The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Directed By: Daniel Alfredson

Written By: Ulf Ryberg

Based Upon book of the same title by: Stieg Larsson

Produced By: Soren Staermose, Jon Mankell

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

Plot: Lisbeth Salander returns to Sweden after a year abroad, only to be accused of three murders, and has to go on the run whilst Mikael Blomkvist tries to clear her name and uncovers some horrifying truths. 

Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy have become world famous, making millions worldwide, and it seemed only fitting that they should be brought to the big screen. The original Swedish films have stayed true to the books, and have also been very successful. The first film was extremely dark, and the second installment carries on that theme, I noticed that there were no jokes, or humorous comments made throughout, and it's very clear that this is a very serious feature.

I do think that the film is rather inaccessible to anyone who has not read the books, as there are very complex plot-lines, with various characters weaving in and out of the story. Noomi Rapace is an actress completely unheard of before being cast as Lisbeth Salander, a role in which she plays a troubled, and frequently violent young woman beautifully. She makes this film into something else, something more interesting and rather brilliant. The chemistry between herself and Nyqvist's sinccere portrayal of Mikael Blomkvist is spiky yet fantastic. 

The film is not easy watching, and is definitely not something you can dip in and out of, you need to concentrate for the full two hours, otherwise you will lose out on vital information. The main point that brings this film down, and I cannot stress this enough, is how inaccessible this film is if you have not read the books. Even if you are familiar with them, this still takes alot of concentration, but it's most definitely worth it.

By Eammon Jacobs