Film: The Girl in the Spider’s Web
Cast: Claire Foy, Stephen Merchant, Lakeith Stanfield, Sverrir Gnudnason, Sylvia Hoeks
Director: Fede Alvarez
Rating: * * *
Claire Foy whom we last saw in First Man alongside Ryan Gosling has big shoes to fill (Noomi Rapace/Rooney MarTa) as the traumatised title character in “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” which is a follow-up to David Fincher’s 2011 film “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” A title which isn’t as chilling as the Swedish original “Man sonn hayar kvinnor” which means, Men who hate women.
That was the first of the “Millenium” best-selling novels by Stieg Larsson whose writerly legacy was carried on, after his untimely 2004 death by David Lagercrantz. Uruguyan director Alvarez who helmed the brilliant “Don’t Breathe” relies on Lagercrantz’s creation.
Now, ace computer hacker Lisbeth Salander is an avenging angel punishing sadistic men who hurt women. Licensed to abuse men will hate her guts, but those familiar with Salander’s past, know of the horrific abuse she suffered as a child. If Salander prefers same sex relationships as an adult, you know the preference isn’t genetic.
Computer technology and nukes make a great combo like a horse and carriage and the nuclear angle is taken up through characters like American spook Frans Balder (Stephen Merchant), who ropes in Salander to hack into the National Security Agency for a Very Important Program with the potential to unleash Armageddon.
Unfortunately, there are a whole lot of baddies too who want the same thing and will stop at nothing to get it. The plot gets murkier with sibling rivalry, a gifted child and yet another hack, you know, the crusading kind (Sverrir Gudnason replaces Michael Nyqvist and Daniel Craig as the afore-mentioned journalist). I liked the hard-edged 2009 Swedish original best. That being said this instalment remains a highly enjoyable thriller.
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