It’s a shame that subtitled movies don’t make too much in local cinemas because this means few, if any, subtitled movies end up being shown. This means most people end up with just local movies (which have a long way to go) and the usual Hollywood fare. Unfortunately, they’re missing out on a lot because there’s a whole bunch of good foreign language movies out there, French, Chinese, Korean, and even, in this case, is Swedish.
It’s a good thing you have a choice and don’t have to rely on the local cinemas. With a little bit of application of technology here and there, you can enjoy foreign language movies in the comfort of your own home. I’m talking DVDs and BluRays here :|
Now probably the most famous bit about Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (the original Swedish title, Men Who Hate Women) is that it’s an adaptation of a trilogy of novels by Stieg Larrson. Part of the allure is probably Larrson’s quite untimely death from a massive heart attack. But that’s not to say the movie (nor I suppose the novels) is not interesting. On the contrary, it can be quite a compelling watch.
A disgraced investigative journalist (think libel suit) was forced to resign and accept what work he can get: investigating the disappearance of the niece of an eccentric millionaire (aren’t they all?). The twist is that it’s something that happened about 40 years before.
You’d have thought the trail would be cold already but luckily for our hero, the millionaire is very much obsessed with his favorite niece’s disappearance and has amassed a considerable amount of evidence through the years. Something to start with and thus our hero begins his search helped by an unlikely, and I mean unlikely, assistant.
A simple premise but it’s quite intriguing as you would expect a good detective story to be. There are some forced instances but in general the movie can actually make you believe things are genuine and real. Something that’s hard to say for Hollywood movies and their abject lack of sincerity. Probably tinseltown does get into you pretty quick. That by itself is already reason enough to watch this (and other non-Hollywood movies). But in this case, there’s more. Lots more.
Rating: 4/5