The Girl Who Played With Fire
(B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Sweden's latest movie trilogy - based on beloved novels by a now-deceased author - has become something of a worldwide phenomenon (both in literary & cinematic mediums). I quite liked The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo earlier this year. Later this yr., we'll get the bookend The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. But for now, I review the middle film, 'The Girl Who Played With Fire' (directed by Daniel Alfredson). The 1st film focused on the partnership btwn. expert computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (our androgynous leading lady, Noomi Rapace) & investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist); & follows them as they experience an unconventional romance while investigating a corporate crime (including kidnapping & murder).
The story in this film concerns the murder of two Milennium Magazine writers who are working on a story about an Eastern European sex-trafficking ring. Forensics place the blame for these homicides, as well as the killing of parole officer Nels Bjurman (Peter Andersson), on Lisbeth (!), & the police quickly begin to hunt her. Lisbeth, in return, is hunting down the man she believes to be the real killer; a mysterious crime lord named 'Zala' (Georgi Staykov). All the while, Mikael, convinced that his former lover (Lisbeth) is innocent, makes every attempt to clear her name of the 3 murders, and reach her. When that doesn't occur, he launches his own personal investigation; which coincidentally puts him - like Lisbeth - on Zala's trail. Thriller cliches unfold.
The reason I love the 1st film (Dragon Tattoo) is because it established the characters while providing an intriguing corporate crime narrative. We were introduced to the highly enigmatic & wonderful character of Lisbeth Salander. And what occurs in that film, plus how her relationship with Mikael develops is great to see. But this film suffers by comparison (narratively). And there's no more wide-eyed freshness to the proceedings. Noomi Rapace is still GREAT as Lisbeth; her anger is matched by her wits & raw physicality. That said, the mean glare she shoots at her computer screen has already gotten a tad tiresome. Don't get me wrong. The film is absolutely fine. The story threads: exposing the sex-trafficking conspiracy, Lisbeth's troubled childhood, & Mikael trying to exonerate her, makes for an interesting mix. The acting is stellar, once again. And the Fire motif is used well, both during the film, & in the tense, cliffhanger climax.
But you know, this Nordic 'thriller' is in the hands of a completely different filmmaking team than the last movie, and you can tell. I think what I'm most irked by with this movie is that there's too many miniscule plot points going on - blocking the flow of the main inherent story. The film is slightly over 2 hours long, & you could argue that it would have succeeded at 90 min. The other 30 + min. are filler; and not overly interesting, at that. There are also some cliches flying about; the villains are sleazy & second-rate; contrivances (Lisbeth finding a very important package in a place she wouldn't normally have looked); and an icky, exploitative sex scene. Furthermore, the cinematography had a rather cheap, made-for-TV look that disappointed me. I sound cranky. It's just that this perfectly adequate, sometimes great, sometimes flat mystery thriller could have been much better; and it gives me pause in anticipating the final film of the trilogy.
The story in this film concerns the murder of two Milennium Magazine writers who are working on a story about an Eastern European sex-trafficking ring. Forensics place the blame for these homicides, as well as the killing of parole officer Nels Bjurman (Peter Andersson), on Lisbeth (!), & the police quickly begin to hunt her. Lisbeth, in return, is hunting down the man she believes to be the real killer; a mysterious crime lord named 'Zala' (Georgi Staykov). All the while, Mikael, convinced that his former lover (Lisbeth) is innocent, makes every attempt to clear her name of the 3 murders, and reach her. When that doesn't occur, he launches his own personal investigation; which coincidentally puts him - like Lisbeth - on Zala's trail. Thriller cliches unfold.
The reason I love the 1st film (Dragon Tattoo) is because it established the characters while providing an intriguing corporate crime narrative. We were introduced to the highly enigmatic & wonderful character of Lisbeth Salander. And what occurs in that film, plus how her relationship with Mikael develops is great to see. But this film suffers by comparison (narratively). And there's no more wide-eyed freshness to the proceedings. Noomi Rapace is still GREAT as Lisbeth; her anger is matched by her wits & raw physicality. That said, the mean glare she shoots at her computer screen has already gotten a tad tiresome. Don't get me wrong. The film is absolutely fine. The story threads: exposing the sex-trafficking conspiracy, Lisbeth's troubled childhood, & Mikael trying to exonerate her, makes for an interesting mix. The acting is stellar, once again. And the Fire motif is used well, both during the film, & in the tense, cliffhanger climax.
But you know, this Nordic 'thriller' is in the hands of a completely different filmmaking team than the last movie, and you can tell. I think what I'm most irked by with this movie is that there's too many miniscule plot points going on - blocking the flow of the main inherent story. The film is slightly over 2 hours long, & you could argue that it would have succeeded at 90 min. The other 30 + min. are filler; and not overly interesting, at that. There are also some cliches flying about; the villains are sleazy & second-rate; contrivances (Lisbeth finding a very important package in a place she wouldn't normally have looked); and an icky, exploitative sex scene. Furthermore, the cinematography had a rather cheap, made-for-TV look that disappointed me. I sound cranky. It's just that this perfectly adequate, sometimes great, sometimes flat mystery thriller could have been much better; and it gives me pause in anticipating the final film of the trilogy.