THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (2010) (***1/2)

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is one of the absolute best films of the year. Its sequel is not nearly as good, but that's only because part of the joy of the first film was meeting the characters. The pull of the second installment is what do these characters do next. And just how badass can Lisbeth Salander get?

The film takes place a year after the events of the first film. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), the gothed out superior hacker with the photographic memory, returns to Sweden after living aboard, giving time for the criminal heat that she's involved in to cool off. Her ally, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), has been trying to contact her to make sure she is safe. He knows Lisbeth Salander, so one wonders why he worries. She has a few reunions upon returning. She hooks up with her longtime lover Miriam Wu (Yasmine Garbi) and visits her court-appointed guardian Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson), a sadistic man who Lisbeth has the upper hand on.

Blomkvist is working with young journalist Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin) on a sex trafficking piece that will implicate high-ranking government officials. When Dag turns up dead, his murder and two additional killings are pinned on Lisbeth. In some way the gangster Zala (Georgi Staykov, FATHER OF MY CHILDREN), the bleach blonde thug Ronald Niedermann (Micke Spreitz), the secret police and Bjurman are all involved. On the public side, Blomkvist investigates to clear Lisbeth's name, while she does her own covert pursuit of who might want to set her up. All roads lead back to Lisbeth's violent past.

Lisbeth Salander is a character for the ages. She's an introverted heroine who doesn't like to depend on anyone. Her past is a secret she shares with no one. While we discovered some elements of her childhood in the first film, this new film delves into more details. The title refers to an incident we learned about in the DRGAON TATTOO, but has a dual meaning. She is highly skilled for sure, but has she messed with the wrong people this time?

Blomkvist is less involved in this tale, serving as a sort of guardian angel for Lisbeth. He's trying his best to keep the police diverted, while trying to come by the truth as well. He starts back up with his longtime married lover and colleague Erika Berger (Lena Endre, FAITHLESS), but she senses that Lisbeth has a pull on her man. Part of that pull is that he feels he owes his life to her, but Lisbeth doesn't want to get him wrapped up in her problems. There is a great moment when Blomkvist finds out where she has been staying that impresses on Lisbeth how determined he is… and how skilled of an investigator he is too.

While the first film had its grand murder mystery, the feel was more like a thriller from the 1970s where rich characters pieced together details to lead them to the killer. FIRE is grander with larger than life villains that could have easily been in a James Bond film. But in the end whether it's serial killers or Bond baddies, Lisbeth Salander is going to kick ass whether it ends up with her in jail or getting killed. Because that's the way she plays.