Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Bene Cumb Continuation War was the direct reason for the Soviet aggression into Finland - known as Winter War - when Finland was deprived of big areas where the Finns and the Karelians had been living for centuries. As it coincided with the World War II and Finland was helped by Germany, it helped the Soviets to maintain the areas (which are currently in a very miserable condition, brushy, etc), although their losses were much bigger than those of Finns.All this, together with the post-war "finlandisation", has annoyed most of the Finns, and only the collapse of the Soviet Union has enable to approach the war issues with realism and dignity they deserved. Rukajärven tie is an example of a strong war film (directed by Olli Saarela) based on a solid book (by Antti Tuuri) where war horrors alternate with people's search for love, acceptance, and desire to live a "normal" life. Although the Finns are known as somewhat sluggish, the pace of the film is yet sometimes too slow, scenes stressing the mood or visions could have been shorter; besides, there are some predictable twists (related to an in-house explosion or ending scenes, for example) and the ending is too trivial. As for the cast, it is far above average, but Peter Franzén as Lieutenant Eero Perkola outperforms all the others (he is one of the most versatile contemporary Finnish actors).Nevertheless, if you like war films and/or are aware of Finland's choices before and during World War II, you may appraise the film highly.

Euromutt "Rukajärven Tie" is set in the opening stages of the "Continuation War." In 1941, the Finns sought to take advantage of the German invasion of the Soviet Union to seize back--with interest--the territory the Soviets had captured from Finland in the Winter War of 1939-40. The main protagonist is Eero Perkola, a subaltern commanding a platoon of Finnish bicycle infantry which is participating in the invasion. Once in Russia, Perkola is surprised to run into his fiancée, Kaarina, whom he thought to be safe in Helsinki, but who has joined the women's auxiliaries. Perkola requests his battalion commander to transfer the auxiliaries away from the front. The battalion commander agrees, but asks Perkola to take on a special mission in return; Perkola's platoon is to reconnoitre forward of a gap in the Finnish lines to ensure the Soviets are not preparing to counter-attack in that sector.This puts "Rukajärven Tie" into the "Lost Patrol" (as in the 1934 John ford film) category of war movies: a small unit making its way through hostile territory, harassed by groups of hostile fighters. Of course, this film is about Finns. It helps to have some knowledge of the historical situation to comprehend this film, but it's not vital. The soldiers do not see the war as some "crusade against godless communism," they're looking for payback, and while ideological differences within the unit are touched upon, the Russians (note: the Russians, not the Soviets) are clearly the common enemy, and the bitterness (in varying degrees) of the Finnish soldiers is clearly evident. War movies of this kind depend on suspense rather than spectacle, and this film has suspense in spades.The soundtrack contributes to the highly evocative atmosphere in the movie, from the excellent musical score to the buzzing of mosquitoes whenever the action takes place near any body of water. Otherwise, this film is an anorak wargamer's delight, featuring weapons very rarely seen in war movies (such as an SVT-40 Tokarev rifle in the hands of a Russian sergeant, and several Lahti-Saloranta M26 light machineguns), bicycle-mounted infantry (ubiquitous in many early 20th-century armies, but rarely seen in movies), and displaying the highly informal nature of the Finnish armed forces (the only salute in the film is a mark of respect, not of regulations). Incongruously, the platoon behaves amateurishly on occasion, e.g. bunching up while exposed to possible enemy machinegun fire, etc. but this is a minor distraction.This film has almost everything most people could ask for; sex, violence and though the plot is a little thin in places, there's lots of character development to make up for it. I loved it.

seppo-imdb After seeing this movie my list of the best movies got a new order.The work of the actors, the cinematographer, the composer and especially the director on this movie is absolutely excellent! Although the movie is long and has this slow pulse to it, the mood just carries the viewer and the journey is worth taking.A sad and beautiful movie with a story to tell.

joeypogi I liked this movie more than I liked Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line. For some reason it was able to capture better what the other movies were trying to capture. What I liked even more was that it was able to "cheat". Meaning it was able to make it look like there was a war going on with a few well taken shots and angles and sound effects, an inspiration for all aspiring filmmakers with no Hollywood money. =)