The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Mikael Blomkvist is supposed to be the detective here, and he spends most of the movie in a cabin waiting for Lisbeth to send him something useful. Michael Nyqvist gives him a rumpled decency and 152 minutes of reacting. Noomi Rapace is doing the actual work. Her Lisbeth is a closed door with a laptop, watching everyone and trusting nobody, and somehow you can read every thought behind that stare. The mystery is a good old-fashioned puzzle: a girl gone missing decades ago and an island full of relatives who keep their curtains shut. Watching two loners build a case out of clippings, dates and records is the best part. The film looks more like a TV movie than it should, and it’s grim, strictly grown-up viewing. It made $104.4 million worldwide on a reported $13M. A 7.7 because Rapace is unforgettable and the case is gripping, even when Mikael isn’t. $8.85 says you finish this wanting a black hoodie, a fast laptop and nobody asking you any questions.

What works: Noomi Rapace’s guarded, razor-sharp Lisbeth, and the slow pleasure of two loners solving an old case from clippings, dates and records.

What doesn’t: Mikael is a passive lead, the TV-movie look flattens it, and a business plot drags on after the mystery is solved.

Who it’s for: Adult mystery fans who like cold cases, family secrets and a hacker who trusts nobody.