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Published: 26 August 2010
by DAN CARRIER

PART Two in the Stieg Larsson trilogy is upon us, and, judging by the numbers of his books I see every day on the bus and Tube, this film is set to be box office gold, regardless of whether it is any good or not.

Thankfully, it does enough to keep Larsson fans satisfied. Away  from the hype of the  pot-boiling fiction phenomenon, this pulp scandinavian epic has wormed its way into book-lovers’ affections. 

Having read them, I find myself picking holes in the plot and style, yet have to say I couldn’t put them down. The snob within me can rattle off a host of other books I wish I had spent my limited time reading, while the reality is I loved every second I spent in the company of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. 

While at times the books feel lightweight, it is almost a positive thing – sometimes  you want to rip through a tale and not have to engage too much with it. 

The film feels the same and has been pretty true to the books. You know what happens next and don’t feel cheated by that fact. This can only be a positive thing for the fans who can’t wait to see the story leap from page to screen.

Though it feels redundant recapping the story, as it often seems there are more people in the planet now who have read the books than not, the story goes like this. After cracking a cold murder case with Mikael, Lisbeth has made off with some serious funds and is living a luxurious life in the Caribbean.

Back in Sweden, Mikael’s magazine is about to run a special edition exposing senior government, judicial and police figures who are involved in trafficking humans and the sex trade. But just days before publication, the reporter and his girlfriend are found brutally murdered – and the police suspect Lisbeth is responsible.

Mikael, of course, believes not a word of it and seeks to find the truth. 

On the way, he discovers his young friend’s hidden history – how her father battered her mother, how she sought vengeance, and the secret life her father had led. But while Mikael wants to help. Lisbeth needs no one – you’d not want to be on the wrong side of her. 

So often the second instalment of a film is made to stand on its own. The writers and director make a conscious effort to pander to those who haven’t seen the first instalment. No such largesse towards viewers here: if you haven’t seen part one, you may not know who Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist are, nor care about their relationship. 

But the assumption that most of the bums on the cinema seats are there as they are fans of the books – and with well over 30 million sold in Europe, that’s not unlikely – and this means we all know what’s what.

In the cold light of  day, the plot is fairly preposterous in places. But the hype surrounding the novels means much of the nonsense is ignored: Lisbeth’s physical indestructibility, her  mathematical brilliance, the seemingly small pool of people involved in the twisty-turny tale – who cares? Larsson is such a hero for his anti-Fascist work, his reputation made even more poignant by the fact he died before his books became popular, that I can forgive the multitude of sins that are flagged up by the essentially shallow nature of his writing. And in this horrible, male-dominated world, it’s so refreshing to have a strong female lead who doesn’t need rescuing or saving. 

I hear that the English language re-make is under way. 

Here, Sweden is not a glossy Scan­dinavian country – dark clouds hang over the streets of Stockholm, cigarettes are ground into dirty pavements, and our hero’s face is pock­marked, his eyes bloodshot. 

I can predict the re-make will be a much more glossy affair, with Lisbeth becoming a sex symbol and Mikael  going up a few grades on the handsome scale. I also worry that a part of the film which is not overly apparent will be lost when Hollywood gets its grubby mitts on this. 

The Swedish language helps create a look on the faces of the people who speak it: it is part and parcel of the atmosphere. This won’t survive the buckets of gloss due to be tipped over the story in a big money re-make.