THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
(R16) 129 minutes
Fans of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy lapped up the first movie in the series, and won't be disappointed by the second.
The perfectly cast Noomi Rapace is back as Lisbeth Salander, our anti-heroine, in The Girl Who Played With Fire.
This time, the plot centres
around three murders, which firmly point to Ms Salander as the killer.
Of course, we know it's a set-up - but why, and who really did it?
All signs point to a shadowy character named Zala. But you'll have to sit through all 129 minutes to find out who did it. Despite the length, the movie doesn't leave its audience glancing at their watches, but is full of as much fast-paced action as the last.
Larsson's intricately woven plot would be hard to follow if you haven't read the books. Although the movie is mostly faithful to the author's text, certain threads are missed out for clarity's sake. Erika Berger and Sonya Modig are reduced to bit parts.
The omissions slightly water down the characters, especially Blomkvist, but make the plot easier to follow.
But novices to the series will still enjoy the movie - my companion was hooked.
Like the first one, the film's not for the faint-hearted - it doesn't shy away from violence. Director Daniel Alfredson, who took over from Niels Arden Oplev, has been criticised as being less gritty. But there's plenty enough grit here for most tastes.
Michael Nyqvist is solid as Blomkvist, our hero, but I can't help but think a thinner, more nervy actor would have better suited the role.
Again, the city of Stockholm is almost like another character.
Sweden must have picked up its fair share of literary tourists thanks to these books and movies. And the franchise is surely doing wonders for subtitled films, as it proves it takes nothing away from a fantastic movie.
4.5/5
