The Girl Who Played with Fire (film)
Encyclopedia
The Girl Who Played with Fire is a 2009 Swedish thriller film directed by Daniel Alfredson
, and the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name
by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson
, the second in his "Millennium series".
The film follows Lisbeth Salander returning to Sweden after spending a year abroad. Having returned, she falls under suspicion of having committed the murder of a journalist and his girlfriend as well as her guardian Nils Bjurman. Mikael Blomkvist has to do what he can to find her before the authorities do.
(Noomi Rapace
) purchases an apartment in Stockholm. On returning to Sweden, Salander reconnects with Miriam Wu (Yasmine Garbi) and offers her free use of her previous apartment in return for forwarding her mail. Later, Salander confronts her guardian, Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson
) after hacking into his email account and discovering he has an appointment booked with a tattoo removal specialist. Threatening him with his own gun, she warns him not to remove the tattoo that she etched on his stomach as revenge for sexually abusing
her, marking him as "a pervert, a rapist
and a sadistic
pig".
Millennium magazine welcomes Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), a new journalist who is writing an exposé on prostitution and human trafficking
in Sweden
. Dag's girlfriend, Mia Bergman, is writing her doctoral thesis on sex trafficking. Dag is nearly finished with the story and is confronting those who will be exposed by the article. Dag and his girlfriend are about to leave on a holiday and asks Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist
) to come to his apartment and collect some photographs. At the same time Dag also asks Mikael to inquire about someone called "Zala", who may have a connection to his present research. Mikael arrives at their apartment late at night to collect photographs for the article but finds them shot dead. The gun used is tracked to Bjurman, who is also dead. Salander is the prime suspect, as her fingerprints are on the gun.
Bublanski, the police officer leading the investigation, advises Blomkvist that he should stay out of it. Salander tells Blomkvist she did not kill Dag and Mia and that he needs to find the mysterious "Zala".
In an effort to find Salander, Blomkvist contacts her boxing trainer and friend, Paolo Roberto
. While he is unaware of Salander's whereabouts, he does know Miriam, who also trained with them, and promises to pay her a visit. Near her apartment, Paolo witnesses Miriam being kidnapped by strongman Niedermann. Paolo follows his car to a deserted barn, where he hears him beat Miriam for information about Salander. Paolo comes in to rescue her but Niedermann incapacitates him. Niedermann sets the barn aflame, believing he has killed Paolo and Miriam, but they have actually secretly escaped.
News breaks of the attack and Paolo gives his account to the police. After Blomkvist leaves information he has discovered about the case on his computer for Salander to hack into and read, she leaves a message to him saying, "Thank you for being my friend". He realizes that she intends to set out alone to find the man who framed her and that she may not survive. A disguised Salander visits Miriam in hospital to apologize for getting her involved. Without giving anything away, Salander confirms the police sketch of Niedermann with Miriam and then disappears. Knowing now that he is Salander's friend, Miriam calls Blomkvist to the hospital to give him keys that Salander dropped accidentally during her visit. Noticing they are for a post office box, Blomkvist is able to access and read Salander's mail and track down her apartment. Meanwhile, Salander continues her efforts to find Niedermann by watching his post office box. She sees someone check the post box and follows him to a small house near Gosseberga.
Researching through the material in her apartment Blomkvist finds the video of Bjurman raping Salander.
In the offices of Millennium magazine, Paolo explains he tracked down Niedermann and learned that he has congenital analgesia: Niedermann is unable to feel pain. They trace Niedermann to a company owned by "Karl Axel Bodin". Blomkvist has Erika Berger make copies of the documents including the 1993 police report and forwards the originals to Bublanski, and sets out to find Salander.
Salander crosses the grounds and enters the Gosseberga house, but Niedermann has been alerted by motion detectors and knocks her out. She awakens to see her father, Zalachenko, an old man who walks with a stick and is heavily scarred by the burns she inflicted as a child. He dismisses her mother as a whore and belittles her rape at the hands of Bjurman. He reveals that Niedermann is her half-brother. Niedermann killed Bjurman to prevent him from revealing any of Zalachenko's secrets. Zalachenko is confident he will not be caught, since being an invalid means the idea of his involvement in the murders lacks plausibility.
They lead Salander to a shallow grave in the woods. She tells him the police will find him soon and all that he has said has been published online through her hidden cellphone. Seeing through her bluff, he shoots her as she attempts to escape and buries her alive. Left for dead, Salander digs her way out using her cigarette case. Hidden in the woodshed, she surprises Zalachenko with an axe to the head. Salander scares Niedermann off with the help of Zalachenko's gun, just as Blomkvist finds them. Ambulances and police arrive to take away Salander and a still living Zalachenko.
takes over from Niels Arden Oplev
who directed the first part of The Millennium Trilogy.
, the film holds a "fresh" rating of 69% based on 145 reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10.
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film three and a half out of four stars, describing the film as a step down from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo but only because the first film was so "fresh and unexpected". A. O. Scott
of the New York Times praised Rapace's performance, stating, "tiny and agile, her steely rage showing now and then the tiniest crack of vulnerability, belongs to another dimension altogether. She makes this movie good enough, but also makes you wish it were much better." Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post describes Lisbeth Salander as "worth the trouble" and having a "cold stare" the like of which has not been seen since "Clint was roaming the Italian hillsides." She notes the film uses the linked themes of bureaucratic corruption and misogyny where the previous film uses the themes of fascism and woman-hating. The review contrasts the violence against women and heroism of "Fire" with the violence of "The Killer Inside Me
," complaining that the latter gives into the worst impulses, noting that only the former story "works" as some redemption is provided through revenge.
Michael Phillips
of the Chicago Tribune
says the film is much the same as the first despite the new director (Daniel Alfredson) and screenwriter (Jonas Frykberg), and is likely to please those who enjoyed the first film. He notes Rapace generated considerable and well-earned attention for the first film and remains the chief asset, and works well with Michael Nyqvist
who he suggests is a more sincere, Swedish version of Larry Hagman
. Although he says Rapace and Nyqvist could not be better in their roles he feels that for the film to work better as cinematic pulp fiction, there needs to be acknowledgment of the middle ground between the righteous heroes and the evil villains.
Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone gives the film 3 out of 4 stars.
Rick Groen of the Globe and Mail describes the film as "Tepid and downright confusing" for those who have not read the books, although he suspects there are few who have not; he notes that the plot, "already thick on the page, often seems impenetrable here." Although he concedes the plot generates some suspense, he complains it more often results in confusion but hopes the next film in the trilogy will bring greater clarity.
During its first week of release in the United States, it grossed $904,998, being released in three times as many theaters as the first film and grossing three times as much. The film has a worldwide gross of $67,126,795.
Daniel Alfredson
Hans Daniel Björn Alfredson is a Swedish film director who is best known for directing film versions of two parts of the Millennium Trilogy: The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest...
, and the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second novel in the best-selling "Millennium series" by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009....
by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson
Stieg Larsson
Karl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...
, the second in his "Millennium series".
The film follows Lisbeth Salander returning to Sweden after spending a year abroad. Having returned, she falls under suspicion of having committed the murder of a journalist and his girlfriend as well as her guardian Nils Bjurman. Mikael Blomkvist has to do what he can to find her before the authorities do.
Plot
With her new wealth, Lisbeth SalanderLisbeth Salander
Lisbeth Salander is a fictional character created by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. She is the heroine of Larsson's award-winning "Millennium series", first appearing in the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...
(Noomi Rapace
Noomi Rapace
Noomi Rapace is a Swedish actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish/Danish film adaptations of the "Millennium series": The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest...
) purchases an apartment in Stockholm. On returning to Sweden, Salander reconnects with Miriam Wu (Yasmine Garbi) and offers her free use of her previous apartment in return for forwarding her mail. Later, Salander confronts her guardian, Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson
Peter Andersson (actor)
-Selected filmography:- External links :...
) after hacking into his email account and discovering he has an appointment booked with a tattoo removal specialist. Threatening him with his own gun, she warns him not to remove the tattoo that she etched on his stomach as revenge for sexually abusing
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
her, marking him as "a pervert, a rapist
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and a sadistic
Sadism
Sadism is the derivation of pleasure as a result of inflicting pain or watching pain inflicted on others. Aspects of it include:* Sadomasochism* Sadism and masochism as medical terms, sadism and masochism as paraphilia...
pig".
Millennium magazine welcomes Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), a new journalist who is writing an exposé on prostitution and human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Dag's girlfriend, Mia Bergman, is writing her doctoral thesis on sex trafficking. Dag is nearly finished with the story and is confronting those who will be exposed by the article. Dag and his girlfriend are about to leave on a holiday and asks Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist
Michael Nyqvist
Rolf Åke Michael Nyqvist is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as...
) to come to his apartment and collect some photographs. At the same time Dag also asks Mikael to inquire about someone called "Zala", who may have a connection to his present research. Mikael arrives at their apartment late at night to collect photographs for the article but finds them shot dead. The gun used is tracked to Bjurman, who is also dead. Salander is the prime suspect, as her fingerprints are on the gun.
Bublanski, the police officer leading the investigation, advises Blomkvist that he should stay out of it. Salander tells Blomkvist she did not kill Dag and Mia and that he needs to find the mysterious "Zala".
In an effort to find Salander, Blomkvist contacts her boxing trainer and friend, Paolo Roberto
Paolo Roberto
Paolo Roberto is a Swedish ex-boxer, actor, and TV host of partial Italian descent.-Outside boxing:...
. While he is unaware of Salander's whereabouts, he does know Miriam, who also trained with them, and promises to pay her a visit. Near her apartment, Paolo witnesses Miriam being kidnapped by strongman Niedermann. Paolo follows his car to a deserted barn, where he hears him beat Miriam for information about Salander. Paolo comes in to rescue her but Niedermann incapacitates him. Niedermann sets the barn aflame, believing he has killed Paolo and Miriam, but they have actually secretly escaped.
News breaks of the attack and Paolo gives his account to the police. After Blomkvist leaves information he has discovered about the case on his computer for Salander to hack into and read, she leaves a message to him saying, "Thank you for being my friend". He realizes that she intends to set out alone to find the man who framed her and that she may not survive. A disguised Salander visits Miriam in hospital to apologize for getting her involved. Without giving anything away, Salander confirms the police sketch of Niedermann with Miriam and then disappears. Knowing now that he is Salander's friend, Miriam calls Blomkvist to the hospital to give him keys that Salander dropped accidentally during her visit. Noticing they are for a post office box, Blomkvist is able to access and read Salander's mail and track down her apartment. Meanwhile, Salander continues her efforts to find Niedermann by watching his post office box. She sees someone check the post box and follows him to a small house near Gosseberga.
Researching through the material in her apartment Blomkvist finds the video of Bjurman raping Salander.
In the offices of Millennium magazine, Paolo explains he tracked down Niedermann and learned that he has congenital analgesia: Niedermann is unable to feel pain. They trace Niedermann to a company owned by "Karl Axel Bodin". Blomkvist has Erika Berger make copies of the documents including the 1993 police report and forwards the originals to Bublanski, and sets out to find Salander.
Salander crosses the grounds and enters the Gosseberga house, but Niedermann has been alerted by motion detectors and knocks her out. She awakens to see her father, Zalachenko, an old man who walks with a stick and is heavily scarred by the burns she inflicted as a child. He dismisses her mother as a whore and belittles her rape at the hands of Bjurman. He reveals that Niedermann is her half-brother. Niedermann killed Bjurman to prevent him from revealing any of Zalachenko's secrets. Zalachenko is confident he will not be caught, since being an invalid means the idea of his involvement in the murders lacks plausibility.
They lead Salander to a shallow grave in the woods. She tells him the police will find him soon and all that he has said has been published online through her hidden cellphone. Seeing through her bluff, he shoots her as she attempts to escape and buries her alive. Left for dead, Salander digs her way out using her cigarette case. Hidden in the woodshed, she surprises Zalachenko with an axe to the head. Salander scares Niedermann off with the help of Zalachenko's gun, just as Blomkvist finds them. Ambulances and police arrive to take away Salander and a still living Zalachenko.
Cast
- Noomi RapaceNoomi RapaceNoomi Rapace is a Swedish actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish/Danish film adaptations of the "Millennium series": The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest...
as Lisbeth Salander - Michael NyqvistMichael NyqvistRolf Åke Michael Nyqvist is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as...
as Mikael Blomkvist - Lena EndreLena EndreLena Endre is a Swedish actress. She was born in Lidingö, Stockholm County, and grew up in Härnösand, Ångermanland and Trollbäcken, Tyresö. She had her breakthrough in the Swedish TV-series Varuhuset and Lorry in the 1980s. Since then she has acted in a number of TV-series and movies, both in...
as Erika Berger - Peter AnderssonPeter Andersson (actor)-Selected filmography:- External links :...
as Nils Erik Bjurman - Per OscarssonPer Oscarsson- External links :...
as Holger Palmgren - Sofia Ledarp as Malin Eriksson
- Yasmine Garbi as Miriam Wu
- Georgi StaykovGeorgi StaykovGeorgi Staykov is a Bulgarian-Swedish actor.In Swedish cinema, he typically portrays Eastern European villains. "My Serbian friends refer to me as 'the main bad guy,'" he said in a 2007 interview. "I've played this role for all possible languages which has these 'bad guys' - Russian mafia,...
as "Zala" - Annika Hallin as Annika Giannini
- Tanja Lorentzon as Sonja Modig
- Paolo RobertoPaolo RobertoPaolo Roberto is a Swedish ex-boxer, actor, and TV host of partial Italian descent.-Outside boxing:...
as Paolo Roberto - Johan Kylén as Jan Bublanski
- Magnus Krepper as Hans Faste
- Ralph Carlsson as Gunnar Björk
- Micke Spreitz as Ronald Niedermann
- Anders Ahlbom as Dr. Peter Teleborian
- Tehilla BladTehilla BladTehilla Blad is a Swedish actress best known for playing the young Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish Millennium films.-Biography:...
as young Lisbeth Salander
Production
Daniel AlfredsonDaniel Alfredson
Hans Daniel Björn Alfredson is a Swedish film director who is best known for directing film versions of two parts of the Millennium Trilogy: The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest...
takes over from Niels Arden Oplev
Niels Arden Oplev
Niels Arden Oplev is a writer-director from Denmark.-Biography:He directed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the film based on Stieg Larsson's novel of the same title and won critical acclaim internationally. Oplev decided to not continue directing the second and third parts of the Millennium...
who directed the first part of The Millennium Trilogy.
Critical response
The film received positive reviews from critics, although some noted it a step down from its predecessor. According to review aggregate website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film holds a "fresh" rating of 69% based on 145 reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film three and a half out of four stars, describing the film as a step down from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo but only because the first film was so "fresh and unexpected". A. O. Scott
A. O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott, known as A. O. Scott , is an American journalist and critic. He is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with Manohla Dargis.-Background and education:...
of the New York Times praised Rapace's performance, stating, "tiny and agile, her steely rage showing now and then the tiniest crack of vulnerability, belongs to another dimension altogether. She makes this movie good enough, but also makes you wish it were much better." Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post describes Lisbeth Salander as "worth the trouble" and having a "cold stare" the like of which has not been seen since "Clint was roaming the Italian hillsides." She notes the film uses the linked themes of bureaucratic corruption and misogyny where the previous film uses the themes of fascism and woman-hating. The review contrasts the violence against women and heroism of "Fire" with the violence of "The Killer Inside Me
The Killer Inside Me (2010 film)
The Killer Inside Me is a 2010 American film adaptation of the 1952 novel of the same name by Jim Thompson. The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba. At its release, it was criticised for its graphic depiction of violence directed toward...
," complaining that the latter gives into the worst impulses, noting that only the former story "works" as some redemption is provided through revenge.
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is a film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald....
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
says the film is much the same as the first despite the new director (Daniel Alfredson) and screenwriter (Jonas Frykberg), and is likely to please those who enjoyed the first film. He notes Rapace generated considerable and well-earned attention for the first film and remains the chief asset, and works well with Michael Nyqvist
Michael Nyqvist
Rolf Åke Michael Nyqvist is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as...
who he suggests is a more sincere, Swedish version of Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman
Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
. Although he says Rapace and Nyqvist could not be better in their roles he feels that for the film to work better as cinematic pulp fiction, there needs to be acknowledgment of the middle ground between the righteous heroes and the evil villains.
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
of Rolling Stone gives the film 3 out of 4 stars.
Rick Groen of the Globe and Mail describes the film as "Tepid and downright confusing" for those who have not read the books, although he suspects there are few who have not; he notes that the plot, "already thick on the page, often seems impenetrable here." Although he concedes the plot generates some suspense, he complains it more often results in confusion but hopes the next film in the trilogy will bring greater clarity.
Box office
Before being released in the United States the film had already earned $51,259,526 at the international box office.During its first week of release in the United States, it grossed $904,998, being released in three times as many theaters as the first film and grossing three times as much. The film has a worldwide gross of $67,126,795.