Great film, but not for the faint of heart

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2015)

Adapted from the book, this film is brilliantly executed, as are the sequels.
The story follows the stories of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander as their lives become intertwined around the investigation of the murder of a 16 year old girl 40 years earlier.
The character of Lisbeth, a young goth-punk hacker, is a fascinating one. A tiny woman with a lot of attitude who is looked down upon by everyone and taken seriously by almost no one and certainly not cared about by many. She is, however, incredibly intelligent, full of fire and distrustful of everyone. With good reason.
The casting of Noomi Rapace is both brilliant and inspired. A rather small woman with a surprisingly strong presence and immense talent to play the shockingly resilient and strong-willed Salander.
The murder mystery being investigated is full of twists and has a shocking conclusion. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
However, this film is extremely graphic. There is a lot of nudity, violence and material that may make some viewers very uncomfortable. This includes a brutal rape scene. And a scene where the rapist is very fittingly punished by his victim. Sexual abuse in general plays a prominent theme throughout the story. It can be difficult to watch at times. I don't think I need to say that this is not a movie for kids to be watching.
As a whole, though, I would highly recommend this film. Preferably the extended edition. Now, it is in Swedish, so it is subtitled. There is a dubbed version available, but we all know that the lines tend to lose something in translation.