Raid

This is a dark and confusing TV series from Finland. The pace drags and has the tendency to put you to sleep. The actors are morose characters and the plot is ultra confusing. Persist with it but can only be watched intermittently to avoid falling asleep.

Character development and acting are the strength of this drama of political conspiracy with dire economic consequences. Piirainen says that the events surrounding Escon are fictional, but in the wake of the collapse of the US company Enron, they are very believable. Kai Lehtinen plays Raid as an instinctive but troubled hero, surrounded by quirky, well-developed characters. Raid is at times almost a superhero, an effective, but self-restrained killing machine, but can be all too human. Lehtinen is stoically handsome, but not a pretty boy.

One wonders if Hollywood could ever cast a leading lady like Mari Rantasila (Tarja), or Kirsti Vaananen (Susisaari), both of whom were very fetching without being runway perfect (or surgically enhanced). Oiva Lohtander (Jansson), Tuula Nyman (Ms Hakala), Juha Muje (Sundman), Esko Salmonen (Uki) and Risto Aaltonen (Hallvik) struck me as utterly convincing in their parts. Pekka Huotari (Huusko) who is called 'Hopo' by coworkers, but Goofy in the subtitles, cracks lame jokes, makes inappropriate comments and delivers obscure lines about Wild Bill Hickock, but manages to be sympathetic. Tapio Liinoja (Hammar) was a deserving villain, not over-the-top, just a self-interested sociopath.

There are many references to American culture: Sundman's Beach Boys songs, posters of Clint Eastwood (homage to Sergio Leone), bottles of Johnnie Walker. There are few recognizable references to any other (non-Finnish) culture, except for automobiles. Two Mercedes, a BMW, a Toyota and a Jaguar figure prominently among the humble Ladas of the police force.

I've been watching the 12 part series Raid (2000). I just finished it last night and it was very entertaining from start to end. For me, anyway its very reminiscent of American Author's John D. MacDonald's character Travis McGee which I'll explain later.

A police official is assassinated by a sniper through a glass window, this action and its sub sequential investigation introduces us a slew of interesting characters and gets the whole story rolling.

Title character Raid played by Kai Lehtinen is a scruffy, stubble wearing loner he lives in a trailer that's parked in a warehouse with assorted boats and an old Mercedes Benz. The warehouse is owned by his dead ex-girlfriend's father Uki Kukkamaa played by Esko Salminen he has a wooden boat that he's restoring.

Oiva Lohtander is Komisario Jansson a sort of chief of detectives a classic downtrodden everyman who resembles "Daddy Warbucks" from the old Orphan Annie comics, his deadpan expressions are priceless. He his hobby is another old Mercedes which he mostly sits in in his garage to wind down. He is in charge of two Vanhempi konstaapeli ( sort of assistant dectives )Huusko and Susisaari (played by Pekka Huotari & Kirsti Väänänen) . Huusko is a real "horn dog" who has no real home but is having an affair with a criminals wife where he resides on and off. Susisaari is a big cute blond built like a brick hothouse.

These three have to deal with ( I think ) Apulaispoliisimestari Ritva Hakala the battle axe of a boss played by Tuula Nyman, she has a sort of employee's relations/compliance officer as an assistant of sorts who is another blond running around in a tight mini skirt, she is pretty hot looking.

Juha Muje plays another character Pornokauppias Sundman a porn dealer, who drives around in a huge American convertible in the Finnish winter with the top down, playing pop tunes from the top 40 of the 60's-70's.

Hammar is a professional hit-man played by a creepy Tapio Liinoja.

A company named Escon has been given a special status favored by the Finnish government to promote economic development sort of like a USA "Enterprise Zone" where they are taxed at little or very low rate.

Anyway Uki who I think was a small time criminal hired Hammar to scare Raid off his daughter. Hammar shot Raid in the foot during a heist. (now I'm not sure if Raid was caught and sent to jail or not) but Uki's daughter who worked for Escon gets sick unexplainedly and dies.

So Raid on a personal vendetta figures out that Hammar is the hit man working for Escon's cronies, Uki suspects that maybe Escon had something to do with his daughters death, Porn dealer Sundman I think is part of Uki's old gang and these three plus another guy start to track down whats going on from the underworld side while Jansson and the police investigate from the other end.

There are references to OUTITW there is a heavy SW influence, using almost every cliché & there is this Americanophile trucker character who wears bucksins a Yankees Jacket and a cowboy hat.

Raid during the story meets a cute lunchwagon gal, can't remember her name and she becomes his love interest.

The great thing about this miniseries is that there are no "pretty boy -gal" main characters ( the kind that predominate in American films these days) all the actors look like convincing real people, people with flaws, zits, etc., etc., folks you'd meet on the street of anyplace.

Worth checking out if you ever get a chance.

Raid will remind folks of John D. McDonald's character Travis McGee who was a "salvage expert" who lived on a houseboat in the Ft. Lauderdale FL, Bahia Mar Marina, he took jobs salvaging situations for people who couldn't go to the police.

When I started to watch this series I was skeptical. Finnish crime drama, how could that work. Well it did, big time. First of all, the characters are truly unique. Raid, Hopo, Sanna, truck driver, porn salesman, "perse-arska"... wow! And you gotta love the lieutenant Jansson's sarcastic one-liners. Brilliant! Also, the plot is interesting enough to keep you awake. It is also nice to see Hopo's and Sanna's relationship to evolve. The neighborhood's maradona was also a funny figure. There is no doubt that Raid is the best finnish crime drama ever. Particularly, because it contains enough finnish humour to keep us all at our seats. :-)

Kai Lehtinen is amazing in the part of Raid. Raid is a hitman with morals. Now he has come back to Finland after many years to investigate the strange circumstances surrounding the suicide of his former loved one. The series is packed with colorful characters who are played by the best of the best finnish actors. Writer/director Piirainen has adapted the series from Nykänen's novels. I have not read the books, but I've heard that the series is even better. So, for anyone who hasn't seen it yet... if you have a chance to catch this somewhere, I warmly recommend. It's available on DVD in Finland.

***** / *****