My problem with the first two Millennium films is that they didn't seem to serve much purpose. Dragon Tattoo gives us a simple introductory mystery that drags for far too long, stopping occasionally for some appalling violence perpetrated against Lisbeth. The snail pacing is matched in The Girl Who Played with Fire
only by it's irrelevance. I couldn't begin to tell you what it was about other than to make sure Lisbeth met her father in time for the final chapter. This is a common occurrance in established trilogies. The middle story gets shorted. The impression was that nobody was in much of a hurry to wrap up much of anything. That's not the case here, as all the disparate storylines collide in the most satisfying film in the series yet. Even though Lisbeth is basically holed up in a hospital bed for 80% of the time, she's still the only person you can really give a care about. Again, Lisbeth finds herself on the wrong side of the law. This time for a crime she didn't commit, framed by the cabal that's been dominating her life since she was a child. Her longtime psychologist is a particularly disgusting dude. Nearly all of the men in these movies tend to be jerks, pedophiles, murderers, or a combination of all three. It's no wonder Lisbeth is as screwed up as she is.
But they're not all bad. Lisbeth's journalist friend and all around hero, Mikael Blomqvist(Michael Nyqvist), is back and ready to do whatever it takes to set her free. His continued willingness to risk his life for this strange, stand-offish goth chick is one of the story's true mysteries. Lisbeth also becomes fast friends(or as close as she can get to friendship) with a brave doctor, who shields her from interrogation even though she barely wants to acknowledge his existence. A concerted effort is made to introduce some solid male figures into Lisbeth's world, but would it have any emotional effect on the walled off enigma?
The answer to that is one best left up in the air, as the answer is one of this film's most satisfying moments in a serious of them. Hornets Nest is pleasurable in the way an episode of Law and Order is, resolving all lingering plots and characters in one fell swoop. Ok, most of them. Lisbeth's Bond villain of a brother remains a stumbling block, and his storyline interjects itself far too often before wrapping up in a clumsy, violent finale. The bits with Blomqvist's magazine and his ever nervous staff of do-gooders feels important for the first time as his antics begin to put them all in danger. For once, I didn't need to have Lisbeth on screen to remain invested.
Having never read the Millennium books, I can only imagine that the long drawn out storyarcs played out better on the printed page than they do on screen. Maybe David Fincher will spice them up a little when his remakes get under way in a few months. For now, the Swedish version remains a solid, if unspectacular whole that goes out on an enthralling high note.
