding Noomi Rapace for this part. Noomi has transformed herself into her character to a chilling perfection. Her performance as Lisbeth is outstanding." Oplev talked two time Robert Award winning cinematographer Eric Kress ("Riget" 1995 & "Blinkende lygter" 2001) and two time Robert Award winning production designer Niels Sejer ("Kongekabale" 2005 & "De fortabte sjæles ø" 2008) into travelling to Sweden to do this film under hectic conditions. Oplev says it was "a decision, I did not regret at any moment. They have raised the bar for this film, giving the art department work amazing details and the images a dark exciting feel. The prep time was short and early on it became clear to me, that we needed a miracle to bring the film home on time and budget. At that time the Swedish crew came on board, a team that was determined to make a quality film even if it took long days and hard work under tough conditions. And man, did they deliver. As did the whole ensemble of actors. The feeling of the set was, that every shooting day was a battle for quality. A battle we were determined to win. Niels Arden Oplev graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 1989. Meet The Stars - Noomi Rapace & Michael Nyqvist The first issue the production team had to establish was "who is Lisbeth Salander?" A huge list of young female actors were considered as were unknown and inexperienced actresses as the search for Lisbeth took to the streets of Stockholm! Ultimately, what they were looking for was someone with originality. That someone would turn out to be Noomi Rapace. It was Noomi’s leading role in Simon Staho's feature film "Daisy Diamond" (2007) that grabbed the attention of the production team. This was a very brave role and it was decided that with her skills and mental strength she would be able to do miracles in the role as Lisbeth with the right director. Noomi, a self-taught actress having never been to drama school, took to the role instantly. To play Lisbeth Salander she undertook a radial change in her appearance. For starters: she cut her hair, took boxing lessons to change her body into a ball of muscle, got piercings in her eyebrow, lip, ears and nose. She even got her motorbike license! Everything is for real with Noomi, except for the huge tattoo which was imported from America! Rapace has made an instant impression in the European film community having already garnered three major awards in her short career: 2008 Bodil Best Actress Award and the 2002 Robert Festival Best Actress Award (the highest honor in Danish filmmaking) for "Daisy Diamond" and the 2010 Guldbagge Best Actress "Golden Beetle" Award (the Swedish Oscar) for her role in "Män som hatar kvinnor" ("The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"). After graduating from the Swedish Academic School of Drama, Michael Nyqvist worked mainly with theatre but also landed smaller parts in several different film productions. His first big breakthrough came in 2000 with the film "Together" directed by Lukas Moodysson. The movie reached great international success. After that he has played leading parts in award winning movies such as "Grabben i graven bredvid" (2002) directed by Kjell Sundvall, "As It Is in Heaven" (2004) directed by Kay Pollak; "Suddenly" directed by Johan Brisinger and most recently, "Iscariot" (2008) directed by Miko Lazic. Nyqvist was always in the running for the the part of Mikael Blomqvist but it was his charisma that suited the role the most. Director, Neils Arden Oplev found the match he was looking for: someone who had the right looks, the charm and the likeability factor. Today Nyqvist is one of Sweden’s most beloved actors. His awards include: 2003 Guldbagge Awards (the Swedish Oscar) for "Grabben i graven bredvid" (2002); Aftonbladet Newspapers Film Star of the Year 2002 & 2004; Best Male Actor 2003 by Nöjesguiden; Prize winner The Golden Sun, 2004; Best Actor in the International Film Festival in Gijon 2003; Best Male Actor in the International Film Festival in Minsk 2006 and winner of the Audience Prize at the Gulbagge Gala 2006. The Late Stieg Larsson - Author Stieg Larsson (15/8/1954 - 9/11/2004) was a journalist. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Expo from 1999, and had previously worked at a major news agency for many years. He was one of the world’s leading experts on anti-democratic, right-wing extremist and nazi organisations, and he was often consulted on that account. He was just as ready to give a lecture in a secondary school as at Scotland Yard. In 2004, a Swedish journalist delivered three manuscripts to his publishers in Stockholm. These page-turning thrillers, featuring crusading liberal journalist Mikael Blomkvist and disturbing punk heroine Lisbeth Salander, came to be known as the Millennium Trilogy. The Millennium series is a surprisingly confidant debut in the thriller genre. The action in the books takes place in 2003 and later, mainly in Stockholm but even in other parts of Sweden and out in the world. Stieg Larsson’s primary strength is his unaffected style, free of clichés. He writes effectively, his tone is spot-on and he is professional. On top of this, he exhibits a great knowledge of the field he writes about, a knowledge as wide as it is deep, which gives credibility to his stories. He has a fantastic ability to keep many complicated plots going at the same time. And he doesn’t leave any part of the mystery unsolved. Larsson passed away after a massive heart attack at the age of fifty. He would have been proud to know his books have enjoyed huge success with sales of more than twenty six million copies worldwide. In a major coup, all three will be released internationally as feature films. The next two films "Flickan som lekte med eldenare" (The Girl Who Played with Fire) and "Luftslottet som sprängdes" (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) will be helmed by Swedish mutli award winning director, Daniel Alfredson. His awards include: 1998 Guldbagge Best Director Award ("Tic Tac"); 1994 Guldbagge Best Screenplay Award ("Mannen på balkongen"); 1998 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Don Quijote Award & FIPRESCI Prize ("Tic Tac"); 2000 Shanghai International TV Festival Magnolia Award ("Dödsklockan") and the 2008 Montréal World Film Festival Best Artistic Contribution Award ("Varg") & the festivals Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Synopsis

Forty years ago, attractive sixteen year old, Harriet Vanger, mysteriously disappeared from a family gathering on an island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. The young girls body was never found, yet her beloved uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist who has just been sentenced to three months jail for slander. Blomkvist has six moths before he must present himself to authorities and then serve his sentence. Vanger's lawyer Nils Bjurman hires the tattooed and troubled but resourceful computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to further investigate Harriet's disappearance. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. The Vanger's are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

The Verdict "When it comes to finding one word that best describes "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", 'perfect', immediately springs to mind. The look, the cast, the tension generated, Jacob Groth's score and especially the subtitles all ooze class. Hold that thought! I know what you are thinking. Subtitles? Believe me. You will not even notice the subtitles after the first few minutes. They never intrude on what is being depicted onthe screen, yet they are ever present. They are so effective, you will almost believe the cast 'are' speaking to you in English. "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is an absolute winner. It is so good you'll feel overwhelmingly compelled to rush into the nearest bookseller, because if you haven't already purchased the trilogy, you'll sure as hell want to get your hands on it once you've witnessed this superb drama/thriller. A bonus for fans of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is that Murdoch Books have released a special film tie-in edition and Stieg Larsson's "The Girl Who Played With Fire" is also on bookshelves. A faultless production. One that is all class and guaranteed to leave you wanting more. The good news is: there are two more films to come. Whatever you do, don't miss it. Write it down: "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". Top Shelf. 5 STARS." The Crew

Director Screenplay From the novel Producer Original Music Cinematography Film Editor Casting Production Designer Costume Design

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Niels Arden Oplev Nikolaj Arcel & Rasmus Heisterberg Men Who Hate Women by Stieg Larsson Søren Stærmose Jacob Groth Jens Fischer & Eric Kress Anne Østerud Tusse Lande Niels Sejer Cilla Rörby

Who's Playing Who?

Michael Nyqvist Noomi Rapace Lena Endre Peter Haber Sven-Bertil Taube Willie Andréason Marika Lagercrantz Gösta Bredefeldt Ewa Fröling Björn Granath Gunnel Lindblom Peter Andersson Teilla Blad Julia Sporre Laura Lind Isabella Isacson Annika Hallin Reuben Sallmander

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Mikael Blomkvist Lisbeth Salander Erika Berger Martin Vanger Henrik Vanger Birger Vanger Cecilia Vanger Harald Vanger Harriet Vanger Gustav Morell Isabella Vanger The Lawyer Nils Bjurman Young Lisbeth Salander Young Harriet Vanger Jennie Giannini Monica Giannini Annika Giannini Enrico Giannini

Run Time 153 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Rialto Entertainment - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.