The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
2:1 (4/5)
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist
By Clare Burnett
It’s rare when a foreign language film makes such an impact upon the mainstream as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. However The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the last in this Swedish trilogy, adapted from the novels by Stieg Larsson, deserves the critical acclaim it has been receiving across the pond.
In this final film, Lisbeth Salander is recovering from the showdown with her father, Swedish secret-service mercenary (and sociopath), Alexander Zalachenko. Lisbeth is on trial for murder and is being defended by the sister of Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist working to save her by gathering evidence about her tragic past. If convicted, she risks re-institutionalisation in the asylum run by her former abuser Dr. Teleborian. Simultaneously, she finds herself targeted by ‘The Section’: a dodgy secret service subsidery.
It’s all a tad complicated yes. However, it’s centered by the stunning performance of Rapace as the distrustful, embittered ice-queen Lisbeth Salander. The film is powerful and gripping and while foreign language films often get lost in translation, the dialogue is cutting and clear. Although often needlessly convoluted it is essentially a well-casted and well-handled adaption and David Fincher has a lot to live up to with the remake.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Trailer
