Note for readers in France, there it's called MILLENIUM.
Simply one of the best films I've ever seen, and that's after nearly 50 years cinema going.
The Girl With . . . combines a good old fashioned private eye mystery - echoes of Sam Spade - with a high tech modern Internet referencing thriller. Taking in family secrets, Nazism, and corruption. It's about hurt and healing, crime and punishment, sin and redemption, and a fair amount of snowy Sweden.
Crusading left-wing journalist Mikael looks like a potato after a very bad case of chicken pox, but is nonetheless hired to investigate a 40 year unsolved murder. Meanwhile, across town, unsmiling and chronically miserable, black-clad, cyber-gothpunk Lisbeth is investigating Mikael, by hacking into his computer files. They both like finding stuff out, and after a while their paths cross. Mystery and mayhem follows.
Michael Nyqvist is laconically excellent as Mikael. But he is upstaged by the stunning performance of Noomi Rapace, all burningly enraged and glaring dark eyes, twitching paranoia and hair trigger willingness to hit or kick out. Her performance is all the more impressive as she seems to have very few lines to deliver. Just grim looks to throw out at the audience. When the two join forces the onscreen chemistry is remarkable, as each begins to discover the healing potential of the other.
Technically and artistically this is a triumph for Swedish filmmaking. Everything is strong - cinematography, production design, sound. The plot is astonishing, and the pace never slackens. Lots of old fashioned twists and turns, then some more twists. And a series of subplot endings which had me, I confess, in tears.
Go and see it.
