(Photo: Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) from “The Girl Who Played With Fire.” Courtesy of Music Box Films http://www.musicboxfilms.com/the-girl-who-played-with-fire )
film review by Warren Day
This well-executed movie is based on the second book of what is known as the Millennium Trilogy, a Swedish mystery series that’s been a world-wide phenomenon, selling over 40 million copies.
“The Girl Who Played With Fire” became the first translated novel to hit number one on the New York Times best seller list in 25 years. The film version of the first book, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” was also wildly successful, winning many awards, and is now available on DVD/Blu-ray.
Preadolescent girls and admirers of Taylor Lautner’s chest have The Twilight Saga, children of all ages have Harry Potter, and now grown-up adults can be thankful we have the reality-grounded but equally compelling Millennium series. The third and last film, “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” will be released this October in the USA.
As Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler did with the detective novel, Stieg Larsson, author of these three books, uses mysteries to cast light into the dark corners of society. His revelations about the underbelly of Swedish society has a particular bite since it’s a country that prides itself on its pristine image. That social commentary along with unusual but well-defined characters elevated Larsson’s taut mysteries from the thousands that come out every year.
And just as the first film borrowed a little from the second book to explain why Lisbeth Salander is the way she is, I wish the second film had subtracted from the first some of the reasons Mikael Blomkvist (and the audience) found her to be such a fascinating creature. Roger Egbert called Lisbeth (played superbly by Noomi Rapace) “as compelling as any movie character in recent memory,” but that isn’t so evident if you’ve haven’t seen the first film.
Lisbeth is not your typical movie protagonist – a bi-sexual, “biker chick” with computer skills and an I.Q. to shame Bill Gates, who’s been victimized at almost every turn, but who refuses to act the victim, but instead takes as much charge of her life as any Alpha male ever did.
At the end of the first book/movie she leaves Blomkvist, the crusading journalist from Millennium magazine, after she helps him solve a 22 year old mystery, hacks into the bank accounts of a really bad crook and leaves for a warmer climate. What draws her back to Stockholm is a triple murder where her fingerprints are on the gun. Some mysterious man with different aliases and a shadowy background seems to be behind it, but who is he and why does he want to frame Lisbeth and involve Blomkvist in such a deadly game?
Do yourself a favor, rent or buy the DVD of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” go to a theater to see “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” and discover again what it’s like to see an adult movie series made by adults for adults.
Rated R for some graphic violence and explicit lesbian sex scene. Opens at area theaters July 9.
Other Films Opening This Week
“La Mission” - Benjamin Bratt plays a former inmate and recovering alcoholic trying to survive in the hard-nail life of the Mission District of San Francisco anyway he can when he discovers his son is gay. Directed and written by Peter Bratt, Benjamin’s brother. Opens July 9
“Grease Sing-A-Long” – They’ve added lyrics as subtitles and the audience will be encouraged to join in and to wear an appropriate costume. Plays July 8 – 10 and 15-17 at Gateway.
“Despicable Me” - State-of-the-art 3D computer animation combined with the old-fashioned humor of Warner Bros. Looney-Tunes (but with a modern edge), this movie promises to be one of the funniest and biggest hits of the summer. It may not be the best season for some genres, but animation, such as the wonderful “Toy Story 3,” is having a great year. Opens widely July 9.
“A Single Man” – What many consider the best gay film of 2009 is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Colin Firth stars in an Oscar nominated performance.
