In this movie, the second chapter of the "workers" trilogy, Aki Kaurismäki cunningly mixes social drama and hard-boiled gangster film with impressive results, creating an opus that's both deeply touching and cruelly funny - often in the same scene.
The film revolves around Taisto Kasurinen (Turo Pajala), who comes to Helsinki in search for a job. He manages to get something to do at the docks, and also embarks on a relationship with a single mother. Naturally, being this Kaurismäki, good things don't last that long: Kasurinen is framed for a crime he didn't commit and sent to jail. Once there, he starts planning his escape with cell-mate Mikkonen (the consistently good Matti Pellonpää). As it turns out, escaping isn't that hard; it's not getting caught again that causes trouble...
I've always liked Kaurismäki's films for how they show people who are on the edge of desperation, and still find the strength to move on. It's the kind of movies we don't see that often (the only other director I can think of who tells these stories is Ken Loach). This time, he adds shades of crime comedy (Kasurinen and Mikkonen meet some bad people and end up in some awkward situations), with a couple of scenes that are among the darkest, and at the same time funniest, he's ever shot ( one of the film's best sequences anticipates Pulp Fiction by six years).
And let's not forget the ending. Without ruining anything, I can say the beautiful conclusion contains a famous film song - in Finnish!
Truly priceless.
The film revolves around Taisto Kasurinen (Turo Pajala), who comes to Helsinki in search for a job. He manages to get something to do at the docks, and also embarks on a relationship with a single mother. Naturally, being this Kaurismäki, good things don't last that long: Kasurinen is framed for a crime he didn't commit and sent to jail. Once there, he starts planning his escape with cell-mate Mikkonen (the consistently good Matti Pellonpää). As it turns out, escaping isn't that hard; it's not getting caught again that causes trouble...
I've always liked Kaurismäki's films for how they show people who are on the edge of desperation, and still find the strength to move on. It's the kind of movies we don't see that often (the only other director I can think of who tells these stories is Ken Loach). This time, he adds shades of crime comedy (Kasurinen and Mikkonen meet some bad people and end up in some awkward situations), with a couple of scenes that are among the darkest, and at the same time funniest, he's ever shot ( one of the film's best sequences anticipates Pulp Fiction by six years).
And let's not forget the ending. Without ruining anything, I can say the beautiful conclusion contains a famous film song - in Finnish!
Truly priceless.