"The
Girl Who Played With Fire" is the second book in Stieg Larsson's
magnificent trilogy about Lisbeth Salander, equally talented in
coaxing the secrets out of a computer or beating them out of an
gangster twice her size, and Mikael Blomkvist, the kind of crusading
reporter who makes every living reporter or former reporter not only
envious, but also certain he could have done as well if only he had
had the opportunity and the supportive editor.
Noomi
Rapace and Michael Nyqvist reprise their roles from "The Girl
With the Dragon Tattoo," but Daniel Alfredson replaced Neils
Arden Oplev as the director and Jonas Frykberg replaced Nikolaj Arcel
and Rasmus Heisterberg as the writers of the screenplay. Larsson died
a few years ago, just after delivering to the publishers the
manuscript of what would become a world-wide blockbuster best-seller.
Firegirl,
as compared with Tattoogirl, is a little shorter but less gripping.
Tattoogirl kept me on the edge of my seat as the tale unfolded;
Firegirl, revealing a little more of Salander's history, held me less
tightly but it remains an impressive film. Alfredson's direction
seems a little more casual, and tension is milder. Like the first
movie, and all three books, it is filled with sex and violence, but
those are two of the things that made the book such a hit. We're
dealing with sexual activities, spies, blackmailers and a variety of
thugs who have infiltrated upper levels of Swedish government.
While
it brings about a sense of comfort and familiarity, and a little
extra knowledge, it is not necessary to have seen the first movie to
enjoy or understand the second. Rapace's performance as the dark,
disturbed Salander, an eager, equal-opportunity participant when it
comes to sex, is again outstanding, and Nyqvist is a voice of calm
when she appears ready to go over the top.
"The
Girl Who Played With Fire" is a fast-paced tale that is a
splendid piece of summer entertainment; I look forward to the third
book, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," but with
mixed emotions. I'm sure I'll enjoy the film, but it's the last of
the trilogy and there will be no more.
"The
Girl Who Played With Fire" opens today.
–Joe