THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2010) (****)

Based on the international bestseller from Stieg Larsson, this murder mystery thriller from Sweden does something that few murder mystery thrillers ever do — center its story on its main characters. We are compelled to find out the solution to the crime, (more so the why rather than the who), but we are even more compelled with the investigators and how the case affects them. Again the why is the most important part.

Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist, DOWNLOADING NANCY) is a disgraced journalist, who has just been convicted on libeling a powerful businessman. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is a gothic hacker who has been hired by the powerful businessman Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube, THE EAGLE HAS LANDED) to look into whether Mikael is really guilty or not. It seems Mikael has been set up, but is too beaten down by the power structure to fight against the set-up. While Mikael waits the six months before this jail sentence begins, Henrik wants to pay him to look into the 40 year old disappearance of his beloved niece Harriet. She disappeared after a family party and Henrik is convinced that one of his family members is the killer.

With a large family with a dark past — Henrik's brothers were all members of Hitler's Youth — the list of suspects are numerous. Mikael combs over boxes and boxes of evidence that Henrik has collected over the years. Each year, Henrik receives a framed flower drawing, just like he received from Harriet. He's sure that the murderer is taunting him. It turns out that Henrik virtually adopted the girl for her father Gottfried, who was a drunk, and her mother Isabella (Gunnel Lindblom, WILD STRAWBERRIES), a cold and bitter woman. Gottfried and Isabella's son Martin (Peter Haber) is now the president of the family's business. Henrik's only surviving brother Harald (Gosta Bredefeldt) is a recluse who only leaves his house to go hunting. Henrik's niece Cecilia (Marika Lagercrantz, ALL THINGS FAIR) shows up from abroad when she hears of Mikael's investigation.

Mikael is a real journalist — one who sees his job as keeping tabs on the powerful, not serving as their propaganda machine. But with his conviction, he seems to have lost faith in the power of journalists who speak truth to power. The other side is just too powerful. Taking a job for one of the biggest corporate tycoons is just another example of how far he believes he has fallen. And yet, as the constant professional, he becomes completely dedicated to the mystery. As he sees how invested Henrik is, he becomes even more emotionally attached.

With a photographic memory, Lisbeth is the best hacker around. Her look is intimidating with multiple piercings on her face, large studded collar and a giant dragon tattoo on her back that eventually emerges out her thigh. Her appearance mirrors the pain of her troubled past. The government has assigned her a guardian to look over her finances and her new guardian Nils Bjurman (Peter Anderrson, PUSHER) sees his position of power as something to exploit. But Lisbeth is no push over — in fact she's as badass as they get.

The idea of the rich and powerful using their privilege to exploit those under them is a theme that runs throughout the story. Both Mikael and Lisbeth want to expose that corruption, but their approaches are completely different. Mikael still holds onto the idea of justice, while Lisbeth's more painful experiences lead her toward revenge. How they connect is unique and fascinating. Mikael is captivated with this strange, but brilliant young woman. She brings hope back into his life. For Lisbeth, Mikael seems like the only honest man left in the world.

At times the film works as a procedural and then a nail-biting thriller, but the glue is Mikael and Lisbeth. With two hours and 32 minutes, director Niels Arden Oplev has time to show us these characters and what they are capable of. (It also allows time for us to get our bearings on the vast genealogy of the Vanger clan.) Lisbeth never shares her past with Mikael, but the film finds ways to show it to us nonetheless. Her story is just as much a mystery as what happened to Harriet. And even more compelling.