The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009)

Lisbeth is recovering in a hospital and awaiting trial for three murders when she is released. Mikael must prove her innocence, but Lisbeth must be willing to share the details of her sordid experiences with the court.

Director:

Daniel Alfredson

Writers:

Stieg Larsson (novel), Ulf Ryberg (screenplay) (as Ulf Rydberg)

Stars:

Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Nyqvist	...	Mikael Blomkvist
Noomi Rapace	...	Lisbeth Salander
Lena Endre	...	Erika Berger
Annika Hallin	...	Annika Giannini
Jacob Ericksson	...	Christer Malm
Sofia Ledarp	...	Malin Erikson
Anders Ahlbom Rosendahl	...	Dr. Peter Teleborian
Micke Spreitz	...	Ronald Niederman (as Mikael Spreitz)
Georgi Staykov	...	Alexander Zalachenko
Mirja Turestedt	...	Monica Figuerola
Niklas Falk	...	Edklinth
Hans Alfredson	...	Evert Gullberg
Lennart Hjulström	...	Fredrik Clinton
Jan Holmquist	...	Hallberg
Niklas Hjulström	...	Ekström

Storyline

After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in a hospital and is set to face trial for attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must prove her innocence. In doing this she plays against powerful enemies and her own past.

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Plot Keywords:

confinement | strong female character | strong female lead | mikael blomkvist character | erika berger character | 

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Taglines:

The Trilogy Concludes This Fall

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, some sexual material, and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Music Box Films Site [United States] Official site [France]

Country:

Sweden Denmark Germany

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

12 November 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Filming Locations:

Fiskargatan 9, Soedermalm, Stockholm, Sweden

Box Office

Budget:

€4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$915,000, 31 October 2010

Gross USA:

$5,188,972, 25 February 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film i Väst, Nordisk Film, Sveriges Television (SVT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min 185 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The container for the U.S. DVD release lists a running time on only "2 hr 9 min." The film on the disc is the full 148 minute version.

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Goofs

In the flashback footage from The Girl Who Played with Fire when burning Zalachenko falls out of the car, he falls next to the container and the spilled "gasoline" that splattered when Salander threw it on him and dropped the container, but it doesn't ignite, proving it isn't gasoline.

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Connections

Follows The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

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Soundtracks

Turn It Up Loud
Written by Phil Buckle
© Universal Publishing Production Music

User Reviews

Final half of the second story

I will not call this a third part in the Millennium series, since it starts exactly where The Girl Who Played with Fire left off and continues with the same story. However, if the first film was a classic mystery thriller and the second film was more of an action thriller, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest goes in the direction of a political thriller. Spies, government agencies, covert operations, etc. It successfully explains things and closes all avenues opened by the first two films.

I have to say that I felt the movie both unreal and gratifying. Trained with US films about shadow agencies that kill anyone stand in their way, I found the Swedish counterparts meek and overly cautious. But what version is the more realistic one, I have no idea. So, yes, it felt strangely different from American thrillers, but it also made sense. Clearly it has a refreshing point of view on the matter.

Bottom line: I guess there is little purpose in watching this film and not watch the other two preceding it in the trilogy. And since you liked the other two, you should see this one as well. I enjoyed it, it explained everything that was left unexplained and everybody got their share. Of course, there is still room for another Micke and Lisbeth story, but clearly with a new plot.