Stop, drop and roll

In April audiences were first introduced to one of modern cinemas most powerful and captivating heroines - Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Now, only a few months later, Lisbeth is back and being framed for murder in The Girl Who Played With Fire.
This is the second film in The Millennium Trilogy based on Stieg Larsson's hugely popular novels and continues to follow the tone and pace of the books.

After using her computer hacking skills to make off with millions of dollars from corrupt business man Hans-Erik Wennerstrom, Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) is living abroad on an exotic island. She quietly returns to Sweden where journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is investigating a sex-trafficking ring that soon begins to link to Lisbeth's past. But after being accused of a brutal double murder, Lisbeth goes on the run while Blomkvist works to clear her name before she takes justice into her own hands.

While the trilogy continues the story of Lisbeth in detail, each book has a different tone. For instance, the first is a thrilling drama, the second an action drama and the third, a courtroom drama. Director Daniel Alfredson maintains that formula to great effect, pumping in more action, big-budget thrills and violence into this second outing. The intelligent story also remains intact, however, what is missing is the subtle use of suspense and building-dread which made The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo such a brilliant piece of filmmaking. That's not to say there isn't plenty to impress the viewer this time around. Alfredson has made a fantastic, edge-of-your-seat movie that is powered by the Oscar-worthy performance of Rapace and a strong supporting cast in Nyqvist, Yasmine Garbi, Lena Endre and Hans Christian Thulin. In a nice touch that stays true to the book, Swedish ex-boxer Paolo Roberto plays himself as a friend and former training partner of Lisbeth. Did I mention he’s delicious? Well, he is.

But this film is all about Rapace, who continues to bring this fiery and original heroine to the big screen in a way that has enthralled audiences worldwide and launched her international career. The Girl Who Played With Fire doesn't quite live up to the first film, but it's a worthy sequel that gets close enough.

It is out in cinemas next Thursday, September 23 and stay posted for my exclusive chat with director Daniel Alfredson next week.

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Swedish film not so neutral

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is based on a hugely popular series of books, the Millennium trilogy, by Swedish investigative journalist Stieg Larsson.Unfortunately just days after handing over the manuscripts, Larsson died of a heart attack at the age of 50 and never lived to see the global phenomenon his books have become or the equally superb film adaptation.

The story follows disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) who has been hired by Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), the head of the powerful Vanger corporation, to solve the disappearance of his niece Harriet 40-years earlier.During the investigation Blomkvist wades deeper in to the intricate web that is the Vanger family and he takes on board the skills of brilliant young hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace). As the pair begin to piece together the clues surrounding the mystery, they uncover a series of gruesome murders.
Fans of the book would be no doubt be wary of any film adaptation, as history has showed us book-to-movie projects rarely work. This is the exception. The Lord Of The Rings exception if you catch my drift.

Larsson's novel is no fairytale, examining freedom of speech, sexual abuse, the justice system and violence, all the while painting Sweden as a corrupt and chauvinistic society. The film maintains the complexity and choreographs the moments of suspense, action and genuine terror perfectly.

As Lisbeth, Noomi Rapace emerges a true star. She pours her heart and soul in to the character who is no doubt the most refreshing movie heroine since Clarice Starling or Lt Ellen Ripley. Even those two wouldn’t have been able to drop the c-bomb as convincingly as Salander. In the same way Marion Cotillard took out the Oscar for her part in French film La Vie En Rose, Rapace should be a shoe-in for the best actress Oscar come 2011. She is fierce and vulnerable at the same time, while managing to allude to the many layers of her character.
With Swedish subtitles and from a team of relatively unknown filmmakers and actors, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has not lost any of its meatiness in the transition from paper to screen. It is not an easy film, its criticisms are unflinching and its violence graphic. Yet the pay-off is worth any of the horrors you see and its two and half hour running time goes by in a flash. Director Niel Arden Oplev has made a stylish movie and the best compliment it can be given is it lives up to the brilliance of the book.

I know it’s early days yet, and what I’m about to say may soon become redundant with Kick-Ass’s release in a few weeks, but this is by far the best film of the year…so far. If I were the star-giving type I would give it everything I had and then a few pinched from the sky above me.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo opens tomorrow.

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