Beyond the Front Line - Kampf um Karelien

I'm so looking forward to seeing this film about the Finns fighting along with the Nazis against the Sovietunion. To the remarks from "xaggurat from Vantaa, Finland", I just want to say, the Finns did what they had to do to keep Soviet out.. and the Swedes did what they had to do to keep the Nazis off Sweden and stay neutral and peaceful during WW2. Recent studies has shown that we Swedes where not so "neutral" with the allied as to training Police forces and granting US Air force to set up a base at kalax airport, among other thing. Beides, how would Germany invading Sweden helped Finlad during the War? I'm hoping to see a film about this subject matter in the near future...

This film is about the real life Finnish war hero Harry Järv, who is still alive in Stockholm and started a career as a literature scientist after the war. The film starts in his home (?), where Järv, wearing lots and lots of medals, together with a friend who hasn't really that amount of medals, tell the beginning of the story for a young woman.

When we move back to Russia in 1943 and the drama begins. Of course you can make a war movie like this, but it can be done much better. It is rather bad acting on many hands, although Ilkka Heiskanen passes as the lieutenant colonel. Although the battle scenes appear realistic, there is a kind of heroism here, which you thought died even before John Wayne did. Of course Finland's struggle was heroic, but the fact is that Finland 1941-1944 fought beside the Germans. They were brothers in arms. That might rise some questions, but hardly in this movie.

One did expect more. No medals for the director here.

I liked this film for it's document-like story telling, and the fact that two veterans: Järv himself and another man from the same unit were involved in making it, as advisor's. This shows in true story told exactly right and in the way death is described and fake blood is not spared on the wounded.

Järv's own photographs - taken by himself with the camera he carried with him in the war - are shown as he takes them in the film, and some black and white documentary clips are added to remind the viewer, this war really did happen. It's a nice touch, and a brave move, which could've flopped the movie. But it works.

What I didn't like, was that Rambo-style Super Soldier Heroism shown on some battle screens. Also Russian head on attacks are quite common in the film: "Don't use the trees or dive for cover! Just run at them! CHAAAARGE!" Then again. Soviet's were known to use such tactics (especially early in the war). Järv's groups heroic raids on enemy positions are also a fact of history.

I will comment Triathlonwest's earlier comments, to correct a few facts. First of all Soviet Union didn't attack Finland in The Winter War because "Russia needed land around Stalingrad to defend the city against possible German attacks" - as Triathlonwest stated. There's plenty of land around Stalingrad. They demanded a buffer zone for LENINGRAD. Soviet Union also demanded Finland's nickel mines at Petsamo, and several military bases inside Finnish borders, and close to the capital Helsinki, which would've basically given the Soviets free pass to enter the city, if war would've been later declared. And to this comment: "The reason the Fins lost territory to the Russians were their stubbornness and refusal to compromise". Behind the scenes, and before Winter War (or the Russo-German war), the Soviets had a pact with Germany (The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) to share Europe between them. Germany would get Western and Central Poland, and Western Europe, while Soviet Union had "claims" on Eastern Poland, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and it's other western neighbors. So the war would've most likely started even if Finns would've accepted Soviet demands. Out of all countries included in this pact only Finland remained independent during and after the war. All thanks to Finnish stubbornness.

Finland was the only country during world war two to fight both for the Axis and then later against it, alongside the Soviet Union.

This films focus is opening stages of the war which sees the Finns fighting with the Axis. That said, this film looks only at the conflict between the Finns and the Soviets. It accurately displays the Finns role as defenders attacked by the Soviets and their defense against a much larger enemy force.

This is an interesting, well acted film. It pulls no punches in showing the horrors of war and its easy to empathize with the Finns, whilst feeling sympathy for the men who die on both sides.

This film occasionally shows a patriotic side, especially in the latter half of the film. Thankfully, its not overdone and doesn't descend into jingoism. That said it is a little corny at times and some scenes of this kind might have been best left on the cutting room floor.

In summary this is a good quality film. Its polished and well directed. the sets are top notch and the battles scenes are convincing and at times, shocking. Its refreshing too, to see films that step outside the US/UK mold and for this reason alone, its worth a look. Seven out of ten from me.

I would consider this a realistic description of war. As always, in critical situations some people tend to stand out as heroes more than others, and this movie gives a nice picture of one of them, Harry Järv, the group leader of a group patrolling deep behind enemy lines. The war scenes in this movie are quite authentic, as opposed to many a Hollywood movie, those who have seen the German movie Stalingrad know what I mean. The actors are good, they give the impression of being real persons who you can relate to. Also, Finland had to ally with the Germans for a while (they actually used them to get weapons) but refused to be ordered around by the Nazis. The reason for this was that no western country helped Finland as the Soviets tried to conquer the country. This movie sets in the time when the Soviets pushed hard on the Karelian isthmus, with an overwhelming number of troops and material, and the Finns tried to hold the front. As a Finn, I am of perhaps overly patriotic in my review, but I would really recommend this movie for everyone who likes a historically correct, humane war movie.