The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes) (2009) is a Swedish crime thriller based on Stieg Larsson's international best-selling novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
This is the third movie in the Millennium series:
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor) (2009)
2. The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) (2009)
Note: This movie is not to be mistaken with the American version of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, which is planned for release in 2013.
Synopsis: Due to multiple wounds from gunshots including a head shot, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is put under close supervision in a hospital and is set to face trial for attempted murder after she recovers. It's now up to journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), his co-workers at Millennium magazine, and Mikael's sister Annika (Annika Hallin) to prove her innocence and bring the conspirators against her to justice. In doing this she plays against powerful enemies from her past and everyone soon find themselves in grave danger.
Again, you'll need to watch the two prequels to understand the storyline of this movie and its complex background. The first two movies are fast-paced and their full 2.5 hours are fueled with adrenaline, i.e. intense, dramatic, and brutal actions, especially abusive and humiliating acts against women. This third movie is somewhat slower and it's mostly serious courtroom drama that ends as good as expected.
For the third time, kudos to Noomi Rapace who plays a convincingly misunderstood Lisbeth Salander. The rest of the cast is very impressive but Noomi Rapace is the most outstanding element in all three movies. She brings a great sense of realism to Lisbeth's character - a fragile, damaged, and misunderstood, yet strong-willed girl who fights for justice. As the story unfolds, we believe and might be aware there are women out there who have had their lives ruined permanently or semi-permanently by "authorities".
Definitely a must-watch movie, i.e. one that gives you the sense of satisfaction derived from watching award-winning-worthy movies minus Hollywood's bling-bling and bullshit.
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) (2009) is a Swedish crime thriller based on Stieg Larsson's international best-selling novel, The Girl Who Played with Fire. This movie is the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor) (2009).
Note: This movie is not to be mistaken with the American version of The Girl Who Played with Fire, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, which is planned for release in 2012.
Synopsis: Upon returning to Sweden after spending a year abroad, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) finds herself being accused of the murder of a journalist and his girlfriend as well as her guardian Nils Bjurman while investigating a sex-trafficking ring with Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist). Lisbeth has to go on the run while Mikael, the only one who believes in her innocence, works to clear her name before the "authorities" get to her.
This second movie of the Millennium series reveals gruesome details of Lisbeth's childhood and adolescence while uncovering her family's shameful secrets. These details of her past finally explain Lisbeth's peculiar character in depth and the reason why she's not afraid to fight men who hate, abuse, and humiliate women. Noomi Rapace continues her legacy of gripping, stunning, and impulsive performance.
The villains in this movie are mostly intelligent dying old men who are somehow linked to Lisbeth's past. I wouldn't spill too much beans here. By the way, you do need to watch the first movie in order to appreciate the dynamics of the characters, especially in understanding why Mikael goes all out to help Lisbeth despite facing assassins.
This is a very long movie - approximately 2.5 hours. However, dynamic and compelling performance from the cast plus a very solid storyline give us entertainment value for the time spent.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor) (2009) is a Swedish crime thriller based on Stieg Larsson's international best-selling novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Note: This movie is not to be mistaken with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara - coming to the Malaysian cinemas early next year.
Synopsis: A 16-year old Harriet Vanger has disappeared without a trace for 40 years. Her uncle, Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), the eldest of the influential Vanger family, is convinced that Harriet was murdered by a member of his large and dysfunctional family. Over the years, he has gathered a substantial amount of hints and clues, but he was never able to put the pieces together.
To find out the truth before he dies, Henrik employs Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), a disgraced investigative journalist to work on the case. Mikael then meets Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a brilliant yet troubled computer hacker after he finds out that she hacks into his computer.
Their investigation unfolds a complex set of clues found in Harriet's Bible and this leads to a string of grotesque sadistic murders spanning decades. Soon, they begin to unravel a dark and morbid family history. However, the villain will not let them uncover the ugly secrets that have been kept undiscovered for 40 years.
This is a very good Swedish crime thriller. The main plot and subplots work very well together to make this movie one of the most compelling thrillers I've watched so far. The subplots are particularly important because they reveal personal problems and obstacles the main characters have to deal with and this gives us a fuller understanding about the characters and the storyline.
However, some might feel uneasy watching intense graphical and morbid scenes of violence against women - sadistic sexual abuse, rape, sodomy, incest, and torture. I find them very ugly and disturbing.
Kudos, however, should be given to Noomi Rapace who plays the Lisbeth Salander character so convincingly real. Her gripping performance makes this movie an unforgettable viewing experience.
In fact, great performances all around cement this movie's success. Veteran actors, Sven-Bertil Taube (Henrik Vanger) and Peter Haber (Martin Vanger) do great jobs as supporting actors.
Overall, this is a must-watch movie. Do get the DVD. If possible, I want to get the other two movies: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) (2009) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes) (2009).
About the novel, I wonder if I should buy them. :P
Updates:
MEATBALLS with fries!!! I love the gravy and fruit jam, especially the fruit jam! 5 balls for RM5.
Cold Water Prawns - Jason aka zorocaster's favorite. RM8.90 per bowl.
That's a good motto to stay happy. Most people will have the same mentality. Spend less in all other things but never, ever on food, the most basic element to sustain our life, apart from water of course.
IKEA has good food too. Surprisingly, its website doesn't display anything about their restaurant at all. :S
Anyway, I went there for dinner with Naoko and her one and only younger brother, Philip. I chose Chicken with Swedish Sauce. Great! I found out what's Swedish Sauce here. Naoko chose her favorite IKEA signature dish - Swedish Meatballs. I've never tried meatballs smeared with berry jam but hey, not bad! Philip chose Daim Cake as his dessert. A tad too sweet for me.
Also, check out Secret Recipe's Pocket Savers!
Click on image to view larger picture.Food is always good!
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes) (2009) is a Swedish crime thriller based on Stieg Larsson's international best-selling novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
