The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The final installment of the Millennium trilogy picks up right where the last sequel left off with Lisbeth being flown to the hospital after a harrowing battle for her life.  After spending the last film on the lam and clearing her name of murders she did not commit, our sociopathic protagonist is now being charged with attempted murder of her own father - despite all the evidence to the contrary that Lisbeth was only acting in self-defense.  Now, it's up to her journalist pal, Mikael Blomkvist, to once again crusade for Lisbeth's innocence and endanger his own life to get to the truth.  While the last film delved deeper into Lisbeth's sordid past and revealed key events which explain why Lisbeth is who she is today, this film uncovers more detail as to the true identity of her father and his far-reaching political connections.  When Lisbeth is put on trial, we learn how her father was the one behind her being institutionalized as a child and see the abuses she suffered at the hands of the head psychiatric physician.  This film really explores the exploitation of young girls and the moral corruption of high-ranked government officials with secrets to hide.  Lisbeth is truly one of the most engrossing and enigmatic characters of the literary and film worlds because the more you find out about her, the more mysterious her thoughts and actions seem.  As for Mikael, he again comes off as the real hero of the story, as he works tirelessly behind the scenes (along with his very pregnant sister who graciously agrees to act as Lisbeth's defense attorney) and doesn't let attempts to his life get in the way of protecting Lisbeth.  It was never exactly clear to me what Mikael's intentions were - was his battle to free Lisbeth from jail a crazy overture of his romantic feelings for her that he hoped would win her heart?  did he do it purely out of kindness for an old friend?  or was he just doing his job as a journalist and got lost in the excitement of the quest for the truth? - but it never made him seem any less noble in my eyes.  "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is an extremely satisfying culmination to a dark, thrilling tale of murder, depravation, revenge, and the pursuit of justice.


4 out of 5 stars