By Linda Winsh-Bolard
Second part of the Millennium trilogy.
About a year after Lisbeth Salander left Sweden armed with large sum of money transferred from a corrupt banker onto offshore account, she receives a letter informing her that her Mother died.
Lisbeth returns to Stockholm to find out that her "guardian”, the lawyer Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson) appointed to oversee the legally still incompetent Lisbeth, has grown negligent in filing reports on her behalf. Lisbeth commits a fatal mistake: when she confronts Bjurman, she leaves behind her fingerprints.
Mikael is still working at the Millennium paper which is now interested in human trafficking. Both, Mikael and Lisbeth, wake up one morning to find out that the journalist, Dan, engaged by Millennium to write the story of human trafficking in Sweden, and his criminologist girlfriend, who helped with his research, were murdered. Shortly after that Nils Bjurman is also killed.
Lisbeth is set up for the murders.
The plot premise differs from The Girt with a Dragoon Tattoo, which is a compilation of two stories entwined by shared hatred and brutality to all women. In The Girl Who Played with Fire the same brutal hatred becomes a sideshow; the main reason for the killings is a calculated cover up.
We learn about Lisbeth Salander’s (Noomi Rapace) family and her childhood. We also learn about the power of secret police and the indifference of social workers. About Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) we learn little new. When they finally meet face to face, they never mention what happened between them and to them less than two years ago.
Up to the last scene it is probably less brutal and less surprising that the first part.
Rape, prostitution, corruption and total indifference to any rights of the weaker sex are treated by the men in power as their birth right (penis right?). The victims do not deserve any thought or consideration at all. They simply are not important. Nor are those who care to bring certain facts to public life. Those will be “dealt with” and the tracks would be swept.
To accommodate the cold war corruption’ long shadows, the film’s priority switches from action packed melee to examination of procedures. This makes the story more one plane and clearer but less captivating. Unfortunately, budget restriction influenced the camera work and the cold beauty and amazing contrasts in visuals are lost in this part of the trilogy. I sorely missed them.
It might be the result of mixed use as the film was shot also for TV (six part series), but with the intention of big screen release. Albeit, visual demands differ with each media.
Both, the acting and directing, are adequate but not better than in The Girl with Dragoon Tattoo. As a visual media “Fire” pales in comparison. That’s a pity because it has a message for our time about corruption and excuses and the long, as well as short, consequences of unchecked power. Perhaps the film did not go deep enough, wide enough to connect the cause and consequence, perhaps its examination is too shallow in comparison to the book. It’s not as grabbing as “Dragoon”.
A questions to ponder: could a man’s life really be destroyed if it came out that he was purchasing sex with young girls? After all, we had elected representative who did not seem to think that traveling to “visit” his mistress on taxpayer’s dollar and time was a big deal, another one who frequented call girl service and many with multiple affairs. Maybe Sweden is different.
I don’t doubt the cover up, indeed considering what our government does to many under the cover of national security, this is relatively mild, but how come nobody destroys those who uncover? Where is the variation on Valerie Plume's affair?
I say, are there truly governments this transparent?
Few lies, no wire taps, no street cameras; it’s nearly like a free country.
And if you do not like the film, you can try the book.
Directed by Daniel Alfredson. Novel: Stieg Larsson. Cast: Michael Nyqvist (Mikael Blomkvist), Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander), Lena Endre (Erika Berger), Georgi Staykov, Johan Kylén, Yasmine Garbi… Paolo Roberto, Per Oscarsson, Peter Andersson, Ralph Carlsson, Jacob Ericksson, Reuben Sallmander.
A Nordisk Film release of a Yellow Bird presentation and production, in association with SVT, ZDF, Nordisk Film, with participation of Filmpool Stockholm-Malardalen, Film i Vast, Spiltan. (International sales: Zodiak Entertainment, Paris.) Produced by Soren Staermose. Executive producers, Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Peter Nadermann, Ole Sondberg, Mikael Wallen, Lone Korslund, Gunnar Carlsson. Directed by Daniel Alfredson. Screenplay, Jonas Frykberg, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson.
