Pluskylang Great Film overall

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

brianshoebridge1 I typically get excited when I see a big-budget picture which has been produced by a country whose language is not commonly spoken. Finland definitely qualifies here. These movies are made with extra care and attention to script and detail. Often they are quite long, since if you're going to do it, you may as well get a lot out of it. Talvisota is just such a film. Three hours long and superb quality from start to finish (Finnish?).Firstly, the subject is not familiar to many. It is set in 1939 when Finland was invaded by the Red Army. Interestingly, the fact that the Finns did so well gave other countries (read Germany) an idea that the Red Army could be dealt with quite easily. What I find particularly fascinating in this film is the fantastic insight it gives into Finland and Finnish rural society of the time. Very detailed, equally interesting.After watching this I recommend you watch "Tali Ihantala", a similarly excellent Finnish film about the "Continuation War", set in 1944 when the USSR again invaded. All in all, I can't speak highly enough of these two fine movies. Each deserves a nine.

WakenPayne This is by far the best War film I have ever seen. It truly grips you with the horrors (I have only seen the 195min version) and it is pulled off brilliantly.The story follows the Hakala brothers Paavo and Martti, Both have signed on to the army to defend against the Russians from invading. The truly unique thing about this film is that it actually humanizes the Russians whereas with other war movies it is always biased towards the side that won, most of the other movies set during WWII just say "every Natzi was evil" when not only is that an overused plot element but its just idiotic, most foreign movies are SO much better at making war movies - like Germany made Rosenstrasse a great attempt at filmmaking.This movie truly is one of the greatest of the genres (I have not seen the 125min US version nor the 265min Miniseries). This movie expresses the horrors of War in such a good way that after this I wanted to watch a light-hearted comedy to take my mind off it.Calling it the 81st best War movie is a little Harsh, since when in War movies do you see them not only take on the violence accurately but also focus on the Shellshock? How many times in a war movie does it set a character up for 2 hours only to see him being blown apart with his brother watching? How many times do you see a War film to find out that the side that they intended to root for win but neither the main character or yourself seem too happy about it? All the people that like Saving Private Ryan should watch this to REALLY see the horrors of War (only seen the first hour of SPR and that didn't make me feel the horrors of war as much as this did).EDIT: For anybody who's interested I have a recommendation, the 1985 Tuntematon Sotilas - It's not as good as this though.

N. N. Honestly, I can't understand why Russia was unhappy with the release of this film. After all, there was only one unfriendly line about the Soviet Union in the whole film, namely the complaint about the use of explosive ammunition, deemed forbidden by a Finnish soldier and probably was that too, but I don't know the Geneva Convention that well.On the other hand... after a Finnish soldier decides to use a communist pamphlet for wiping purposes, he gets blown up as the appropriate form of punishment for that kind of sacrilege, I presume...And that's not the only politically cautionary measure here. The Soviet Union wanted only to secure Leningrad and if the Finnish would have been more reasonable and less mistrustful the bloodshed would have been avoided. That pretty much is the political take on the events back then and it is awfully close to a fairytale.That becomes clearest during the discussion of military support. First the soldiers express hope that Sweden might help, later there's talk of America. But for whatever weird reason the word "German" or "Germany" isn't uttered a single time in the whole film. Just for your information, Ribbentrop's own son was actually fighting in a Finnish unit during that time, as a personal guarantee that the Ribbentrop-Molotov-treaty wasn't meant that way. Plus the fact that Germany build its submarines in Finland already during the Weimar Republic, in secrecy, since the treaty of Versailles forbade it.Both sides are shown by far more innocent here than they were and that is an important misrepresentation for the message of the film to make sense.But o.k., enough of that. Considering the action, I must say that the film I alluded to in the title of this comment was a pretty strong source of inspiration too. It's not black and white and it's set in snow and pine and birch forests, but that sums up the differences pretty much.The strongest part of the film is actually the psychological presentation of its main characters and the spirit of the Finnish army. That is done skillfully, I have to admit. But that is about it. Honestly, the war scenes in "A very long engagement" were by far better, but the budget of that film was also bigger, granted.All in all I can't give more than 6 out of 10.

carol-160 The subject is the little-known war between Finland and Russia in WWII. It is hard to imagine such a small country standing up against mighty Russia, but it happened. You get a vivid sense of the despair and carnage of fighting against overwhelming odds. The random nature of combat also strikes hard. The visuals are graphic and stunning without being over dramatized. The craziness of war is brought home by a Finnish soldier who laughingly lights up a cigarette after having his uniform set aflame by a Russian tank. Quiet moments off the battlefield intersperse the intense battle scenes. If you are a war movie fan then this is a must-see movie!Reviewed was the English sub-titled version. For anyone primarily fluent in English it is quite interesting to hear dialogue in Finnish, a language far removed from English.