Wednesday, January 06, 2010

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden)


Second installment of the Millennium Trilogy series, following “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”.

While Blomkvist and other Millennium journalists research the sex industry according to the rules of good journalism, Salander tries to take matters into her own hands. She wants punishment for the traffickers, but before she can carry out her plan, she is accused of murder, connected to the sex trafficking exposé about to be published in Millennium.

To avoid being captured, Salander disappears and Blomkvist, convinced she is innocent, tries to find her to help clear her name. When he does make contact, it is to discover that Salander is involved in his investigation in more ways than he could imagine.

I’d like to say you can see this movie without watching the first one or reading the books; but I don’t recommend it. The movie follows on some of the facts that happened previously and explains a lot more about the main character, Lisbeth Salander.




As I thought it would, it cuts some interesting information that is on the book, but as I said before, it is not easy at all to make a very deep and intense book fit in a movie. I hope it will make you read the books, as it’s well worth the effort.

Director Daniel Alfredson is not up to the task he had on his hands and the movie suffers a little in comparison with the previous one because of it.

In spite of that, again we have great acting and a compelling story. Noomi Rapace does not disappoint and neither does her character Lisbeth, a truly kick-ass girl. The movie is over two hours long, but you don’t notice it, since it’s packed with action and has a good plot. Unfortunately the sex trafficking theme is only touched very softly, setting the background to what actually turns into a chase for Salander. So, either you are a fan of Salander or not; if not, skip the movie and forget about her. If you are, you’ll certainly enjoy the movie.

In an interesting detail that some will miss, we find former boxer Paolo Roberto playing himself.

I can hardly wait to read the third book and watch the final movie and, as many fans, I’m truly sorry to know that will be the end of it, following Larsson’s death. In my opinion Salander had the potential to become a 21st century icon of investigation, not unlike a Sherlock Holmes (if you have seen the new Holmes movie you’ll understand better, but that’s another review).

I hate the official poster for this movie as I think it makes Lisbeth look cheap, but that is just my personal opinion. That’s why you are getting a frame of the movie with this review instead of the usual poster.

I keep hearing that there will be a Hollywood version of the Trilogy, and I keep praying it won’t happen. I can’t imagine anyone else but Rapace and Nyqvist playing the main characters and I don’t see the point of remaking the movies.Besides, I can’t remember an American adaptation of a European movie that is better than the original. Not even “Three Men and a Baby”.

By the way, this time I agree with Storyteller as this movie fits the “lesbian interest” tag. Really. And if you are thinking “sex scene”…well, check it out for yourselves.

Green light!

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