The Millennium Trilogy

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (MÄN SOM HATAR KVINNOR) (18)

D: Niels Arden Oplev

Nordisk/Yellow Bird/Music Box/Alliance (Søren Stærmose)

Sweden 🇸🇪 2009 (released 2010)

152 mins

Thriller/Mystery

W: Nikolaj Arcel & Rasmus Heisterberg [based on the novel by Steig Larsson]

DP: Erik Kress & Jens Fischer

Ed: Anne Østerud

Mus: Jacob Groth

Michael Nykvist (Mikael Blomkvist), Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander), Lena Endre (Erika Berger), Sven-Bertil Taube (Henrik Vanger), Peter Haber (Martin Vanger)

Noomi Rapace is excellent in the title role, an expert hacker called Lisbeth Salander, assisting a disgraced journalist who is recruited into investigating the 40-year-old unsolved disappearance of a millionaire's daughter.

This version is much better than the US remake in every way (which is a little mean to Rooney Mara, who was very good in the lead role in the American version). I remember thinking when I watched the US version, was a remake really necessary?

In short: no, it wasn't.

8/10

Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (FLICKAN SOM LEKTE MED ELDEN) (18)

D: Daniel Alfredson

Zodiac/Yellow Bird (Søren Stærmose & Jon Mankell)

Sweden 🇸🇪 2009 (released 2010)

129 mins

Thriller

W: Ulf Rydberg [based on the novel by Steig Larsson]

DP: Peter Mokrosinski

Ed: Mattias Morheden

Mus: Jacob Groth

Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander), Michael Nykvist (Mikael Blomqvist), Lena Endre (Erika Berger), Peter Andersson (Nils Erik Bjurman)

The second in Steig Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy" carries on from events in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (qv).

The story isn't quite as memorable in this chapter, though it does appear to set things up for a thrilling finale in The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, the third film of the trilogy.

Noomi Rapace returns as expert hacker, Lisbeth Salander, who, after a year away from Sweden, finds herself framed for murder. Her only hope is her former ally, journalist Mikael Blomqvist, to clear her name.

Once again, the performance of the two leads are excellent, but the film itself is rather forgettable. Still, it's a finely polished piece of foreign language cinema and fans of the first movie will enjoy it immensely.

7/10

Noomi Rapace in The Girl who Played with Fire

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST (LUFTSLOTTET SOM SPRÄNGDES) (18)

D: Daniel Alfredson

Zodiak/Nordisk (Soren Stærmose & Jon Mankell)

Sweden 🇸🇪 2009 (released 2010)

147 mins

Thriller/Drama

W: Ulf Rydberg & Jonas Frykberg [based on the novel by Steig Larsson]

DP: Peter Mokrosinski

Ed: Mattias Morheden

Mus: Jacob Groth

Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander), Michael Nykvist (Mikael Blomkvist), Lena Endre (Erika Berger), Annika Hallin (Annika Giannini)

A rather disappointing conclusion to the Millennium trilogy, culminating as courtroom drama as expert hacker Lisbeth Salander faces trial for crimes against the state for her actions in the first two segments of the trilogy (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo & The Girl Who Played With Fire).

It's unfortunate that the second instalment to the trilogy was less memorable than the first and the opening to this movie is choppily edited and doesn't trigger memories of prior events, instead just placing you right in the middle of the story and getting on with it.

The acting and production values are all fine and it wouldn't be fair to call it a poor movie, it just really helps if you watch all three films in quick succession, rather than wait for an indeterminate length of time.

6/10

Noomi Rapace in The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest