Something’s Rotten in the State of Sweden

Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) (Photograph by Knut Koivisto)

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” film review

This is going to be a short review. If you love crime thrillers and/or strong female lead characters, simply don’t miss The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the third and final installment of Swedish journalist-turned-novelist Stieg Larsson. Noomi Rapace returns as Lisbeth Salander, one of the silver screen’s most offbeat heroines since the 1914 silent serial The Perils of Pauline. Lisbeth has escaped more trauma than being tied to the railroad tracks as an onrushing locomotive bears down on her. This abuse, torture, and rape survivor and highly skilled computer hacker is joined again by crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist reprises his role), an objective reporter who objects to injustice and cruelty. Although he puts himself and his Millennium publication in harm’s way, Mikael has a reckless regard for the truth. Together, Mikael and Lisbeth struggle to clear her of homicide charges, and confront the Swedish state and assorted Blue Meanies while doing so.

an Bublanski (Johan Kylén) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) (Photograph by Knut Koivisto)

The hacker and investigative reporter also strive to have Lisbeth declared mentally competent in what becomes a tense courtroom drama. A unique character, Lisbeth is indeed extremely troubled, a singular androgynous individual who has sex with members of both genders at her whims, who looks like a cross between a dominatrix and a Mohawk-ed, body pierced Alex from A Clockwork Orange. But although the state had ruled that she isn’t in her right mind, Lisbeth is not insane. Rather, in the topsy-turvy paranoid world of Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, it is the corrupt men of power and authority figures – neo-Nazis, Soviet defectors, shrinks, etc. – who are suspect. In laying bear the Swedish state’s larceny, Larsson gives the lie to Sweden’s much-vaunted social democracy.

Director Daniel Alfredson (Photograph by Knut Koivisto)

Larsson was a leftwing journalist who fought for the underdog, and both Lisbeth and Mikael appear to be his alter egos. Alas, the hard-hitting reporter who led such hard-scrabble life died before he could enjoy the phenomenal success of his award winning fictional series (file that one under the “life-ain’t-fair” dossier), that also include The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. Ulf Rydberg, who wrote the screen adaptation for the latter movie, has crafted another suspenseful, sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller, tautly directed by Daniel Alfredson and ideal for Halloween (and beyond).

I really don’t know what else to say, but even if you can’t stand subtitles, movie lovers should run don’t walk to see The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest when it opens, and not wait for the English-language, Hollywood versions that are in the works. If you miss Hornet’s Nest, you will have bees in your bonnet.

This summation of the series continues the previous films and wraps things up – or at least as wrapped up as they can be with such a unique one-of-a-kind kick ass character as Lisbeth Salander, brilliantly portrayed by Rapace. And as the networks’ Sunday news shows somehow manage to avoid reporting on the WikiLeaks exposes, like Julian Assange, Nyqvist’s Blomkvist reminds us what real reporters are supposed to do: Afflict the comfortable, comfort the afflicted.

Ed Rampell

Ed Rampell is an L.A.-based film historian, critic, author, freelance writer and wag who wrote the Oct. 26, 2001 Tucson Weekly cover story“Tinseltown’s Tombstone, A Look at the Real and Reel Wyatt Earp.”