Niels Arden Oplev and Daniel Alfredson direct Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin, Tomas Köhler, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Georgi Staykov and Micke Spreitz in this Swedish mystery thriller series where a disgraced journalist and a haunted hacker takedown powerful cabals of misogynistic men.

The first film grows on me more and more as the years pass. It is neck and neck with the Fincher remake. Rapace is the ultimate Lisbeth. The authentic Swedish cast and locations lend this a dour grit. It is a sadder film, less bombastic. I think the first tale in the Millennium series is a top locked room / cold case mystery whomever adapts it, bolstered by a uniquely unusual set of detectives. Their unlikely chemistry cements the sleuthing. And the film allows adequate runtime to expose a swathe more of their own backgrounds and psychology than most avatar detectives. We are engaged as they are attractive enigmas in themselves. Righteous, damaged and fallible. The closer the evidence takes them the more peril they are in. And you care that they make it out together alive. Strange than over almost seven hours of the franchise Lisbeth and Blomkvist probably only spend less than an hour in each other’s presence.

The Girl Who Played With Fire is a less cinematic film. Clearly has that flat, made for TV quality. It moves with less compulsive urgency and often takes its eye too far away from the central mystery. Yet we do get a lot more of Lisbeth taking down goons and bastards. The eventual mastermind and his henchman are particularly pulp fantastique creations.

The third film is a fumble though. Directly picking up from the previous cliffhanger finale, it sees Lisbeth muted in a hospital bed or silent in courtroom. The grim abuse flashbacks are revisited an unfeasible amount of times. Shifting over into emotional exploitation. Sure… it ends with some semblance of justice restored but it has none of the grip or excitement of the first entry. What works in a book really gets lost in the weeds here. Still, Rapace iconic portrayal always has the juice. Would it not be time for a Swedish “requel”?

8 / 6 / 5

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