User reviews

This show had a lot of potential but I personally sensed an absence of good writing and directing. The acting was often very monotone and was missing authentic expression. I was having a hard time caring for the characters. The threat wasn't portrayed well enough and I found myself bothered by the lack of realism overall. I would've loved to see big invader troops with attitudes that could've been felt through the screen. I realise that stressful situations can make us react in ways we can't predict, but instead of lots of hesitation and even sluggishness I would've wanted to see stern strong leader figures with determination and fire in their veins (not only talking about the president). We have a huge high-stake situation in our hands and yet I, as a viewer, didn't feel it. I didn't feel the rush, the stress, the fear of the unknown.

Some aspects I liked, mostly the filming, set design and the editing. I understand the funding can be tough to find in a small country, shows like this easily eat away dozens of millions. Finland has some breathtaking scenery and landscape, those drone videos of nature really please the eye. The diversity of actors and languages was refreshing but also felt a bit forced.

My overall enjoyment score as a viewer is 6/10. If we were to compare this only to other Finnish shows, I would go a bit higher.

Seen one episode in but it already feels just like an unbelievable commercial for the Finnish defence forces. Unnecessary sex scene, wannabe edgy president that you can't take seriously after her first scene and so much of unimportant idling makes me think that is there even a story behind all of this.

At least it looks quite good. The military equipment provided by the Finnish defence forces are authentic which gives some realness to this lame and stoic story. Peter Franzén is the standout as the other main lead in the series and gives a good performance as a Finnish military staff member. Hopefully the rest of the series will be better.

Update:

Quite surprised by the later episodes (4 and 5) the tension is really there and all the corny, cringe and boring scenes are gone. It's not a perfect show by any means but much better than the start.

As a special forces soldier, I find the series excellent. Aki is the Man. The criticism has been so inferior that this becomes a success. Few dare to present characters as stereotypes. A traditional officer is a traditional officer. Now there are also those women. Today there are women in the army. You'd think it would do. And there are also immigrants. You'd think that would do too. Fortunately, the audience decides. I'm sure the Defense Forces have been happy to help. Critics criticize and soldiers fight. That's the difference. Congratulations Finland 107 years! This is a good reminder to be ready. Not with a keyboard but with a gun.

An interesting premise that is perhaps not that far removed from real life. Mostly english language, it even has some Americans in the otherwise finnish cast.

The first few episodes do a good job of building a sense of confusion on the ground and in senior government circles. The conclusion however is a bit of an anti-climax.

Only has a small cast, the Finnish landscape is gorgeous, photography is good, the acting is pretty limited, I imagine it was made on a small budget and seemed to rely on stock footage for things like warships, aircraft were mostly absent. Overall, it feels more like a documentary than a drama.

A great show depicting the invasion of Finland in a similar vein to the Crimean conflict. The show follows both civilian leadership, career officers, as well as conscript personnel. Equipment, action, and small-unit tactics (thus far) are shown to be highly authentic and engaging, partially due to the support of the Finnish Defence Forces and the main commercial supplier, Varusteleka.

Regarding the dialogue and acting, most of it is very good, especially those by Peter Franzen, potraying a career officer attempting to reach his family. I've seen some negative feedback about the conscripts, whether related to the amount of drama, intimacy, or their diversity, but given that most conscripts are 18-20 when they enter service, I found this highly realistic. Having soldiers from diverse backgrounds is also EXTREMELY common in certain units, particularly in the Helsinki Capital region. The acting of the civilian leadership (which strongly evokes some of Finland's more recent leaders) is at best just OK - limited by perhaps clunky dialogue choices.

English dialogue in the how was also a bit of a hit or miss, especially with scenes concerning civilian leadership, or attached allied officers - it feels like the writers were somewhat out of their depth here - but it was acceptable.

Overall, an excellent show - I'm pretty jaded with TV these days, and a lot of shows feel either longwinded or underfunded (looking at you, Dune Prophecy), but this was tight and great from the start. Truly a new level of TV for Finland!

Note for folks interested in similar content, check out TaisteluKentta 2020 on the FDF youtube channel, which even sports some of the same faces.

Terribly sorry, but even the premise: that a few paratroopers could accomplish anything of military or territorial value, and that foreign military equipment and soldiers could "slip ashore" from "Venezuelan" ships unnoticed, is stupid and unrealistic. Even more strange, no plausible motive is given for why a "foreign force" would take this action, which in real life only could lead to said force being thrown back into the sea in record time. This unrealistic premise is then combined with the nowadays requisite and formulaic "conflicts" amongst soldiers and political leaders, and some totally unnecessary sex scenes. Apart from some refreshing exceptions, the acting is most often wooden, probably because of the likewise stilted writing. Even seasoned, normally competent actors can't seem to get it together. Like everyone is satisfied with the first take. To top it all off, the music score feels uninspired, and curiously detached from events rolling by. Production values are sometimes pretty good, but really feel wasted on this drawn out series (two episodes would have been enough).

Aku Louhimies offers well-written TV-entertainment. The realism surprises - these are the threat images that Finland has been preparing for for years. The Ukrainian crisis made this more real. Every Finnish reservist will surely recognize the series' attempt to respect realism. The story is written from the perspective of a Finnish soldier. It's delightful. This is not traditional American war imagery, but offers a view of how Europe wants to deal with these issues. Definitely worth of watching!

Although the characters are a bit stereotypical, their actions are enjoyable to watch. At the time of writing this review, the series has progressed to its fifth episode. The battle scenes have already become more intense. Hopefully, the sixth episode will maintain this intensity. I believe that a fairly large budget has been spent on the series. It is reflected in the production in a good way. A lot of defense forces equipment has been included and even Swedish Gripen fighters.

It would be really nice if the series also gained international exposure. I believe that Finland's position on the world map - on Russia's neighbor - makes this series great to watch all over the world.

Farcical series that couldn't decide its purpose or intent...., Is it about the tough decisions leaders have to make in the face of adversity or threats?

Is it the prowess of the Finnish military?

Or perhaps about a too real threat of an invasion of a country?

Certainly an interesting premise that portrayed women and A (one) minority in a positive light (hence the generous 3 stars).

Disjointed storyline, unanswered questions, too neat wrap up and let's not forget the inclusion of an American soldier that added no value to the plot.

Not to disparage the no doubt competent Finnish Military but the portrayal of soldiers was weak kneed at best.

An incident of such magnitude and severity would not have a prime minister playing footsie with an unknown third party for negotiations and diplomacy. Completely unrealistic and ludicrous responses to such a serious incidence of an invasion of a country.

Beautiful scenery would have been better presented in a national geographic documentary.

Most of the series showed the president walking/ bouncing from one meeting to another along long halls, and soldiers ducking into forests, behind sheds or crawling through forest floors.

Farcical at best despite high promise.

The show is a breath of fresh air for military and political dramas. It skips the Hollywood tropes where people take gunshots and keep fighting like superheroes. Here, the weapons and their effects feel real and grounded, making the stakes hit harder.

The conscripts are exactly how you'd expect them to be-regular young people, not elite commandos with picture-perfect execution. And seeing them represented is refreshing since most shows focus on elite units and their over-the-top personal drama. The politicians, too, are spot-on, acting just as self-serving and calculating as you'd imagine.

The portrayal of the opponent (likely Russia, though it's not confirmed yet) is chillingly realistic. The propaganda, manipulation, and subtle plays to exploit the Finnish society feel all too plausible and add an extra layer of tension.

At times, the dialogue can feel stiff, especially in the situation room, almost like watching an amateur play. But honestly, that might just be what it's actually like-people under pressure saying what they need to without worrying about sounding polished. The military's formal Finnish (kirjakieli) adds to the authenticity, even if it's not the most natural for a viewer.

All in all, Conflict gets a solid 9/10 from me. It's fresh, timely, and incredibly engaging. If you're into realistic military dramas, this is absolutely worth your time!

Got me hooked from the first episode! Surreal to watch coming from a Finnish perspective. Really makes you think about the turbulent world we live in nowadays and what you appreciate the most in your day to day life.

Loved the inside jokes, that open especially to the Finnish population and people familiar with the Finnish society and system. Also great way to learn something about Finnish security for the viewers new to Finland.

Lots of Finnish military technology on show, which makes the series every mil-tech geeks daydream! The Defense forces presence in training the cast shows as well put together action in the excercise and action scenes.

From the perspective of an ordinary Finnish soldier, the portrayal feels authentic. Despite the harsh realities and cruelty of war, the beauty of Finland's natural landscapes, particularly its coastal areas, still shines through.

I believe there's often too much overthinking about what course of action to take. That said, I do understand why such deliberation is necessary. Having served in the Finnish military myself, I also understand that during training, we don't always operate with "all guns blazing."

I really enjoyed this and hope to see more of this kind of work in the future. Thanks!!

Very nice filmed, very nice casted and rather realistic. I've watched the first episode and a bit of the second, to the point where the cocktail-lady acting as the president tells the prime minister that appeasement is old school. And there we have it; a TV show priming us to acknowledge that diplomacy is out, and that we must face the supposed danger of Russia invading NATO-territory with military means.

Going into third episode, we now have the rhetoric going (this is hybrid warfare, we're loosing the narrative etc.), and the acting of the president is poor. The whole context is superficial and amateurish.

Here we are, on the verge of WW3, with Ukraine being used as a proxy to defeat Russia ... while our diplomacy efforts are as thin as they get. We're supposed to 'be strong' and fight the russians, but for that we need to phrame them as a danger to world peace. And a tv-show like this could help us to think that there are no other options than to fight the russians. The playbook could have been written by Bernay himself; let's do it! War is not a racket (add some irony to that)...

The Conflict has everything. It dives deep in the states reaction to suprise attack and shows both political processes and individuals reaction to new situation. The common soldiers decisions play a huge role and effects to large picture. Despite the suffering caused by death in environment finnish soldiers act out their training.

As a political science student I respect the way in which Louhimies has described the games of power which doesn't stop even though common enemy is knocking on the door. The acting work in this series is amazing. The story is great and authenthic. The Conflict is realistic and the most important show that european people could watch in our time.

Tanks, helicopters, fighter planes, warships, guns etc are real. Also many background characters are army officers and special forces. Team used production money to filming, not many computer effects. I think bazooka hit was virtual, maybe only one.

This was written before Ukraine war but very prophetic so far (3 episodes seen).

There are funnies that non-finnish understand. President, prime minister and their assistants have real-world role models.

Some guns are old model because newer (H&K) has no blank bullets available.

My personal favorite is Sisu GPT 4x4 vehicle. Never seen in real life, because quite new and rare.

Great cinema for war / action fans. Couldnt believeve we could create this kind of show.

Thanks for director and cast!

Tanks, helicopters, fighter planes, warships, guns etc are real. Also many background characters are army officers and special forces. Team used production money to filming, not many computer effects. I think bazooka hit was virtual, maybe only one.

There are funnies that non-finnish understand. President, prime minister and their assistants have real-world role models.

Some guns are old model because newer (H&K) has no blank bullets available.

My personal favorite is Sisu GPT 4x4 vehicle. Never seen in real life, because quite new and rare.

Absolutely the best Finnish tv-series ever made. This is an excellent series with (unfortunately) quite realistic, fantastic and intriguing storyline.

The series includes some world-class scenes with fighter planes etc. Which are rearly seen in Finnish tv. Great filming locations in amazing Finnish nature and in Hanko, one of the most beautiful sea front town in Finland.

Acting is great with some of best Finnish actors in main roles (Peter Franzen and Sara Soulie) and international casting adds fresh touch to the series.

The story lingered in my mind for a long time after seeing all episodes.

As a former soldier both fighting sides seem very unprofessional marching in open groud ready to be shot.

I really hope the finnish are not really like this in reality because when the invasion comes they will be hopeless.

I would recommend seeing a different eries lika Fauda which is much more realistic.

I also found the people in charge including the president to be very weak and not at all leaders. I usually stay with a series and go it through but I feel this will be a waste of time so really just don't waste your time on it. I really hope I am wrong and the next episodes will be better

I really hope I am wrong.

Point Of View: A normal Finnish man who has been in the army (almost all Finnish men). Top production and realistic for finnish defence force stnd point! This should be on every European countrys intrest right now! They left some parts of the stories told becouse they we're happening in real world.. Like under ocean cabel sabotage and such. Hope to see more, start was promesing. There's a NATO point of view and a presidental (govermental) view as well.

There is female soldiers as finnish army has and some romantic stuff comes along with it (that's of course must be!) Happy to see more!!!!!!!!

First episode sets a super exciting stage with a sudden and unexplained military action... One might think it would add some perspective other than the military personnel's relation to civilian life, but nope... just armed forces and tech jerk all the way and one or another wink to Finnish heritage and relations to the US.

From the second episode on, lack of depth and perspective makes this feel like the wet dream of your average Swedish or Finnish teenage conscript or high school war nerd, nothing more (and nothing less if that's what floats your boat).

The president character is slightly interesting as she gets to say FU to everyone including the US... but the rest of the sub plots are simplified copies of your average action scenes or story lines but in a beautiful Finnish setting.

Plot holes are the name of the game, classic war hawk propaganda.

Positive: a lot of proper textbook operational military procedures.