The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

The final segment of the Millenium trilogy on film is resolutely dour and harsh. Salander gets her rightful day in court as well as a final opportunity for industrial-strength revenge. She and crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist emerge victorious, but not really triumphant, which is only fitting for a tale in which the role of martyr/avenger takes such a heavy toll on its ferociously punked-out heroine. Noomi Rapace does her subtlest acting in that role here, and director Daniel Alfredson keeps the well-oiled narrative machinery moving with brisk, coldly lucid efficiency. The final irony is that Salander wins the day and it feels almost like a letdown—for her in one way and for us in another. Pageant Theatre. Rated R