The Girl in the Spider's Web
29/11/18 Filed in: Cinema
For us English language viewers this is the second cinema outing for Lisbeth Salander, but it's actually based on the fourth novel that was written by David Lagercrantz after the death of Stieg Larsson, the author of the original trilogy. It's classic Scandi Noir, in fact very noir. Reviews haven't been great but as quite a fan of this genre I enjoyed it.
This time we have Claire Foy in the role of super hacker Lisbeth, who we're introduced to as an avenging vigilante acting on behalf of maltreated women. Foy set out to test herself in this role, being quite a departure from 'The Queen'. This hasn't gone down well with some critics who seem to feel that her previous personas detracted from the necessary total lack of emotion required for the role. Forced to play guardian to a young boy during part of the story certainly tested her otherwise steely instincts. Said boy, August Balder, turns out to be a key player in the unfolding intrigue.
The action is continuous and the set pieces as good as you would expect. Her hacking abilities seem without bounds. I particularly liked it when she took control of the systems of a car she was pursuing, a memo to all of us who drive vehicles with sophisticated onboard electronics that are ripe to be hacked. Although I think in this case the film stretched the point a bit.
The plot has been criticised, and there again it does push credibility, but it also provides a perfect vehicle for Lisbeth's skillset. The bad guys this time turn out to be very close to home, injecting (the pun will become clear when you see the film) yet another seed of doubt into Lisbeth's normally unshakeable resolve. Former acquaintance and journalist Mikael Blomkvist is roped in to help, creating another vulnerability for Lisbeth when the chips are down. And we have some shady goings on in the Swedish Security Service but help in the shape of agent Edwin Needham who has hot-footed it from the States to recover the computer file that forms the centre piece of the plot.
All this comes together with a series of action scenes and assorted skulduggery, ending up where the film began, at Lisbet's childhood home where old demons are finally laid to rest. But not before a number of life-threatening obstacles are overcome.
If you like Scandi Noir, don't mind a bit of violence, and are fascinated by the hacking possibilities in our modern world, you will probably enjoy this film.
The plot has been criticised, and there again it does push credibility, but it also provides a perfect vehicle for Lisbeth's skillset. The bad guys this time turn out to be very close to home, injecting (the pun will become clear when you see the film) yet another seed of doubt into Lisbeth's normally unshakeable resolve. Former acquaintance and journalist Mikael Blomkvist is roped in to help, creating another vulnerability for Lisbeth when the chips are down. And we have some shady goings on in the Swedish Security Service but help in the shape of agent Edwin Needham who has hot-footed it from the States to recover the computer file that forms the centre piece of the plot.
All this comes together with a series of action scenes and assorted skulduggery, ending up where the film began, at Lisbet's childhood home where old demons are finally laid to rest. But not before a number of life-threatening obstacles are overcome.
If you like Scandi Noir, don't mind a bit of violence, and are fascinated by the hacking possibilities in our modern world, you will probably enjoy this film.