The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - full transcript

[♪♪♪]

[PHONE RlNGlNG]

What kind is it?
MAN [OVER PHONE]: I don't know.

White?

And the frame?

Dark.
Postmark?

Same as last time.

And no note.

No.

I'm so sorry, Henrik.

[KAREN O & TRENT REZNOR'S
"lMMlGRANT SONG" PLAYlNG]



♪ Ah-ah-ahh-ah ♪

♪ We come from the land
Of the ice and snow ♪

♪ From the midnight sun
Where the hot springs blow ♪

♪ The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands ♪

♪ To fight the horde
And sing and cry ♪

♪ Valhalla, I am coming ♪

♪ On we sweep with
Threshing oar ♪

♪ Our only goal
Will be the western shore ♪

♪ Ah-ah-ahh-ah ♪

♪ We come from the land
Of the ice and snow ♪

♪ From the midnight sun
Where the hot springs flow ♪

♪ How soft your fields, so green ♪

♪ Can whisper tales of gore ♪

♪ Of how we calmed
The tides of war ♪



♪ We are your overlords ♪

♪ On we sweep with
Threshing oar ♪

♪ Our only goal
Will be the western shore ♪

♪ So now you better stop
And rebuild all your ruins ♪

♪ For peace and trust
Can win the day ♪

♪ Despite of all you're losin' ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh ♪♪

[PEOPLE CHATTERlNG]

REPORTER 1 :
Will you appeal?

What is this?
The media event of the year?

Don't try to play it down,
Mikael. lt won't work.

Don't try to play it up.
That won't work either.

REPORTER 2:
Mikael, can we get a quote?

Mikael, will you appeal?

Yes. l'll appeal to you, Viggo.

[REPORTERS CLAMORlNG]

WOMAN 1 [ON TV]:
Up until today, Mr. Blomkvist
was able to play the victim,

the brave journalist going up
against the bad guy.

MAN 1: l don't know why
malicious intent couldn't be proven.
When you call a guy a criminal--

MAN 2:
lf you want to say these things--

WOMAN 2:
Mikael Blomkvist likes publicity.

MAN 3:
There's really no greater disgrace
for a journalist than libel.

REPORTER [ON TV]:
--was found guilty today on 16
counts of aggravated libel.

Can l get that sandwich there?
And a black coffee.

ln an article published earlier
this year, Blomkvist claimed,

Wennerström, founder and president
of the Wennerström Group,

used state funds intended
for industrial development in Poland

in an arms deal with
the right-wing Ustaše in Croatia.

I have nothing against Mr. Blomkvist.
He's a fine journalist,

who l don't believe
is guided by malice.

But what he wrote was inaccurate.

And inaccuracies
can't go unanswered.

All journalists have to accept,
like the rest of us,

actions have consequences.

REPORTER:
Blomkvist was ordered to pay

600,000 Swedish kronor
in damages and all court costs.

Can l get a packet of Marlboro Red
and a lighter?

[MAN SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY
ON TV]

[SlREN WAlLlNG lN DlSTANCE]

[PEOPLE CHATTERlNG]

[CHATTERlNG STOPS]

Tsk. Yeah.

Where have you been?
Walking. Thinking.

Smoking?
Yeah. Just one.

TV4 called.
l told them no statement

until we've read
the judgment in its entirety.

Well, l have. Anyone else?

Everyone who wants
to see you humiliated.

Been on the phone all morning?
l'm as much to blame.

You are? You wrote it?
l read it. l ran it.

Not the same.
Our credibility isn't dead yet.

Mine is.

l'm tired.

l'm gonna go home,
crawl under the duvet
for a week.

l'll call Greger,
tell him l'm not coming home.

Thank you.

lt's possible
we could wait forever.

You called her and spoke to her?
l'm afraid that doesn't mean much.

No one here particularly likes her.

l find it's much better
if she works from home.

But you told her
l wanted to meet with her.

l've told her many times
l prefer her not to meet clients.

[SNlFFS]

FRODE: You like her?
ARMANSKY: Very much.

She's one of the best investigators
l have, as you saw from her report.

But?
l'm concerned you won't like her.

Mm.
She's different.

ln what way?

ln every way.

[SCANNER BEEPS]

[♪♪♪]

MAN [OVER lNTERCOM]:
Miss Salander is here.

[DOOR OPENS]

Lisbeth.

Mr. Dirch Frode.

How do you do?

Something wrong
with the report?

FRODE:
No, it was quite thorough.

But l'm also interested
in what's not in it.

There's nothing not in it.
Your opinion of him isn't.

l'm not paid to give my opinion.
So you don't have one?

He's clean,
in my opinion.

You mean he's hygienic?

He's who he presents himself to be.
ln his business, that's an asset.

Well, there's less
in his asset column after
his conviction today.

True. He made a fool of himself.

lf it happened that way.

Are you suggesting
that he was set up?

That was never part
of my assignment.

But you're right.

He did make a fool of himself
professionally.

How much of a fool did he make
of himself financially?

The judgment will just about
empty his savings.

May l go?
FRODE: Moment.

Your report is light in another area.

His personal life.

Anything you chose
not to disclose?

Nothing that
warranted inclusion.

Does that mean yes or no?

l think what Miss Salander
means, and l agree,
is that everyone has a right

to a certain amount of privacy,
even if they're being investigated.

FRODE:
Not in this case. l need
to know anything about him

l might find unsavory,
even if she doesn't.

He's had a longstanding
sexual relationship

with his co-editor of the magazine.
lt wrecked his marriage but not hers.

Sometimes he performs
cunnilingus.

Not often enough, in my opinion.

No, you're right not to include that.

l know.

[BELFEGORE'S "ALL THAT
l WANTED" PLAYlNG NEARBY]

[COMPUTER CHlMES]

[TlMER DlNGS]

[COMPUTER CHlMlNG]

[WOMAN LAUGHS NEARBY]

You needed a better attorney.
You needed your sister.

She offered.
He declined.

As she hoped.
Never a good idea.

Mixing family and business.
l would've lost anyway.

lt wasn't about Mikael.
lt was about Wennerström
sending a message

to the press and the FSA,
saying, "Don't ask questions."

Cheer up.

[STRADELLA'S "SONATA lN D
MAJOR FOR TRUMPET & STRlNGS"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

Dad.

Nilla, you don't have
to worry about me.

Mom's worried.
About me?

About the money.

[SlGHS]

[KEYPAD BEEPlNG]

[DOOR BUZZES]

[♪♪♪]

[DOOR BUZZES]

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLlCKlNG]

MAN:
Good evening.

[MEL TORME'S
"THE CHRlSTMAS WALTZ"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

Nilla? What are you doing?

Nothing.

Are you serious?

l don't wanna talk about it
since l know you won't approve.

Of, um...?

Nilla.
Light of Life.

Light of what?

[CELL PHONE CHlMlNG]

Hello?
FRODE: Herr Blomkvist.

Yeah.
Forgive me for intruding

on Christmas.
My name is Dirch Frode.

l'm an attorney.
l represent Henrik Vanger.
Perhaps you've heard of him?

Yeah, of course l have.

He'd love to talk to you
about a private matter.

This is an awkward moment.

Oh, l'm sorry. l'm about to sit down
to a Christmas dinner myself.

No, that's not exactly
what l meant.

You're referring
to your recent legal problems.

That has provided us
with much amusement.

l'm sorry?

Herr Vanger has little love
for Herr Wennerström either.

Have him call me.
But he would love to speak to you

in person, if possible. Up north.

ln Hedestad.
That's not gonna be possible.

Herr Blomkvist, he's far too old
to go to Stockholm. Please.

Be so kind as to consider.

Hedestad is lovely in the winter.

l'll call you back on this number.
Okay?

[SlGHS]

Usually when l wake up
in a cold bed it's at home.

l'm sorry.
What are you doing?

l'm writing a press release.
Saying?

You're taking over as publisher,
you're very sorry

for any nuisance
Mr. Wennerström was caused,

and l can't be reached for comment.
Are you giving up?

Stepping aside.

This makes me sick.

[♪♪♪]

[SHUDDERS]

[WOMAN SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY
OVER PA]

FRODE: First time in Hedestad?
MlKAEL: And the last.

FRODE:
Oh, don't say that.
lt's lovely in the spring.

You said it would be lovely
in the winter.

Well, this is unseasonable.

Well, l'll be on the 4:30 train
back to Stockholm.

Unless we get snowed in.

l'm joking.

You'll be home tonight,
if that's what you wish.

[♪♪♪]

VANGER:
Welcome.

Come inside.

lt's warm.

MlKAEL:
How do you do?

So,

what do you know
about me?

You used to run one of the largest
industrial firms in the country.

"Used to." That's correct.
Oh, l didn't mean that.

Should l stay?
No.

My grandfather forged the tracks

that the 4:30 train
will take you home on.

We stitched this country
together.

We made the steel,
milled the lumber that
built modern Sweden.

And what do you think
our most profitable
product now is?

Fertilizer. Heh, heh.

l'm not obsessed by
the declining health
of the company.

But l am with
the settling of accounts.

And the clock is ticking.
l need your help.

l'm-- Doing what?

Officially, assisting
with my memoirs.

But what you'll really be doing

is solving a mystery
by doing what you do so well.

Your recent legal mishap
notwithstanding.

You will be investigating
thieves, misers, bullies,

the most detestable collection
of people that you will ever meet.

My family.

[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]

[KHOMA'S "THE GUlLLOTlNE"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

Would you like to sit?
l could possibly clear
a place if necessary.

Did you make it?
Have you something for me?

l am on welfare,
l do not administer it.
This is not enough.

♪ Only one thing left to do
I can hurt someone like you ♪

♪ Tear you out
For all to see these lies ♪♪

No, thank you.

VANGER:
This is Harriet.

The granddaughter
of my brother Richard.

Richard was a Nazi
of the first order,

joining the Nationalist Socialist
Freedom League when he was 17.

lsn't it interesting how
fascists always steal
the word "freedom"? Heh, heh.

[CLOCK CHlMlNG]

Oh, the 4:30.
Yes, l know. Okay.

Anyway, Richard died a martyr
to the Nazi cause in 1940.

Missed all the real
excitement.

But not the opportunity
to regularly beat his wife,
Margareta,

and their son, Gottfried.

Now, Gottfried, Harriet's father,

was what they used to call
a good-time Charlie.

They still call them that.
Do they? Okay.

He was a charmer,
a ladies' man and a drunk.

ln other words, a born salesman.
Which he did for the company,

traveling around
and taking clients out to dinner.

Well, somebody's gotta do it.
That's right.

Anyway, ahem,
he died in 1965.

Drowned, drunk,
here on the island.

His wife, lsabella, who had
been pretty much useless
as a parent before,

became even more so
after his death,

which is when l began
looking after the children.

Martin, who runs Vanger lndustries,
now that l'm retired.

That's right, l Googled him.

VANGER:
And Harriet.

Ah. She was bright, curious,

a winning combination
in any person.

And beautiful.
Yeah.

Something happened to her?

Someone in the family
murdered Harriet,

and for the past 40 years,

has been trying
to drive me insane.

[♪♪♪]

VANGER:
lt was September 24th, 1966.

A Saturday.

Harriet was 16.

My brothers

and their wives and their
children and grandchildren
were all gathered here

for our loathsome annual
board meeting and dinner.

It was also the day the yacht club
held their autumn parade.

Harriet, with one or two school
friends, went into town to see it.

She returned a little after 2:00.

She came into the parlor.
She asked if she could talk to me.

l honestly don't remember
what l was doing

that l thought
was more important,

but l told her
to give me a few minutes.

lt was during those few minutes
that something else occurred.

The accident had nothing to do
with Harriet,

and yet everything.

Heh. lt was chaos as everybody
put down what they were doing.

Police, ambulance, fire brigade,

reporters, photographers, onlookers
all quickly arrived from town

just as we on the island, the family,
hurried to the bridge from our side.

The driver of the car,

a man named Aronsson,

was pinned and severely injured.

We tried desperately
to pry him loose with our hands

since metal tools might spark.

[lNDlSTlNCT SHOUTlNG]

lt was an hour after the crash
that Harriet was in the kitchen.

Anna herself saw her.

Well, we finally got poor Aronsson
out of his car and off to the hospital.

Just as we from our side

slowly drifted back to the house.

The sun was down,
the excitement over.

We sat down to dinner.

lt was then that l noticed

Harriet wasn't there.

And she wasn't there
the next morning.

Or the next.

Or the next 40 years.

What was she going to tell me?

Why didn't l make time for her?
Why didn't l listen?

And she couldn't have just run away?
No. Not without being seen.

The firemen stayed out all night

on the bridge
pumping up gasoline.

No one swam across
or took a boat.

All the boats were still tied up
on this side Sunday.

Believe me, l checked.

MlKAEL:
She couldn't have just fallen
and drowned?

No. The currents aren't
strong here. Anything that
falls in the water turns up.

Like her father.

His body didn't drift
more than 10 meters

when he drowned the year before.

Oh, no. Someone killed her.

Someone on the island
that day.

Someone close enough to know

what she used to give me
each year on my birthday.

Those are from her.

And the rest, from her killer.

Who knows about these?

There's me, the police,
the killer,

and now you.

VANGER:
After the police investigation
evaporated,

I kept at it, studying
all the information there was.

l have spent half my life
examining the events
of a single day.

l understand your frustration,

but what you're asking me to do,
it's a waste of money.

But we haven't discussed your fee.
We don't need to.

Thank you.

l can't find something
you've been unable
to find in 40 years.

You don't know that.
You have a very keen
investigative mind.

Here's what l propose:

You come stay
on the island.

l have a nice little cottage
by the water you can use.

You study the material
l send you.

You find something l've missed
or you don't.

What you're asking me to do
is set aside my life and career for--

Think of this
as a well-deserved holiday.

A way of avoiding
all those people that you
might want to avoid right now.

As for compensation,
l'll pay you double your salary

for as many months as it takes.

Quadruple it if you solve the mystery.
Herr Vanger--

l'm not done.
l will throw in one more thing,

even though
you're a terrible negotiator.

lt's something you want
more than anything else,

and it can't be bought at any price.
So let me give it to you.

Hans-Erik Wennerström.

He began his career
working for me,

and l have followed it with interest,
shall we say, ever since.

[♪♪♪]

You were right about him.

You just couldn't prove it.

[DEVlCE BEEPS]

We're in the middle
of the worst crisis ever,
and you're writing a memoir.

You fired me. l need something to do.
You fired you.

l need you here, not the North Pole.

Mikael, you know
what this is going to look like.

Like l've been gutted.
l'm running away. l am.

Wennerström wants to see me
wave a white flag, not a red flag.

lf it looks like there's a problem
between us, it'll satisfy him.

There is a problem between us.

He won't be satisfied
until he shuts us down.

You're leaving me to fight him alone.
lt's four hours by train.

lt's not the North Pole.

[THE TOUGH ALLlANCE'S
"A NEW CHANCE"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

[BEEPS]

[PER OHLSSON'S "O TANNENBAUM
(O CHRlSTMAS TREE)"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

Hey, hey.

[♪♪♪]

[SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]

[DlALlNG PHONE]

[LlNE BEEPlNG]

[RECORDED VOlCE SPEAKlNG
lN FORElGN LANGUAGE]

RECORDED VOlCE:
Network busy.
Please try again later.

[DlALlNG PHONE]

[LlNE BEEPlNG]

[CAT MEOWS]

[RECORDED VOlCE SPEAKlNG
lN FORElGN LANGUAGE]

RECORDED VOlCE:
Network busy.
Please try again later.

[MEOWS]

MlKAEL:
What?

Some milk?

[PURRS]

[DlALlNG PHONE]

[LlNE BEEPlNG]

[RECORDED VOlCE SPEAKlNG
lN FORElGN LANGUAGE]

RECORDED VOlCE:
Network busy.
Please try again later.

[SlGHS]

Oh, yeah. These as well.

[SCANNER BEEPlNG]

[DlALlNG PHONE]

[LlNE BEEPlNG]

[MlKAEL GROANS]

[♪♪♪]

[WOMAN SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY
OVER PA]

You're Mr. Palmgren's daughter?

His ward.
He doesn't have a daughter.

[SlGHS]

Please.

DOCTOR:
He's had severe
cerebral hemorrhaging,

either from the fall itself
or from a stroke that led to the fall.

His blood pressure is still high.

l'm hopeful
he'll regain consciousness,
but that's not assured.

And it's possible, even if he does,

that there will be
neurological damage.

[POUNDlNG ON DOOR]

Oh, jeez.

[CAT SCREECHES]

Hi. l'm Gunnar.

The caretaker.

Oh, hey, Gunnar. Come in.
Okay.

You want to put it in there?
Okay.

GUNNAR:
You're an author.

Well, l'm doing a biography
of Herr Vanger.

Oh.

l saw you on television.
That's unfortunate.

Bit of trouble, l guess.

No jail time though. That's good.
No.

Cost you a lot of money
though, yeah?

There.

[SPEAKS lN SWEDlSH]

VANGER:
The entire island is
owned by my family.

Your closest neighbor
is my brother Harald,

another Nazi,
if you can believe.

Two in the family.

Oh, yes, he's quite
detestable, to put it nicely.

But you'll probably never
see him. He's a recluse.

He was there that day?
lndeed, he was.

His daughter, Cecilia,
lives over there.

They don't speak.

Does anybody speak
to anybody on this island?

Ha, ha. Actually, lsabella,
Harriet's mother, who lives there,

she speaks to Harald,
which is one of the reasons
l don't speak to her.

Right.

Cecilia's brother, Birger,
lives over there.

MlKAEL:
Who doesn't he speak to?

VANGER:
You, probably.

But you wouldn't want him to.
He can be just as unpleasant
as Harald.

Quickly losing track
of who's who here.

Ho-ho-ho. How you'll wish
it were always so.

Soon you will know us all
only too well, with my apologies.

Now, out there, my grandnephew
Martin's house, Harriet's brother.

Who speaks to him?

l speak to him.
He runs the company now,
as l think l told you.

[GUNSHOT]

Oh. Someone's shooting
his dinner. Gunnar, probably.

Oh, yes, l met him earlier.

He was 19 when
Harriet disappeared.

Well, he lives over there.

And you live there.
Sorry?

Your house.

Oh. Ha. Oh, yes.

Yes, you're right.

The man who hires the detective

should always be kept
on the suspects list.

[SlGHS]

[♪♪♪]

[lNDlSTlNCT SHOUTlNG]

[lNAUDlBLE DlALOGUE]

Her mother.

[SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]

VANGER:
But what about the search? Please.

Please. l beg you.

[SHOUTS lNDlSTlNCTLY]

MORELL:
The fact that l never found
a body was not surprising.

You can't dig up an entire island.

But neither could l find the motive.

Was it spontaneous?
Was it calculated?

Did she know something
someone wished she didn't?

Was it about business?
Business? Well, she was 16.

And very bright.

Henrik told me and many others
he could easily see her

running the company one day.

She was with some friends
that day at a parade.

She told them she was
feeling unwell. She left early.

But they also told me
she kept secrets from them too.

The main thing l learned was that
teenage girls are complicated.

l have one.
Oh, then you know.

l wanted to, uh, ahem,

ask you about this.

She received that from Henrik
the Christmas before.

l've studied it more times
than l can say.

l know every page of it.

lt's the last page l was curious about.
As was l.

lt's a list of names, numbers
and it must have some significance.

All local phone numbers.

The first belonged
to a woman, Margot,

whose mother was Magda,
who denied knowing Harriet.

The fourth, R.L.,
belonged to Rosmarie Larsson,

an elderly woman who died
some years before.

The other three were not connected
in any way that l could find.

l reminded you of things
you'd rather forget, and l'm sorry.

l can't forget.

lt's my Rebecka case.

Uh, l don't know what that is.

Every policeman has at least one
unsolved case to obsess over.

Back then we had
an Officer Torstensson.

Year after year, he kept
going back to this Rebecka case.

Taking out the files,
studying them over and over.

We were young.
We laughed at him.

And that was also
a missing-girl case?

No, no, no,
that's not why l mention it.

l'm talking about
the soul of a policeman.

MORELL:
Poor old Torstensson
never solved it.

And he never let it go.

[TRAlN HORN BLARlNG]

MAN:
So how's Mr. Palmgren doing?

l heard he had a stroke
of some kind? Huh?

lt's terrible.

Now, what exactly do you do
at this security company?

Make coffee, sort mail.

But not full-time.

Not even part-time consistently.

They somehow got along without
coffee or mail in July and August?

How much do you make there?
Enough.

How much is your rent?

l pay my rent.

And when was the last time
you were late?

Never.

You think that thing through your
eyebrow makes you attractive?

Here's the problem.

There's a discrepancy
between the obligation

of Mr. Palmgren's guardianship and
the management of your finances.

There's no discrepancy. lt was clear
l could manage my own finances.

That is not clear to me.

l'm not a child.
You are not. But you were.

And between then and now,
you were committed

to the locked ward of St. Stefan's
where you continued

to display violent aggression.

And you failed to adapt
to four foster homes,

arrested twice for intoxication,
twice for narcotics,

again for assault,
smashing a bottle into a man's face.

And it's not even that long ago.

You may have conned
Mr. Palmgren into thinking
that you have changed,

but when l'm looking at this,

not to mention the way
you're looking at me now,

l don't think you have.

So the good old
Mr. Palmgren days are over.

Starting now, you will be given
a monthly allowance.

You'll provide me with receipts
for your expenses.

lf the numbers don't balance,
l assume the difference
is going to drugs.

l've taken care of myself
since l was 10.

The state has taken care of you.

Miss Salander, please,
look at me, this is important.

Since your behavior
is elaborately documented in here,

it will shock no one
if l chose an alternative

to the very lenient arrangement
l have just outlined.

Would you prefer
institutionalization?

[♪♪♪]

[SCREAMS]

Mikael?
MlKAEL: Yes.

l'm Liv.
Oh, hi.

We're going to the same place.
Hop in.

Oh, good, thank you.

l found him at death's door,
halfway up the hill.

l'm afraid l'm a little out of shape.
lt's a climb for anyone.

l should've warned you. Come in.
MlKAEL: Thank you, Martin.

MARTlN:
Henrik says great things about you.

LlV: Mmm. Martin? Smells wonderful.
MARTlN: No. Leave your shoes on.

LlV:
What are we drinking?

MlKAEL:
What a place. Look at that view.

l used to work in
the company's petrochemical
division in Göteborg.

When it was sold,
l went with it.

A dark day.

LlV:
l live in Hong Kong, but come back
to Stockholm for family events.

And l drive up to spend
a couple of days with Martin.

lt's just the moose steak she wants.
Who can blame her? lt's wonderful.

[WlND WHlSTLlNG]

Something's left open.
Do you like this wine,

or you want to try something else?
No, no, it's fine.

[TAKEN BY TREES' "ANNANASS"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

You're writing a book now,
Martin said.

Henrik's biography.
l love Henrik. He's fascinating.

Martin too.

Together they are
the old Sweden and the new.

Yes, they are.

You know about Harriet,
right?

You don't?
Yes, l do.

The family doesn't want
to talk about it, but it can't
be swept under the rug.

What can't?
Harriet.

We can talk about it later.

Uh... We can talk about it now.

Liv knows everything
about my crazy family.

That's why she'll never marry me.
That's one reason.

MARTlN:
l don't want to read
about that in the book.

Everything else is fine.
Harriet certainly.

You know,
everything changed after that.

Not just the family,
but the company as well.

How so?
We're not Ericsson or Nordea.

But we're still the largest
family-owned company
in the country.

At our height we had
40,000 employees.

We have half of that now.

And that downward slide
began after my sister's death.

[♪♪♪]

lt broke Henrik's
entrepreneurial spirit

and his heart.

Uh-- You were here that day?
MARTlN: l came in later,

after the accident on the bridge,
with the 4:30 train.

l know it well.
A terrible day.

[SlGHS]

And the days after, you know?

Searching, not finding.
Even worse.

This event, Mikael, it has to have
a big part in your book.

[MARTlN SPEAKS lN SWEDlSH]

l got a call from
social welfare.

l've been assigned
a new guardian.

[♪♪♪]

Hi.
Hello.

l thought l'd come over
and say hello.

l'm Cecilia.
Oh, yes. Please, come in.

Can l get you some coffee?

No, thank you.

We are all uncomfortable
with the idea of a chronicle
of our family.

lt's not about the family.
lt's about Henrik and the company.

Like l said.

lt's not my intention to present
a malicious portrait of anyone.

CEClLlA:
Unlike the one that
landed you in court.

Unlike that one, yes.

So you're not really here to find out
what happened to Harriet.

l can't ignore such a dramatic event,
but, no, that's by no means my focus.

Those boxes that Gunnar
carted down here,

which are where, in the closet now?
Those weren't Henrik's investigation?

l wonder sometimes who's crazier,
my Nazi father or my obsessed uncle.

Since we're talking about her,

since you brought her up,
what was she like?

What was Harriet like?

l'm sure Henrik has told you.
He was my age back then.

He couldn't know what was
really going on with a teenager.

You were the same age.

My sister Anita
was closer to her in age.

She knew Harriet better than anyone.
You should talk to her.

l'd love to. Where is she?
lf l had to guess, London.

You don't know
where your sister lives?

l haven't seen her in years.
We never really got along.

l'm getting used to that comment.
She hates this place more than l do.

She left.
Moved to London, that was it.

You couldn't pay her to send
a Christmas card, much less visit.

l'll track her down for you.

lf you do, and try talking
to her about us,

don't be surprised
if she tells you to fuck off.

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

MAN:
You're backed up, aren't you?

[CLAN OF XYMOX'S
"lN YOUR ARMS AGAlN"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

Hard drive at home, yeah.

Okay. That's good,
because this one's done.

BJURMAN:
Have you ever had any
sexually transmitted diseases?

[BUFFER WHlRRlNG]

And when was the last time
that you were tested for HlV?

How many partners have you had
in the last month?

And how many of those were men?

lt's regulation, l have to ask
these things. lt's a health matter.

Write what you want.

And why do you need
such an expensive computer?

For work.
Making coffee, sorting mail.

l should have control of my money.
And you will.

Once you learn to be sociable,
get along with people. Huh?

Can you do that?

Why don't we start
with that now, huh?

Why don't we start with me?

You do something for me,
l do something for you.

That's what normal people do.

[♪♪♪]

l want you to have that computer.

Feel that.

That's gabardine.

[BELT CLlNKlNG]

Unzip it.

[UNZlPS]

And...

[GASPS]

l like the reticence.

lt's almost convincing.

[MOANS]

[GRAVEYARD'S
"AlN'T FlT TO LlVE HERE"
PLAYlNG OVER HEADPHONES]

[SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]

MlKAEL:
Anita Vanger.

Through there.
Thank you.

Excuse me.

l probably should have made
an appointment.

Mm, no, it's fine. Um...

Please have a seat.
Thank you.

Mikael.
Mikael. How do you do?

How do you do?

So you're looking
for investment counseling?

Well, l would be if l had any money.

l'm sorry, l don't understand.

l'm writing a biography of your
Uncle Henrik. That's why l'm here.

l haven't seen him
in over 20 years.

Actually, it's a lot more
than that.

Haven't seen my sister,
haven't seen anyone
in that family.

Most of what l'm writing about
predates that,

so your recollections are valid.

l wouldn't know where to start,
if that was a question.

Well, then let me narrow it down.
l've gotten up to the 1960s,

to the event that, you know,
changed everything in Henrik's life.

Harriet.

Um, everything that l know
about that, l told to whatever
his name was.

Morell.

My recollections
were a lot better then.

l'm not really speaking
about the event itself.

l just want to get a clearer sense
of what Harriet was like.

She was very messed up.

Well, just like all us
Vanger kids, really, but...

Crazy mother.

Drunken father.

At least her father
wasn't a Nazi.

Was he abusive?
Mine?

No, hers.

Not that l ever saw,
but you could tell that
something was going on.

Some days
she'd be very withdrawn.

And then the next minute
she'd be putting on makeup

and wearing the tightest sweater
that she had to school.

And then she'd be studying
her Bible like a nun.

No Vanger was ever religious.
Can you imagine?

She was obviously
very unhappy.

What do you think happened to her?
Everyone knows what.

You don't have any thoughts
about who or why?

All that l know
is that l felt really sorry for her.

l got away when l was 18
and l never went back.

And she'd have done the same.

But she never made it to 18.

LlSBETH:
Mr. Bjurman, please.
lt's Lisbeth Salander.

MAN [OVER PHONE]:
Hold for a moment, please.

BJURMAN:
Lisbeth, l haven't seen you.
Are you well?

l'm fine. l'm sorry l missed our
appointment, l had a lot of work.

Something the matter?

No, no, nothing to be
concerned about.

Actually, l need another advance
on my allowance.

Can l come to your office tonight?

I don't work at night, Lisbeth.

Why don't you come to my house,
huh? Do you have a pen?

l don't need a pen.
What's the address?

lt's, uh...

[BJURMAN SPEAKlNG
lNDlSTlNCTLY]

[♪♪♪]

[lNTERCOM DlALlNG]

BJURMAN: Hello?
lt's me.

[DOOR BUZZES]

Lisbeth.

Come on in.

You like it?
lt's nice.

lt's home.

What do you need money for
this time?

Food.

How are you?

l'm so glad you decided
to come and visit.

l just want my money.

Well, let's see if we can
help you out with that.

Wait.

ls there a problem?

l just want to know,

am l going to have to do this
every time l need money to eat?

You're so cute
when you're surly.

[GRUNTlNG]

[LlSBETH GRUNTlNG
AND SCREAMlNG]

[HANDCUFFS CLlCKlNG]

[GRUNTlNG]

[SCREAMlNG]

[SOBBlNG]

[GRUNTlNG]

[SCREAMlNG]

l forgot to ask you:

You like anal sex?

[SCREAMlNG]

[PANTlNG]

[THE CHOlR OF NEW COLLEGE
OXFORD'S "LUX AETERNA"
PLAYlNG OVER HEADPHONES]

[MUSlC STOPS]

HARRlET:
Faith is the assurance
of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.
Through faith we understand

that the world was created
by the word of God.

["LUX AETERNA"
PLAYlNG OVER HEADPHONES]

[♪♪♪]

l'll drive you home.
l can get home on my own.

Are you sure?

[♪♪♪]

[KEYS CLATTER]

[GROANS]

ls it any warmer inside?
No.

l apologize if you've been
having financial problems

at the magazine
during Mikael's absence.

We'll work through them.
VANGER: Are you sure?

How long do you think
you can hang on?

Six months?

That sounds about right.

VANGER:
l used to be in the
newspaper business.

We owned six dailies
back in the '50s.

We still own one.
The Courier, here in town.

Which l let my nephew,
Birger, run, because he
can't run anything else.

So, what would you say
to taking on a partner?

Well, we've never had
to consider it before.

We value our independence
very much.

lndependence in publishing
is dependent on advertisers.

However much you have, you retain.
We don't care about content.

Excuse me.
Did l miss something?

Talking about investing
in the magazine.

l gathered that. But why?
Not out of greed, that's for sure.

l feel badly that l've taken
Mikael away from you
at the worst possible time.

But now l am convinced that
this is the right thing to do.
The moral thing.

That's one reason.
And, um...

And...?

The enemies of my friends
are my enemies.

MlKAEL:
How long have you been
discussing this with them?

l haven't.
They called yesterday
and asked me to come up.

Why didn't you tell me?
You live in the woods.

l deserve to be treated
like an idiot?

l wanted to hear
what they had to say.

You would've said no
before they could.

Well, l'm saying it now.
lt's a bad idea.

You heard me tell them
we had six months. l lied.

We will be out of business
in three.

But you don't know this family
like l do. They're crazy.

We're not marrying into it.

lf we do this, that's exactly
what we're doing.

So you wanna say no,
let's say no.

lnstead of 50 percent of something,
let's own 100 percent of nothing.

Mikael?
What?

l'm leaving this godforsaken island
in the morning.

So?
So are you coming to bed or not?

[ULVER'S "lN THE RED"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

How much
do one of those cost?

Around 3000.

This is really gonna hurt.

Your call.

[BUZZlNG]

Vanger lndustries took
a controlling interest in
Millennium magazine,

which, according to analysts,
has been in financial trouble...

MARTlN:
Millennium is an excellent magazine.
We think it's undervalued right now,

which is good business for us.

Well, there's another reason.
l don't like bullies.

REPORTER:
Are you referring
to Mr. Wennerström?

l'm referring to anyone who tries
to sue his enemies into submission.

lf Herr Wennerström
would like to try it again,

he will find himself fighting
a company that can afford
to fight back.

But he's also quite old now,

which may explain how he could be
taken in by a convicted liar.

CLERK:
Three-twenty.

[♪♪♪]

[COMPUTER BEEPlNG]

Shit.

[♪♪♪]

[SlGHS]

WOMAN:
The current archive is on CDs.

The older stuff, still negatives.

What general period
are you interested in?

September, 1966.

Thank you.

ls this about Harriet Vanger?

You're too young
to know about that.

EDlTOR:
Everyone here grows up
knowing about her.

lt's how we're taught
about strangers.

[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]

Lisbeth.
l need to pay my rent.

l need some money.

Oh, come on in.

l feel a bit badly
how we left it last time.

Me too.

[ELECTRlClTY CRACKLlNG]

[GRUNTS]

[♪♪♪]

[DRlLL WHlRRlNG]

[GRUNTlNG]

Good. You're alive.

You recognize this?
l had it with me last time.
l set it here, remember?

And this snap, you see it?
lt's not a snap.

lt's a wide-angle
fiber-optics lens.

[LlSBETH SCREAMlNG ON TV]

[WHlMPERlNG]

l thought it was going to be
another blow job,

which is disgusting enough.

But l misjudged
just how sick you are.

[WHlMPERlNG]

Okay. Here's what's
going to happen.

[GRUNTlNG]

[SCREAMlNG]

Pay attention.

Look at me.

Once you can sit again,

which could be a while, l admit,
we're going to go to my bank

and tell them that l alone
have access to my money.

Nod. After that you will
never contact me again.

Each month you will prepare
a report of a meeting
we will never have.

ln it, you'll describe
how well l'm doing.

How "sociable" l'm becoming.
Then you will negotiate with
the court

to have my declaration
of incompetence lifted.

lf you fail, this video will spread
across the internet like a virus.

Nod.

[WHlMPERS]

And if anything
should happen to me,
if l get run over by a car,

if you run me over with a car,
this will upload automatically.

Nod that you understand.

Ooh. Gabardine.

l'm taking the keys to this apartment
because l'll be checking on you.

lf l find a girl in here with you,
whether she came of her own
free will or not...

No, not the video.

[SCREAMlNG]

l'll kill you.

Do you doubt anything l've said?

Do you doubt what's
in the reports that have
followed me around all my life?

What do they say?
lf you had to sum it up.

They say l'm insane.

[WHlMPERlNG]

No, it's okay,
you can nod because it's true.

l am insane.

Nod!

[WHlMPERlNG]

l know it's going to be hard
for you to abide by my rules.

The abstinence part most of all.

[♪♪♪]

So l'm going to make it
easier for you.

[MACHlNE HUMMlNG]

[GRUNTS]

Lie still.

l've never done this before.

And there will be blood.

[BUZZlNG]

[BJURMAN SCREAMlNG]

[CAT MEOWS]

Hi.
Hi.

What are you doing here?

On my way to Skellefteå.
l can only stay a couple of hours.

What's in Skellefteå?

Bible camp.

Oh, yeah.

l'm not dangerous.

lt's fine, Nilla.
Whatever you want to do is fine.

Everybody needs something.

Just as long as it's not God.

l didn't say that.

l haven't been around
enough to really know
what's going on with you.

And l apologize for that.
But l'd never want you
not to tell me something

because you think
l might not want to hear it.

That's what l'm doing.

MlKAEL:
It should've been me visiting you.

l'm sorry.
lt's okay.

lt was nice seeing you.

Bye-bye.

l'll see you.
Yeah.

Thanks.

Oh, don't go too hard
on the Catholics.

The what?
The article you're writing.

Oh, l'm not writing
an article about Catholics.

The Bible quotes by your desk.

[MOUTHS]
I love you.

[♪♪♪]

HARRlET:
A woman who is
a medium or a sorcerer

shall be put to death by stoning.

lf a dove is the sinner's offering,

the priest shall wring off its head,
cleave its wings,

and burn it upon the altar.

[LlNE RlNGS]

MORELL [OVER PHONE]: Hello?
Detective Morell, it's Mikael Blomkvist.

Yes, hello. How are you?

Not still freezing in Hedestad,
l hope, for your sake.

You know that Rebecka case
you mentioned.

Would you recall her last name?

Of course l do. But what
has that to do with anything?

Nothing, probably.
Jacobsson. Rebecka Jacobsson.

And how was she killed?

She was decapitated.

Her arms were cut off
and she was burned.

But all that happened
in the 1940s.

[SlREN WAlLlNG]

What have you found?
l have to call you back.

Why--?

[SlREN WAlLlNG]

ls it Henrik?
Yeah, we were talking.

He rubbed his arm,
then he collapsed.

Think he's gonna be okay?
l honestly don't know.

You go. Talk to you later.
l'm sorry.

[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]

Evening.

So how is he?

Well, the good news is
he survived.

How he does now, we'll have to see.

He's in intensive care.
Right.

Oh, uh...

May l have one of those?
You want a sandwich?

Small Scotch.
Uh, sure.

Thank you.

Um, l hate to be indelicate,
but Henrik promised me something

when l agreed to do this.
Yeah, Wennerström.

l need to know what he has
on him. Now. ln case, um--

ln case he dies?

Well, that is indelicate.
And l apologize.

l don't know what he has
on him, if you're asking me.

And he can't tell you
in the condition he's in, so...

We also didn't discuss
who l'd report to if something
should happen to him.

Oh, well, you'd report to me,
of course.

But we both know that nothing's
going to come of this, don't we?

No. No, we don't know that.
What do you mean?

l may have found something.
You're joking.

What have you found?

The last time
l reported on something
without being absolutely sure,

l lost my life savings.

l need a research assistant.
Can you authorize that?

Yes. Do you have one
in mind?

l can find someone.
l know an excellent one.

She did the background check
on you.

The what?

Well, you don't think we can
hire just anyone

without doing
a background check.

l want to read that.

Herr Frode was kind enough
to share your report with me.

The investigator's name.
That is her name, yes?

See, l can't find any record of her,
and l'm pretty good at that.

Would it matter what her name is?
lf l wanted to speak to her, yes.

lt's against policy.
You sure?

Just like your sources.
You understand.

Okay. Ahem.

Here's a name for you.

My sister.

She's also my lawyer.

She'll be contacting you.

There are things in here that can
only have come from one place.

The reason you can find
no record of her is because
her records are sealed.

She's a ward of the state.
What's that gotta do with anything?

She's had a rough life.

Can we please
not make it any rougher?

[SHENA'S "ELECTROSEXUAL"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

[VEHlCLE PASSES lN DlSTANCE]

[SlRENS WAlLlNG lN DlSTANCE]

[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]

Who is it?

lt's Mikael Blomkvist.

Actually, l'm not really up yet.
May l come in?

Please?

Hi. You and l need to talk.
l've got us some breakf--

l'm sorry, l didn't realize
you had some company.

Who do you think you are?

l'm the guy you know better
than my closest friends do.

Why don't you
put some clothes on,
get rid of your girlfriend.

We need to talk.

l'm sorry, you have to go.

Okay.

Do you need me to stay?

No.

[DOOR OPENS]

MlKAEL: Bye.
Bye.

Bye.

Sorry.
lt's okay.

l guess l must have alarmed you,
turning up like that.

lf you touch me,
l'll more than alarm you.

That won't be necessary.

Your report,
very detailed.

But for me, it wasn't very entertaining.
lt wasn't meant to be.

When l write about people,
l try to entertain the reader.

Wennerström wasn't
entertained much.

Uh, your boss, Armansky,

yeah, he tells me you only
do jobs that interest you,

so l suppose
l should be flattered.

You gonna sit down?

He also says that you're
the one he goes to when
the job is, um, sensitive.

That's the word he used,
"sensitive." l'm gonna use
"illegal,"

because that's what it was
when you hacked into my computer.

No, l'm not gonna do anything
about that. l could, but l won't.

What l'm gonna do
is l'm gonna tell you a story,

and if it entertains you,
maybe you'll decide to
help me research further.

And if not, l'll do the washing up
and you'll never see me again.

Here, you should eat that.

What kind of research?

Lisbeth-- Oh, can l call you Lisbeth?

l want you to help me catch
a killer of women.

l've got R.J. Rebecka Jacobsson.
l've got absolutely no idea

who the rest of these are
or how they're connected

to the death of a 16-year-old girl,
but they must be somehow.

What we've gotta do is find out who
they are, what happened to them,

and what these Leviticus verses
have to do with anything.

What are you doing?
Getting started.

You can keep talking if you want.
Don't you need to look over these?

l got it.

[♪♪♪]

Cat!

[CAT PURRlNG]

How'd you get in?

MAN:
No one has asked me about
Magda in over 40 years.

Why would a lady like you want
to know about an awful murder?

lt interests me.
Does it?

lSAKSSON:
Her husband was the first suspect.

The husband is always
the first suspect and usually the last.

But not this time.
We moved on to a neighbor.

Then a vagrant.

Once you get to strangers,
it's only a matter of time

before you get to gypsies and you
know you're never going to solve it.

How exactly was she killed?

Miss...?
Salander.

Miss Salander. l hope
you don't mind me asking,
but when did you last eat?

l have a high metabolism.
l can't put on weight.

l'm asking because
it is better to look at what
l am about to show you

on an empty stomach.

HARRlET:
lf a man's offering is a lamb,
it shall be a female without blemish.

He should lay his hand
upon its head,

slaughter it, empty its blood
on the base of the altar,

and he shall be forgiven.

How is he?
He needs surgery,

but there's no DNR in place.
So it's up to the family to decide,

should the occasion arise,
whether to resuscitate or not.

And they're not good at decisions.

So how was it with Miss Salander?

She said yes. Do you think
l might be able to see him?

He was asleep the last time
l looked, but let me check.

Thank you.
Don't check.

Tell him to pack his things
and leave.

Mother, please.
Don't use that tone with me.

lsabella, Mr. Blomkvist
works for Henrik.

We should put this to a vote.
MARTlN: Don't be an idiot, Birger.

We all know what Henrik wants.
Can we just do that?

Henrik is fighting for
his life in there. This is
the last thing he needs.

Excuse me, Mrs. Vanger,
there is no smoking in here.

lSABELLA:
Go back to Stockholm.

When we need a family chronicle
written by a libelist,

we know who to call.

All right. Thanks.

This way, miss.

[DOOR OPENS]

HARRlET:
lf a woman approaches any beast

and lies with it, you shall kill
the woman and the beast.

Their blood shall be upon them.

[TRAlN SCREECHES]

[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]

MARTlN:
My family's impossible.

That's why the company's
such a mess.

l apologize for my
mother's behavior.

l'm used to it.

lt has nothing to do with you.
lt's between her and Henrik.

She lost it when my father died,
and her drinking and her...

Got so bad Henrik took me
and my sister away from her

and left her excommunicated
in the old house

on the other side of the island.

She hasn't forgiven him.

You must stay.

You're the last chance
Henrik has at some kind
of resolution.

Put this to rest
one way or another.

l'll keep my mother away.

But please, hurry.

Of course.

Lisbeth.

l'll get that.
lt's okay.

Martin Vanger.
How do you do?

Fine.

[CHUCKLES]

lt's a girlfriend, or...?
Assistant.

Oh. Thank you so much.

Good night.
Good night.

Problems finding the place?

Everyone in town knows
who and where you are.

That's comforting. Are you hungry?
l can make you a sandwich.

No.

[CLEARS THROAT]

l used to have a motorbike,
a Triumph.

l know.

The five cases
from Harriet's list.

And five more she missed.
Three l'm sure of.

Rebecka was the first,
just as you thought.

The second, M.H., is Mari Holmberg,
a prostitute in Kalmar,

murdered in 1954,
matching Leviticus 20:18.

Right. "lf a man lies with a woman
having her sickness,

he has made naked her fountain
and she has uncovered

the fountain of her blood."

Raped and stabbed,
but cause of death was
suffocation by sanitary napkin.

Okay.
R.L. Rakel Lunde, 1957.

A cleaning woman
and part-time palm reader.

Tied with a clothesline, gagged,
raped. Head crushed with a rock.

Leviticus 20:27.

"A woman who is
a medium or sorceress

shall be put to death
by stoning."

l usually like to smoke outside.
Sara Witt, 1964.

Daughter of a pastor.
Tied to her bed.

Raped. Charred in the fire
that burned down her house.

Leviticus 21 :9.

"The daughter of a priest
who profanes herself
by playing the harlot,

profanes her father
and shall be burned with fire."

Magda Lovisa Sjöberg, 1960.

Found in a barn.
Stabbed and raped with farm tools.

The cow in the next stall
had its throat slit.

lts blood was splashed on her
and hers on it.

Leviticus 20:16.
"lf a woman lies with any beast,

you shall kill the woman and the
beast. Their blood is upon them."

LlSBETH:
Lea Persson, 1962.

Found by her sister in their pet shop.
Raped, beaten.

The killer uncaged the animals,
smashed the aquariums.

There was a parakeet inside her.

Next, Eva Gustavsson, 1960.

A runaway. Raped, strangled.
A burnt pigeon tied around her neck.

Lena Andersson, 1967. A student.
Raped, stabbed, decapitated--

Okay.
l'm not finished.

We're looking for
a serial murderer,

but what could that have to do
with a teenager living on an island?

She was looking for him too.

MlKAEL:
Rape. Torture. Fire.

Animals. Religion.

Am l missing anything?
The names.

They're all Biblical.

The first woman, the whore,
the Virgin Mary.

Rebecka, Sara,
all from the Old Testament.

Which means
they're all Jewish.

One thing the Vangers have
more than their fair share of,
it's anti-Semites.

There's one right there.

LlSBETH:
l can sleep on a couch.

Okay.

Um... Right. Ahem.

Oh, yeah, there might be
a cat somewhere.

Good night.
Night.

Harriet's name isn't.

lsn't what?

Jewish.
No.

[PRlNTER WHlRRlNG]

[COUGHlNG]

What are you doing?
Reading your notes.

They're encrypted.

Please. Have some coffee.

Okay.

Then we're gonna have
a very serious conversation

about what's yours
and what's mine. Ahem.

lt's amazing what you figured out
with the parade photos.

Thank you.

lt's too bad you don't have hers.
Whose?

LlSBETH:
Her.

Can l--? Sorry.

Yeah, all right.

Close that.

No. Not that.

That's the one. Yep.

Where the fuck is that?
That's down there, isn't it?
Okay. Oh, yeah, yeah.

And...

What does that say there?

"N" something "R-S-J."
That's "Norsjö," yeah.

LlSBETH:
Then something "K."
Something "R-l-F."

MlKAEL:
"Carpentry."

Well, we need to find
a carpenter.

Fuck!

[♪♪♪]

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLlCKlNG]

[GAGGlNG]

[CLEARS THROAT]

MlKAEL:
The carpentry shop is gone. l don't
even know if he worked there or not,

but if he did, maybe he used
to come in here for hardware.

l don't recognize him. Sorry.

Well, l had to start somewhere.

l'm no detective, but 1966, l would
have started at a retirement home.

MAN:
This is Brännlund's kid.

Do you know where l might
find him? The son?

Next to his father at the cemetery.

He was killed in an accident
on a construction site, years ago.

But, uh...

she might still be alive.
His widow.

Do you know where
l might find her?

GPS VOlCE:
Please drive to highlighted route.

ln 1966, you were in Hedestad
with your husband.

Oh! Who took these?

A local photographer.

You were taking pictures
too that day,

and l'd love to look at them
if by some miracle you have them.

lt wouldn't be a miracle.
We were on our honeymoon.

But why?

This girl here.
Here, you can see her
better in the enlargement.

See, that's you there.
Just after this was taken,

after she'd seen something
across the street,
she was murdered.

How awful.

There you are.
Thank you.

[♪♪♪]

Would you mind if l made
a copy of this?

No.

MAN:
l can't give you any of this stuff
without authorization

from Mr. Armansky.
So call him.

[PHONE RlNGlNG]

Next time,
fill out the proper paperwork.

[SCANNER WHlRRlNG]

Which one are you?

[PRlNTER WHlRRlNG]

[ELEVATOR BELL DlNGS]

Going down.

How's your sex life?

[ELEVATOR STOPS]

l didn't care much
for your last report.

lt felt perfunctory,
like your heart wasn't in it.

Let's see a little more enthusiasm
for my recovery in next month's.

Don't speak. l don't want to hear
your voice, just nod.

Start looking for a shrink
you can bribe

to swear under oath he can find
absolutely nothing wrong with me.

And stop visiting
tattoo-removal websites.

Or l'll do it again...

right here.

[ELEVATOR WHlRRlNG]

[CLlCKlNG TONGUE]

[DOORKNOB RATTLES]

[BlRD SQUAWKlNG]

[GUNSHOT]

[♪♪♪]

[GUNSHOT]

[PANTlNG]

Ow, ow, ow.

ls that dental floss?
Yes.

Oh.

You're gonna sterilize that, right?

Couldn't we just use tape
or something?

No.

What?

Thank you. Jesus! Ow!

Drink.
Okay.

Just be careful. lt's my eye.

Don't move.
You're not a doctor.

[lNHALES SHARPLY]

[GRUNTS]

[PANTlNG]

Take off your wet clothes.
What?

Yeah. Thank you.

Yeah, l think
it has stopped bleeding.

lt still fucking hurts, though.

[LOCK CLlCKS]

Madness.

l mean, madness.
This is fucking madness.

Whew. You're okay,
you're okay, you're okay.

Ow. Jesus, that hurts. Fuck.

This is insane.
l mean, these people--

Somebody was shooting at me.
l mean, it wasn't an accident.

No one's shooting
at you now.

You know, l'm pretty sure
this is a bad idea.

Why?

l'm old and we work together--

You work with what's-her-name
and that's worked out for you.

Yeah, well,
l do have some standards,
believe it or not.

You need to stop talking.

[♪♪♪]

Uh-- Oh, shit.

[BOTH PANTlNG]

Do you want me to open
the window?

l like working with you.
l like working with you too.

lt could have been a stray shot.
Not by Gunnar.

lf he wanted to shoot him,
he wouldn't be here.

And then we have poachers.
They shoot at anything
that moves.

Or he's right, Dirch.
What if he is?

This has to stop.

Do you want to stop, Mikael?

Look, l have police reports,
photos,

Henrik's notes, my notes,
Lisbeth's research.

What l don't have is
Vanger lndustries' records.
That's what l want.

Why?
Will you authorize it?

What, the private
corporate records?
Well, how far back?

Henrik said l could have
access to everything.
This is what l need.

That's not what he meant.
l'll sign a nondisclosure statement.

Just a minute.

l think Henrik
would say yes.

That's why he has me,
to protect him from himself.
lt's insane.

What have we got to hide?

After 120 years of business,
probably a lot.

lf this is what he needs to finish,
he should have permission.

What am l looking for?

Any connections between
Vanger lndustries

and the towns where
the women were killed.

And everything
about Frode.

[DOOR BUZZES]

[♪♪♪]

MlKAEL:
Your father was taking pictures
that day that no one has seen.

l'd like to take a look at them.
So ask him.

l was wondering if you could do that.
l don't speak to him.

Could you make an exception
in my case?

Are you afraid to be
in the same room with him?

l'm not saying
you shouldn't be.

So you won't help me?

Sorry.

Please?

Are you finished?
l need to know where all factories,

offices and projects
were from 1949 to 1966.

You already have everything.
No, l don't.

Nothing on subsidiary corporations,
partnerships or suppliers.

You'll have to do without.
Mr. Frode said l have access

to whatever l need. l need this.
You have access to this floor.

Call him.

Thank you for seeing me.

Come in.

Tea?
Please.

Sven Olov Lindholm.

Me.

Handsome.

HARALD:
Birger Furugård.

Me.

Per Engdahl.

But your interest is in my more
candid photographic work.

Friends, relations,
that kind of thing.

Please.

[♪♪♪]

"Blom" or "Bloom"?

Blomkvist.

l'm not a recluse.

l don't close my door
to anybody.

Thank you.

They just don't visit.

Well...

perhaps if you redecorated.

Hide the past like they do?

Under a thin, shiny veneer?

Like an lKEA table?

l am the most honest
of all of them.

The family?
Sweden.

HARALD:
Landscape?

Some nice landscapes there?

Who is this?

The blurry one.

l can't tell.

Oh, that's Gottfried's boy.

That's Martin.
Yeah.

Handsome but useless
young man, like his father.

Like his father.

[CLEARS THROAT]

We're closing.
Nowhere near finished.

l'm not authorized to stay late.
l am.

And l need access
to everything, including
anything that's locked.

Call Frode.

Leave the keys with the guard.

[SPEAKS lN
FORElGN LANGUAGE]

[♪♪♪]

[DOOR SLAMS]

Come on.

[LlNE BEEPS]

Shit!

[KEYS JlNGLlNG]

[DOOR OPENS]

[WlND WHlSTLlNG]

Martin?

[VENDlNG MACHlNE WHlRRlNG]

[WlND WHlSTLlNG]

[SlGHS]

[CAR APPROACHlNG]

[WlND WHlSTLlNG]

[MlKAEL GRUNTS]

Mikael.

Hi there.

Your evening stroll?

Yes, that's right, l...

How are you?
Good.

l stopped by the hospital
on my way home.

Henrik asked me
to ask you something.

What was that?

Come on in.
l'll make you a drink.

[♪♪♪]

Hello, Martin.

Shut the door.
lt's quite windy.

What happened to you?
When?

Just now.

l, heh, fell in the dark.

You don't have a flashlight?
l'll get you one.

l just wasn't being careful,
that's all.

[CHUCKLES]

How's the investigation going?

Nothing new to report.
No?

Dirch says the girl
is really clever.

Maybe she'll turn something up.

Maybe.

Thank you for that.

So, what did he say?
What?

You said Henrik asked you
to ask me something.

Well, l just did.
What?

How's the investigation?
Oh, yeah.

That was his question.

Do you hunt?

We should go hunting
together sometime.

Sure.

Nothing at all new to report?

No. Nothing.

l can see you're anxious.
No.

No, l mean to get home
after the walk.

Yeah, well, l suppose l am.

To have dinner
with your girlfriend.

Assistant.

We'll have better luck
with a gun.

l'm sorry?
When we go hunting.

A gun. Rather than a knife.

l want to show you something.

Bring your drink.

Leave my knife.

[♪♪♪]

To the right.

[LlNE RlNGlNG]

MlKAEL [ON RECORDlNG]:
Hi, leave a message. l'll call--

You know what's harder
than shooting someone?

Just missing him.

That was a very good shot
up at the cabin.

lt didn't work. l'm here.

Mikael, it did work. You're here.

[BEEPS]

lnside.

[GRUNTS]

Spilled your drink.

Why didn't you
just go home?

May l?
Heh.

How did you do it?

What did you find?

[GRUNTS]

We can talk
or we can just get on with it.

l found a photograph

no one has seen.

Of?
You.

ln an Uppsala
prep school blazer.

What does that prove?

You lied about
where you were that day.

Did l?
Or rather, when.

So what?
People lie all the time.

lt also says that you
and Lena Andersson
were schoolmates.

Lena.

That was a long time ago.

Where's this photo now?
ls it with all the other crap
on your desk?

There's a copy on my laptop.
There's another copy

on a secure website.
Secure website. Ha-ha-ha.

That's a lie.

How much does the girl know?

l hope it's as much
as you do.

That'll make it fun.

Where is she?

Stockholm. She went this morning.

That's a lie.

She's at our offices
looking at more old crap.

l got a call from our
archives manager.

She was very perturbed
with this girl Lisbeth.

l like that name.

Lisbeth.

So when Lisbeth leaves,
l will get a call from security,

so l can be at your cottage
to greet her.

l can't thank you enough
for bringing her to me.

Hey, hey.

[♪♪♪]

So, what do you
wanna know?

You're a journalist,
ask me questions.

What do l do with the girls?

That's a good question.

Well, before,
l do what we're doing:

Sit down, relax, have a drink.

l like that part a lot.

Having a chat when
both of you know that
one of you is going to die.

And afterwards,
l just get rid of them,
far out at sea.

Unlike my father,
who left them scattered

all over the place, like trophies.
That's not very smart, if you ask me.

Well, he was a loud
and garish man.

Frankly,
he got what he deserved.

You can't be a sloppy
technician like that.

You can't drink to excess
like he did.

This takes discipline.

lt's a science
of a thousand details.

The planning, the execution.

lt's the cleanup.

l guess l don't have to tell you,

but you're going to create
quite a mess here.

[COUGHlNG]

Shh-shh-shh. Shh.

Let me ask you something.

Why don't people
trust their instincts?

They sense something is wrong,

someone is walking too close
behind them.

You knew something
was wrong.

But you came back
into the house.

Did l force you?
Did l drag you in? No.

All l had to do
was offer you a drink.

lt's hard to believe that
the fear of offending

can be stronger
than the fear of pain,
but you know what? lt is.

And they always come willingly.

And then they sit there.

They know it's all over,
just like you do.

But somehow,
they still think they have a chance.

"Maybe if l say the right thing.

Maybe if l'm polite.

lf l cry, if l beg."

And when l see the hope
draining from their face,

like it is from yours right now,

l can feel myself...

getting hard.

But, you know, we're not
that different, you and l.
We both have urges.

Satisfying mine

requires more towels.

[ENYA'S "ORlNOCO FLOW"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

♪ Sail away, sail away ♪

lt might amuse you
to know

that while you were upstairs
having moose with me and Liv,

who, by the way,
finds me very conventional,

l had lrina down here
in that cage.

Who is lrina, you might ask?

Just another girl.

Just another immigrant whore.

Who misses them?
Your sister wasn't.

What?

Your sister Harriet
wasn't just another girl.

You found her?

What happened to her?

[GRUNTlNG]

You killed her.

You useless fucking detective.

[PANTlNG]

This too tight to talk?
Good. l'm tired of talking to you.

[GRUNTlNG]

♪ Turn it up, turn it up
Turn it up, up, up ♪

[MlKAEL GASPlNG]

♪ Sail away, sail away, sail away ♪

l've never had a man
in here before.

[GASPlNG]

ln fact,
l've never touched a man,

except my father.

That was our duty.

Harriet's and mine.

♪ We can sail, we can sail ♪

♪ Sail away, sail away, sail away ♪

♪ We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel ♪

♪ We can sigh, say goodbye
Ross and his dependencies ♪

Hey.

[YELLS]

♪ Sail away, sail away ♪

[GRUNTlNG AND GASPlNG]

[PANTlNG]

♪ Sail away, sail away, sail away ♪

♪ From Bali to Cali
Far beneath the Coral Sea ♪♪

There's a gun.
There's a gun on the television.

May l kill him?
Yeah.

[CAR ENGlNE STARTS]

[♪♪♪]

[TlRES SCREECHlNG]

[♪♪♪]

[MARTlN SCREAMlNG]

[♪♪♪]

[lNDlSTlNCT RADlO CHATTER]

[SlREN WAlLlNG]

[♪♪♪]

How come a 23-year-old

is a ward of the state?

l'm mentally incompetent
and can't manage daily life.

Since when
have they said that?

Since l was 12.

What happened
when you were 12?

l'm sorry, that's--
That's none of my business.

l tried to kill my father.

Burned him alive.

Got about 80 percent of him.

Oh.

l made some coffee.

[COFFEE POURlNG]

MlKAEL: Who's that?
LlSBETH: lt's Harriet.

l found it in Martin's basement
among his souvenirs.

No, Martin didn't deny
killing anyone.

But when l mentioned Harriet,
he was confused.

He got angry at me because
l couldn't tell him what
had happened to her.

He didn't kill her.

His father didn't do it.
He was dead the year before.

What if she did somehow
manage to get away?

l mean, if...

she is still alive,

then there's only one person in this
family who'd know where she is.

[SNORlNG]

[BELL DlNGS]

[♪♪♪]

Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me.

[CAR DOOR OPENS]

Your turn.

Right, um...

Here.

[DOORBELL RlNGS]

Hi. Look, l'm sorry to bother you.

What do you want?

Has no one called you?
About?

Your cousin Martin.

What about him?
He died in a car accident

last Thursday. There's going
to be a memorial in Hedestad.

l'm not interested
in any memorial.

Well, l understand.
What do you understand?

Well, that you don't care
very much for your family.

Look, l just thought you should know.
Now l know.

[♪♪♪]

Ahem.
How'd it go?

Okay, l think.

She's on.

And she's shopping.

She's still playing solitaire?
Hm.

MlKAEL: She hasn't called anyone?
No.

MlKAEL:
We have her cell phone too?

l was so sure she was
gonna lead us to her.

Put your hand back in my shirt.

There's only one reason
she hasn't called Harriet.

She can't.
Because Harriet is dead.

[LlSBETH PANTlNG]

l was just thinking that--

Just one second.
Okay.

[LlSBETH MOANlNG]

[LlSBETH SlGHS]

What were you going to say?

l was just thinking,
there could be one
other possibility.

ANlTA:
Well, we could, absolutely.

What is it now?

Before he died,
your brother hung me from a hook...

Harriet.

MlKAEL:
So you sent the flowers.

HARRlET:
Yes, l did.

MlKAEL:
We found in the Swedish Family
Registry that Anita was married.

But the family never knew, did they?
No.

So l'm guessing she
then came here on her
married-name passport,

and you followed
on her maiden-name passport.

No, actually, it was
the other way around.

She thought that
it was safer if l traveled
with Spencer myself.

Well, what did he think
about that?

Nothing.
Only that he loved her.

She said, "lf you love me,
you'll do this and not ask why."

And he never did.

And they both died
20 years ago.

Car accident.

You found that out too.

ls that you?

l was 14 the first time
he raped me.

Martin.

No, my father.

Martin only started
after he had died.

Well, why didn't you tell somebody?
l did. My mother.

Henrik would've done something.
l almost told him.

But l was afraid
because of what l'd done.

l, uh...
You still don't understand, do you?

A year after the first time,

and there were many times
during that year,

my father got drunker
than usual one night

and he started bragging
about the women he'd killed.

He quoted from the Bible
as he tore my clothes off.

He tied a belt around my neck.

He wanted to kill me.

[SNlFFLES]

l, um...
l got out of the house.

l went down to the dock.

He came staggering after me.

l could never fight him off
in a small space,

but out in the open,

l was strong enough
to deal with an old drunk.

When it was over...

l looked up and Martin was
standing there, staring at me.

And all l'd accomplished was
substitute one for another.

A couple of months later, Henrik
sent Martin to school in Uppsala.

And l thought that maybe,
just maybe, the nightmare
was finally over.

And then l saw him
the day of the parade,

across the street.

And l knew
that it would never be over.

So how did you escape?

Anita. She...

She insisted
that l leave everything behind.

lf l took anything
the police might have
suspected that l was still alive.

As everyone ate dinner,
l was no more than
20 meters away from them.

I spent the night there.
That's when the search started.

In the morning,
she came to get me.

I'd grown up with that bridge
as my link to home,

but all l could think is,

if l could just get away
from them,

just get past the police,

then l might be safe.

And l was.

Until you showed up.

You're safe now.

How did you get away?

Someone saved me too.

MlKAEL: How are you feeling?
l'm fine.

Thank you, Anna.

l made you a promise,

whether you found
anything or not.

So, what do you have
to tell me?

VANGER:
What's this?

Hello, Henrik.

[SOBBlNG]

FRODE:
l barely remember Wennerström
working here, much less being fired.

How could you?
lt was such a long time ago,

which is kind of more
to the point than the money
he embezzled from you.

You're referring
to the statute of limitations,

but l had no idea this is what
Henrik was holding out.

lf l had, l never would've
let him bring you up here.

He wasn't trying to deceive you.

He knows you can't try somebody
35 years after the event.

l like Henrik, but he knows that.
A man's reputation means something.

He believes that.
He thought you could
destroy Wennerström

in the court of public opinion.
The court of public opinion

celebrates people's bad behavior.
He's an elderly man.

He promised me Wennerström's
carcass on a plate.

This isn't even the plate.

l can't do anything with this.
Yes, of course.

What happened
with Wennerström?

How did he get you?

l was stupid. l heard something.
l got it from an anonymous source,

who l'm now sure was one
of Wennerström's lackeys.

lt was fake.

Which he easily proved
in court.

You were emphatic
that the way l looked
into your life

was illegal and immoral.
Would you feel the same
about Wennerström?

Go on.
l did some work on my own on him

before you hired me.
l haven't looked at it all

because you
and Harriet-fucking-Vanger

have kept me busy.

But l may have something.

You may have something?

Maybe.

MlKAEL:
They launder money
from arms and drug sales

and crime syndicates in Russia.

And that money accounts for all
but 5 percent of his holdings.

The rest ends up in accounts
in the Cayman lslands.

And how do you know this?
This time you don't want to know.

This time l do want to know.

l have access to his computer,

and his accountant's and lawyer's.
And how do you have that?

l could've gotten it from a source
inside the company.

You didn't.
But that's what you'll say.

And what will you say to me?

Well, that depends
if you really want to know.

l do.
Mikael, how did you get access?

[DOOR OPENS]

[HELMET CLATTERlNG]

[BLENDER WHlRRlNG]

Financial journalist
Mikael Blomkvist, who, this time
last year was convicted of libel

[KNOCKlNG ON DOOR]

in a Stockholm courtroom,

doesn't seem to have learned
from his mistakes.

Or maybe he has.

In the current issue of Millennium
magazine, he now charges

the company that sued him,
the Wennerström Group

MlKAEL:
The shit hits the fan.

of criminal activities
on a global scale.

What happens now?

Well, he'll say
it's a personal vendetta,
which won't wash.

The police will investigate,
Fl will investigate.

lt'll go to court.
Maybe he'll go to prison.

You think?

Probably not.

These guys never do.

[SHOWER RUNNlNG]

[SHOUT OUT LOUDS'
"A TRACK AND A TRAlN"
PLAYlNG OVER SPEAKERS]

♪ But here it comes at last ♪

♪ And my heart
Beats faster than safe ♪♪

What's wrong with you?

lt's embarrassing.
Tell me.

l need to borrow some money.
Oh.

Fifty thousand.

l have a chance
to make an investment.
lt's a smart, safe investment.

l really don't think l've got 50,000.
Yes, you do.

You have 65,000
in your two accounts.

l'm sorry that l know that.

You'll get the money back,
l promise.

Okay.

You want a coffee?

[♪♪♪]

These allegations, like the last one
from this so-called journalist,

are as ridiculous
as they are untrue.

I'll be seeing Mr. Blomkvist in court
again, and l'm looking forward to it.

What about his documentation?

Fabricated. All of it.

NEWSCASTER [ON TV]:
The Securities Fraud Office
isn't quite as certain

as Mr. Wennerström of that.

WOMAN:
lf a fraction of what Mr. Blomkvist
alleges proves to be true,

not only will there be
a securities investigation,

but an organized-crime inquiry
as well.

REPORTER 1 :
Mr. Blomkvist names no sources.

WOMAN:
And we can't force him to.
But we can look for them.

REPORTER 1 :
Beginning where?

WOMAN:
Those closest to Mr. Wennerström.

Only someone in the inner circle
of a corporation like this

has access to this kind
of information.

Mr. Wennerström isn't available
for comment,

but I'll be happy
to answer questions.

REPORTER 2: Where is he?
LAWYER: At home, l imagine.

REPORTER 2:
No, he's not.
Has he left the country?

l don't, uh, think so.

[BOTH SPEAK lNDlSTlNCTLY]

[BEEPS]

Okay. Thank you.
Thank you.

Welcome to the
Dolder Grand, miss. May l
have your passport, please?

NEWSCASTER [ON TV]:
With his failure to appear

before a Security Exchange
Commission panel,

a warrant has been issued
for the Wennerström Group CEO.

WOMAN:
l can confirm that he left Sweden

on a private jet
that landed in Paris last week.

Whether he's still there,
we don't know.

He can be anywhere by now.

[♪♪♪]

Thank you.

l have accounts at Bank
of Kroenenfeld, Cayman lslands.

l'd like to transfer them
and convert to bonds.

Naturally,
you have the clearing codes.

Naturally.

How many accounts
will you transfer?

Thirty.

Oh. This will take some time.

You will receive 4 percent
commission.

l will.
Then it won't be a waste of it.

REPORTER [ON TV]:
A Swedish tourist vacationing
here in Barbados

says he knows where fugitive
financier Hans-Erik Wennerström is:

Here, in this Caribbean island's
capital, Bridgetown.

Police released this photo and
believe it is the disgraced billionaire.

Uh, how many of these
would you like to convert
for deposit?

All 50, into five accounts.

[CLEARS THROAT]

[KEYPAD CLACKlNG]

Yes. That looks correct.

[DlALlNG]

[♪♪♪]

[WOMAN SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY
OVER PA]

REPORTER [ON TV]:
The man who is now being called
Sweden's Charles Ponzi

may no longer have a country
to call home,

but does have enough money
to buy one.

According to the International
Banking Commission,

Wennerström, a week after
the Millennium article appeared

on newsstands,
began emptying accounts

at Bank of Kroenenfeld
in the Cayman lslands.

That money,
approximately 2 billion euros,

was then spread over
a number of accounts

with the help of this confederate,
seen here in Zurich.

Hey.
Hey.

The money l borrowed.
Already?

Mm.

Thank you.

Hm?

No, l quit.

lt was a good investment?

lt was okay.

What are you doing later?

l'm seeing my daughter.

Hm. Okay.

You look nice.

[WOMEN LAUGHlNG
lN DlSTANCE]

lt's Christmas again.

l'll see you soon.

REPORTER [ON TV]:
Mr. Wennerström
won the libel case...

You got that call in the office.

l miss our meetings.

l'm sure you don't.
Why would you?

l was always such
a headache for you.

Never showing up
with good news,
only problems.

l have good news now.

l made a friend.

l mean,
one that you'd approve of.

l'm happy.

REPORTER [ON TV]:
A man who authorities here
in Marbella have confirmed

is fugitive Hans-Erik Wennerström,
shot three times in the head

in what police are calling
a classic gangland execution.

The investigation
into Wennerström's ties

to crime organizations worldwide
will now turn into speculation.

Which of them caught up with him
before Swedish authorities could?

Wennerström spent the last days
of his flamboyant life...

[♪♪♪]

lt's nice.
Your father?

A friend.
Must be a very good friend.

MlKAEL: We're late.
ERlKA: Fashionably late.

[MlKAEL & ERlKA
SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]

[ERlKA LAUGHS]

♪ Just one step at a time ♪

♪ And closer to destiny ♪

[HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS'
"lS YOUR LOVE STRONG
ENOUGH" PLAYlNG]

♪ l knew at a glance ♪

♪ There would always be
A chance for me ♪

♪ With someone
l could live for ♪

♪ Nowhere l would rather be ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Like a rock in the sea ♪

♪ Am l asking too much? ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Just one beat of your heart ♪

♪ And stranger than fantasy ♪

♪ l knew from the start ♪

♪ lt had to be the place for me ♪

♪ Someone that l would die for ♪

♪ There's no way
l could ever leave ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Like a rock in the sea ♪

♪ Am l asking too much? ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Just one beat of your heart ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Just one beat of your heart ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Just one beat of your heart ♪

♪ ls your love strong enough? ♪

♪ Just one beat ♪♪