Sweden is playing with fire

Stieg Larsson’s posthumously published Millennium Trilogy, focusing on computer hacker Lisbeth Salander’s efforts to expose abuses in the Swedish sex worker industry, is the punk-rock “Harry Potter.”

Salander is a tattooed, pierced lesbian who has captured the collective imagination of Sweden and the United States alike with her strength and cunning. Swedish actress Noomi Rapace has landed the role of a lifetime in portraying Salander, and in the second installment of the trilogy, “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” she shows her impressive versatility in the part.

“Fire” sees our protagonist assuming numerous visages as she hides from both hired goons who want her dead and police who think she’s responsible for three murders, and Rapace pulls it off with poise.

The film is plagued by some of the pacing issues that often come up with middle installments of trilogies, but two endlessly riveting performances from Rapace and veteran character actor Michael Nyqvist keep things consistently interesting.

The Swedish film industry is doing some impressive things today, and “The Girl Who Played With Fire” shows that even big-budget bestseller adaptations are artistically resonant pieces of work that demand one’s full attention.