Product Details

• Actors: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin, Jacob Ericksson
• Directors: Daniel Alfredson
• Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Swedish
• Subtitles: English
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Music Box Films Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 25, 2011
• Run Time: 148 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (311 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0046H0HZG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,103 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It takes a while, but the saga of one of the more fascinating characters put on the page or the screen in recent years comes to a satisfying conclusion with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the last installment of the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson's so-called Millennium Trilogy. That character is Lisbeth Salander, the computer-hacking, Goth-loving, dark angel of revenge, played by Noomi Rapace with the same black stare and taciturn charisma that were so riveting in the first two films (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, both also released in 2010). When we last saw her, Lisbeth was trying to kill her father, a Russian defector and abusive monster; in the process, the girl was seriously wounded by her half-brother, a hulking freak with a strange condition that renders him impervious to physical pain. As the new film opens, all three are still alive, and she's being taken to a hospital to recover while waiting to stand trial for attempted murder. Meanwhile, her champion and erstwhile lover, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), sets about uncovering the full extent of the conspiracy responsible for (among other crimes) Lisbeth's being sent to an asylum at age 12 while her father was protected by evil forces within the government. This investigation, which puts not only Lisbeth but also Blomkvist and his colleagues in considerable danger, leads to "the Section," a thoroughly repellent bunch of aging liars, killers, thieves, and perverts with a great many secrets they'd like to keep (the oily Dr. Peter Teleborian, who was responsible for Lisbeth's "treatment" as a child, emerges as the most vile antagonist since the guardian who brutally assaulted her in the first film). Although much of the exhaustive detail about these and other matters has been eliminated by director Daniel Alfredson (who also helmed The Girl Who Played with Fire) and screenwriters Jonas Frykberg and Ulf Ryberg for the purpose of adapting the novel to the screen, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is still quite long (148 minutes), and less kinetic and violent than the earlier films; there are some exciting sequences, but Lisbeth, previously an unlikely but magnetic action heroine, is seen mostly on a hospital bed or in a courtroom, and much of the film is spent on procedural matters. Still, the fact that the loose ends are wrapped up in fairly conventional fashion doesn't make the conclusion any less satisfying. In fact, the only real letdown comes from knowing that we won't get to see Noomi Rapace play Lisbeth Salander again. --Sam Graham

Product Description

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest is the third and final film adaptation of the best-selling Millennium trilogy written by the late Swedish author, Stieg Larsson (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire). In this last installment, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest brings back Noomi Rapace in the starring role of the pierced and tattooed genius computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist, the crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, and Lena Endre (Erika Berger) the editor of the magazine and Blomkvist's occasional lover.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 92 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the three films November 23, 2010

By Richard B. Schwartz TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

The third story in the Millennium series begins precisely where the second ended. Lisbeth is taken to the hospital. Shot three times and buried alive, she needs emergency brain surgery to remove a bullet. Her father is still alive and her half brother is still on the prowl. Eventually Lisbeth is transferred to a Stockholm jail where she awaits trial for attempted murder. In this story we learn the big backstory--not just Lisbeth's relationship with her father and half brother, but the relationship between Lisbeth's father and a secret security unit, unknown even to the Swedish prime minister. These characters are anxious to remain anonymous. That means eliminating witnesses (or, in Lisbeth's case, consigning her to an asylum, permanently).

Here's what to keep in mind. You should not pay any attention to film critics who fail to perceive the film's genre. Just because there are three books in the series, with a repeating cast of characters, you should not expect all three of the stories to be the same. The first story is actually a 'locked room' mystery (a locked island mystery, to be precise). The second story is very plot-driven, with far fewer atmospherics and the flavor of action/adventure. The third story is quite different. This is a legal thriller. The 'complaint' that Lisbeth spends half of the film in the hospital and the other half in court is unfair. Hey, this is Lisbeth. Do you really think she's going to sit idly by and not play a pivotal role in her own defense? And besides, we have the posse to end all posses: Blomkvist and the Millennium team, Lisbeth's former employer at the security agency and last, but most certainly not least, her hacker pal, Plague. They are supported by Blomkvist's sister, who serves as Lisbeth's defense attorney, and a whole security team, investigating the secret security team. There's plenty of conflict here between good and evil to satisfy any viewer and as the camera shifts from good guy to bad and the layers of Lisbeth's defense case are assembled, the (more cerebral) plot is riveting.

Finally, I don't want to give anything away, but trust me on this--Lisbeth is not going to be in the hospital or the court room forever. Her crazed half brother is still at large and he's got some serious 'splainin to do, except that Lisbeth may cut that discussion short, in a way that only Lisbeth could conceive and execute. The final scenes are, shall we say, very, very memorable.

As always, the direction is superb, the acting pitch perfect and the ending more satisfying than I could express (without spoiling it for all of you).

Given the genre and given what the film aspires to do, this is the top film in the series.

116 of 126 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lisbeth Salander Vs. The System July 18, 2010

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

"The Girl Who Kicked A Hornet's Nest" is really more like "The Girl Who Played With Fire Part II" -- this movie begins mere minutes after the end of the previous one, and everything stems from the film before it. The third and final film adapted from Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy is a taut, unnerving exploration of a government cover-up -- with the titular "girl" as their victim.

Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) has been shot in the head, and is rushed to a hospital for surgery -- the same hospital as her evil father Zalachenko. And since she's still being framed for murder, Mikael (Michael Nyqvist) devotes the forthcoming issue of "Millennium" to clearing her name and revealing the government's dirty secrets (including how they had her institutionalized as a kid).

But when Zalachenko threatens to rat them out, the "Section" sends an assassin to shoot him. Unfortunately, this group also wants want to punish Lisbeth by sticking her in another mental home, and the pedophile director Teleborian is all too happy to lock her up. The best chance Lisbeth has is to send her own "autobiograpy" to Mikael.

It's not a whodunnit, and it's not a straight thriller. "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" is a slow-moving, complex affair, centering on powerful men who try to crush women who defy them, and a system filled with in corrupt muck, cruelty and murder. It's part legal drama, part conspiracy story, and part bloody thriller.

And while not as harrowing as the movies before it, this movie is a bleak tangled web of threats, evidence,stalkings, and the occasional gory death (along with the hysteria that accompanies them). As the story goes on, it tauter and frightening, buoyed up by Lisbeth's impassive defiance (she walks into her own trial in full goth-punk regalia!).

The one flaw? The last fifteen minutes feel disconnected from the rest of the film, and the last scene feels... anticlimactic, and vaguely unfinished. Then again, since Larsson intended to write ten books, perhaps the "unfinished" flavor is inevitable.

Rapace is silent for long stretches of the story, and her impassive face, deep eyes and leashed energy make her a presence even when she doesn't speak. Her Lisbeth is full of defiance against the world, and it can only be seen through her dress and her silence. Nyqvist is good but rather overshadowed by Rapace; Anders Ahlbom is wonderfully vile as Teleborian --it's INCREDIBLY satisfying to see the pedophile get torn apart.

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest" ends on a "to be continued" note that will never be continued, but it's a satisfying end to the tale of Lisbeth Salander.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!! May 13, 2011

By Jacob L. Peck

Format:Amazon Instant Video

I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, with a sense of shock and awe. The Girl who played with Fire left me wanting more. After reading the first two books I saw the Swedish movies with english subtitles. They did great justice to the books and sanitized them a bit to reduce the shock factor. I was not disappointed by this movie and was especially happy with the English dubbing that relieved me of the distraction of reading subtitles. Action, adventure, intrigue, government conspiracies, suspense, well developed characters, great plot.....it was an excellent movie and the 2 1/2 hours flew by. My only regret is that Stieg Larsson died before completing the 10 book series he had planned. I have heard that there is a fourth book and I really hope this is true. I need another Lizbeth and Bloomquist fix.