The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Director: Daniel Alfredson

Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Noomie Rapace, Mike Spreitz

Cert: 16

Rapace has created one of cinema’s most interesting, and certainly most complex, characters in the deeply flawed Lisbeth, seen here in the third of Steig Larsson’s Swedish Millennium thrillers.

Lisbeth is now in hospital awaiting trial for a series of murders, but now released prior to her trial she must delve into her traumatised childhood for answers to how she came to such a point.

And there is always the dedicated journalist Mikael (Nyqvist) working hard to prove her innocence.

This is not an easy film to keep up with – multi-layered, much talk and a profusion of often confusing characters – yet for all that it is less exciting than the previous films it retains a dark power.

And Rapace continues to intrigue us with her always excellent performance as Lisbeth.

We now await the Hollywood versions of the novels, and we can only guess at how they will be altered from the brooding originals.

Star Rating: 4/5