Pahat pojat

As I'm having a week of Finnish movies, I also watched this one. And I must say it was a way better than I expected (and I did expect a decent movie), actually it's the best Finnish movie I've seen on this special week of mine.

With all its well played and thus believable characters and their dialogs, an above average story, great camera work and the lack of stamps and cheap one-liners it surely is a great film experience.

I totally enjoyed the beginning and other parts concerning the father - though those scenes with their garbled filming and darker tones, background voices and echoes were more suitable for a horror movie and they weren't well balanced with the rest of it.

The usage of Finnish-only music was a good call as well.

I totally recommend it.

It may irritate Finnish viewers by its un-Finnishness, perhaps it was intended by the creators. I guess they were trying to appeal to American and wider Europe and, in my view, they succeeded. This movie may particularly appeal by its unamerican flavour to the audiences used to American movies. The father of the boys comes across as quite a menacing character who at the end gets what he deserves. A bit simple but don't expect any depth from this movie. It is though based on a true story doesn't make an impression to be "real" It is just pure entertainment. Not each of the boys is equally well developed as a character but the main the youngest one, who has a separate story line, falling in love, is OK.

Finnish high-morality and spiritual twister in childhood might do this like horrible creatures as the father (Vesa-Matti Loiri) was. In the group of believers this movie might get up against-spirit. They might think: "No, hell, we aren't like those twisted-human-monster are!!" But I can say: "Yes, yes some of believers are." I can say 'cause I'm one of 'em. But that thing that some are twister was in the movie quite well shown. This father was in psychiatric-hospital and he HAVE to has many problems with his mental-health too. So have to give forgiven.

Although I am a Finn, I've never liked much of any Finnish films. That is why I didn't have high expectations about this one. To my surprise, this movie wasn't only good, it was actually really great.

This movie is a true story about four brothers known as "Eura's Daltons" who don't use alcohol, don't smoke nor curse. Still they have made over hundred robberies. These brothers have a sadistic and schizophrenic father "Joppe pappa" who isn't exactly the best father figure there is.

This movie manages to be fun and yet tragic at the same time. The movie manages to be interesting the whole running time and there aren't any boring moments. All the actors do their job very well and I especially liked the performance of Vesa-Matti Loiri as "Joppe pappa".

It might be difficult to see this movie in foreign countries like in the USA but if you have a chance to see this movie then I recommend you to see it. Hopefully the movie will premiere in other countries as well, at least in Sweden and Norway.

When you take off the nice explosions and the "this is based on a true story but we just don't admit it"-attitude this doesn't give much.

There are all the basic elements of a film here, but the story telling as a whole just doesn't work. I guess they haven't heard about timing when doing this film, it's just action from the beginning to the end. No climax, no peaceful scenes. Just when you think you can really concentrate on the characters they throw some action on the screen again. It suffocates the relations between people and gives very one-sided view of the characters.

The action is mostly like "hey we could do this and this" and I found most of it unnecessary. There are also good things in this film though. It was partially filmed in my home town and it's always nice to see some places you know well. Also the director Aleksi Mäkelä's father showed in two or three scenes. The boys had trained their muscles very well and looked good. If I had been turned on by those sixpacks I would probably have gotten much more out of this film. Vesa-Matti Loiri was ok.

Aleksi Mäkelä has made some attempts to make a big budget action film in Finland and this film is a good practice ground, but it doesn't convince me yet. Hope he will some day make something really thrilling and new, not just average material mostly copied from Hollywood action films. It was also a bit fun to see Finnish businessmen, known of very different relations, producing the film. This is not only a film, it is also an investment. If I had to describe this with one sentence I would probably say: Finnish big budget action films have come and succeeded. Go watch it if you like but don't expect too much.