The Girl Who Played With Fire - Movie Review

The Girl Who Played With Fire is based on the second book in the Millennium series created by author Stieg Larsson. The original series was made up of a trilogy (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest). There was a fourth book that was in the possession of Larsson's life partner that took several years to be produced. That film, The Girl In The Spider's Web was only recently released.

The Girl Who Played With Fire feels like a rushed attempt to cash in on a decent success. I believe the late Mr. Larsson might be sorely disappointed at the shortcuts that were taken in the second film. The sequel was adapted into a screenplay by two new writers (Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg). It also introduces a new Director, Niels Arden Oplev. The latter fails to capture the suspense that Director Daniel Alfredson deftly brought to the first film. Part of the failure may also be attributed to the new writers. However, they seemed to capture the same sappy love scene mood that I hated in the first film. Having said all that, The Girl Who Played With Fire was still a decent film.

The story picks up several months or more after the first film ended. Our male lead, Mikael Blomqvist (Mikael Nyqvist) has not heard from Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) since she disappeared at the end of the first film. Blomqvist has resumed his duties at the magazine he founded. He is introduced to a new corruption story involving the sex trade (which he proceeds cautiously with after having served time for failing to carefully vet his sources during the first film). The young couple that introduce the new story are murdered, Lisbeth moves back to town and the old pair team up for another gripping investigation. The plot thickens in the second film...almost to the point of disbelief, twisting together many elements from the first film into a perverse incestuous entanglement of characters.

Characters are something that The Girl Who Played With Fire relies heavily on. Strong characters are the backbone of the story. Along with a strong female lead, the series depends on fascinating, if not hard-to-believe individuals that add intrigue and suspense to the story. The plot becomes as embroiled as a thriller can get, creating the kind of suspense I generally like. Although I had to suspend my belief at times, the story was woven tightly enough to hold my interest. The film did feel rushed at times with clumsy transitions and some peripheral sloppiness that was tangible enough to affect my overall enjoyment of the film. The characters appeared to remain true to their endowed traits, so the film did not lose credibility overall.

I liked the choice of Rapace as Lisbeth (as I indicated in the first review). She is an unlikely female lead and would not have been cast in the role in Hollywood. That is where foreign films have an edge. You don't have to be Hollywood perfect to be a good strong female lead. Rapace was exactly the right actress for this role and I was glad to see her return in the sequel. I wish the Director and writers had come along with her. Nyqvist was excellent once again, as well. I like the strange chemistry between the older Blomqvist and younger Salander. Much of that relationship succeeds on the superb casting of these two actors.

Like the first film, The Girl Who Played With Fire was filled with sex and violence. This film includes throwbacks to the rape scenes in the first film. There is also incredible violence, which includes brutal violence against women. The film has strong adult themes complete with sexual content that might be excessive for younger viewers. Issues like smoking and language seem trivial compared to the extreme violence in this film. The violence is handled superbly, using imagery that delivers the concept without being overtly gruesome or bloody. I would strongly suggest a viewing audience in the mid to late teens. This two hour, nine minute film received an R rating from the MPAA.

The Girl Who Played With Fire picks up where the first film left off, complete with gripping suspense and a run time that exceeds two hours but passes quickly. The film was not as tightly woven as the first, introducing a new director and screenplay writers. It is not clear whether the sloppy feel of the second film is a product of new talent or if the film was simply rushed to capitalize on the success of the first film. Either way, the lack of polish was evident. The film is still worthy of a recommendation, but is not nearly as exceptional as the first. 6.5/10.

Trailer and images subject to copyright.