Synopsis:
In the opening of the movie, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged publisher for the magazine Millennium, loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Nevertheless, he is hired by Henrik Vanger, the aged former CEO of a group of companies owned by a wealthy dynasty, in order to solve a cold case – the disappearance, some forty years ago, of Vanger’s niece when she was sixteen. Lisbeth Salander is a punk computer hacker. Due to problems in her youth, she has a guardian controlling her money. She needs a new computer, but in order to get it he forces her to have sex with him repeatedly, and with increasing brutality; he threatens to get her into trouble if she tells on him. However, she secretly tapes the second incident, and later takes revenge by hitting him with a golf stick, undressing him, and tatooing on his chest that he is a rapist. She threatens to reveal the tape to authorities if he does not write favorable reports about her. By accident she meets Blomkvist and helps him with the investigation. Blomkvist is almost killed by a serial killer, but Salander saves him. Finally they discover that the missing woman is alive, in Australia. After Blomkvist visits her she decides to return, and reunite with Vanger.
The 16-year old girl Harriet Vanger disappeared without a trace, on September 29th 1966. Nearly forty years later a journalist by the name of Mikael Blomqvist gets an unusual assignment. Hes contacted by the industrial leader Henrik Vanger, who wants him to write the history of the Vanger family. The family chronicle is just a cover for the real assignment: to find out about what really happened to Harriet. Mikael who recently been indicted and convicted on counts of slander, feels that he need a break from his job on the Millennium magazine take on the job. He gets help from the young and troubled computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Together the odd couple starts to dig in the past of the Vanger family and meet a darker and bloodier history than they ever could have imagined… (Courtesy of the pocket book Män som hatar kvinnor, by Stieg Larsson, taken from the back of the book.)
Other Info:

Män som hatar kvinnor

• Director: Niels Arden Oplev

• Actors:
  Mikael Blomkvist

  Michael Nyqvist
  Lisbeth Salander

  Noomi Rapace
  Erika Berger

  Lena Endre
  Henrik Vanger

  Sven-Bertil Taube
  Martin Vanger

  Peter Haber
  Nils Bjurman

  Peter Andersson
  Cecilia Vanger

  Marika Lagercrantz
  Dirch Frode

  Ingvar Hirdwall
  Gustav Morell

  Björn Granath
  Harriet Vanger

  Ewa Fröling

• Writers:
  Nikolaj Arcel

   
  Rasmus Heisterberg

   
  Stieg Larsson

   

• Source:    IMDb's page for this movie