U.S.A(pes)

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Director: Daniel Alfredson

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

I didn't end up going to The White Ribbon. I got the times wrong and it was booked out There must be a lot of Haneke fans in Wellington. I had seen everything else at the theatre so the only option was ' The Girl Who Played With Fire'. I saw the first in the Millenium series (3 films based on the hugely successful books by Stieg Larsson) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. (See review in older posts)

I felt a little more prepared this time. When I went to see the first film I was horrified to say the least and came away feeling drained and jilted. This time I felt a little more like Lisbeth Salander: ready for anything that was hurled my way. 

The second film picks up where the last left off. Lisbeth finds herself caught up in a series of murders, linked to her family and her abominable caretaker Nils Bjurman. This time she is determined to fight them alone and ostracizes herself from her once friend (and lover) Mikael Blomkvist.  Mikael is also involved in these latest killings as the victims were about to uncover a seedy underage sex ring. As with all my rambling reviews, I don't want to give too much away. There are no huge revelations this time but secrets revealed in the first are explained in more deatail and I dont want to spoil it. 

This sequel wasn't as shocking as it's predecessor but it also lacked the compelling mystery that drove the 'Dragon Tattoo's story forward. What I liked about this film was her. Lisbeth Salander is quite possibly one of the greatest contemporary characters in film. She is so good to watch. She is difficult, frustrating, stubborn and toxic. She's a vigelante and yet you are on her side every bit of the way. She is boyish, beautiful, injured and flawed. She's a woman prepared to use violence to achieve her ends. Lisbeth has no  faith in the authorities and is someone who, we gradually learn, has been the victim of a colossal miscarriage of justice. I want to see the third and final film in this series. But do I want to see what happens next? Not really. I just want to see her. Lisbeth makes this movie good but she also makes you want it to be much better.

Oh and one final thing. They are remaking this film in America. So now America are not only remaking every single film I grew up with, they are remaking films I saw this year. WHY can't an American audience watch these versions?  HOW do you make this film without it's signature Swedish style? You can't take the frenchness (made up word!) out of a film like Amelie. You can't take the German excellence out of 'The Lives Of Others'. And you can't and shouldn't remake these films! I'm sick of it. If you are too stupid and uncultured to see a film with subtitles then you miss out! Gosh you make me angry Hollywood! I can't WAIT to see how you butcher 'Let The Right One In.'

I should set Lisbeth onto you. God knows she'd force you not to F**k with her story.

And I'm done.