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The Kiss of Evil

Original title: Vares - Pahan suudelma
  • 20112011
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
The Kiss of Evil (2011)
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
A young student is found stabbed, and her family hires Vares to investigate the case.A young student is found stabbed, and her family hires Vares to investigate the case.A young student is found stabbed, and her family hires Vares to investigate the case.
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Anders Engström
  • Writers
    • Anders Engström(screenplay)
    • Mika Karttunen(screenplay)
    • Reijo Mäki(novel "Pahan suudelma")
  • Stars
    • Antti Reini
    • Matti Onnismaa
    • Eppu Salminen
Top credits
  • Director
    • Anders Engström
  • Writers
    • Anders Engström(screenplay)
    • Mika Karttunen(screenplay)
    • Reijo Mäki(novel "Pahan suudelma")
  • Stars
    • Antti Reini
    • Matti Onnismaa
    • Eppu Salminen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Vares - Pahan suudelma
    Vares - Pahan suudelma
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Antti Reini
    Antti Reini
    • Jussi Varesas Jussi Vares
    Matti Onnismaa
    • Pastori Alanenas Pastori Alanen
    Eppu Salminen
    • Juhani Luusalmias Juhani Luusalmi
    Jasper Pääkkönen
    Jasper Pääkkönen
    • Kyypakkausas Kyypakkaus
    Mikko Leppilampi
    Mikko Leppilampi
    • Ruuhioas Ruuhio
    Anu Sinisalo
    • Lailaas Laila
    Ville Virtanen
    Ville Virtanen
    • Arto Ronimusas Arto Ronimus
    Mikko Nousiainen
    Mikko Nousiainen
    • Lahtipoikaas Lahtipoika
    Maria Järvenhelmi
    Maria Järvenhelmi
    • Anna Huttunenas Anna Huttunen
    Svante Martin
    • Paavo Keinonenas Paavo Keinonen
    Outi Mäenpää
    Outi Mäenpää
    • Asta Malmsténas Asta Malmstén
    Johanna Kerttula
    • Riitta Vuorelaas Riitta Vuorela
    Iina Kuustonen
    Iina Kuustonen
    • Tuikku Sylvinas Tuikku Sylvin
    Ilkka Heiskanen
    • Komisario Markku Hautavainioas Komisario Markku Hautavainio
    Rea Mauranen
    • Riihimäkias Riihimäki
    Misa Lommi
    • Kerttu Malmsténas Kerttu Malmstén
    Camilla Adolfsson
    • Pirkko Vuorelaas Pirkko Vuorela
    Salli Siivonen
    • Kerttu 8 v.as Kerttu 8 v.
    • Director
      • Anders Engström
    • Writers
      • Anders Engström(screenplay)
      • Mika Karttunen(screenplay)
      • Reijo Mäki(novel "Pahan suudelma")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed back-to-back with The Girls of April (2011) and Vares: The Path of the Righteous Men (2012).
    • Connections
      Features V2 - jäätynyt enkeli (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Nuclear Nightclub
      Written by Jim Pembroke

      Performed by Wigwam

    User reviews1

    Review
    Top review
    Fun to Watch!
    The Scandinavian "Mystery" genre is amazing. There are astonishingly good series that come out of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. "Private Eye Vares" is one of them. And it is one of the best. A number of "movies" in this series were made starting in 2011 (they're hard to find on IMDb; look for them under lead actor Antti Reini; someone else played Vares prior to Reini -- I've not seen those). A new movie is in the works, apparently, as I write this in 2014.

    These are very, very noir, very hard-boiled, down to the Sam Spade-like voice-over in first-person narrative (is it me? I could listen to the sound of Antti Reini's voice endlessly -- although I don't understand a word of Finnish). It's a modern-day Dashiell Hammett. But there is also a lot of humor here, and the humor translates well for the English-speaking audience. There's really nothing more fun to watch than Antti Reini as Jussi Vares. But let's not stop there, all the actors -- all the characters -- are wonderful. Jussi's band of brothers includes a former pastor who now owns a bookstore (Pastori Alanen, played by Matti Onnismaa), a writer of bad fiction novels (Juhani Luusalmi, played by Eppu Salminen), a tabloid journalist (Ruuhio, played by Mikko Leppilampi), and a police homicide investigator (Komisario Markku Hautavainio, played by Ilkka Heiskanen). They're mostly a group of adorable, loyal, well-meaning, and clever, if scuzzy, drunks. I especially enjoy Inspector Hautavainio.

    Other equally captivating characters come and go... like Anna (played by Maria Järvenhelmi), she's Jussi's neighbor -- a taxi driver by day, a pole dancer at night. And let's not forget "Antidote" (played by the wonderful Jasper Pääkkönen) -- who seems like a creepy, small-time crook, but is still sympathetically appealing.. and maybe not as bad as he seems.

    The stories are complicated, challenging, and often surprising. I'll be up front that they can be quite violent. But Reini is so endearing as the lead character, I put up with the brutality. Vares is tough, but sweet (he loves cats!), and smart... He's so very smart. And... let's face it... he's incredibly sexy. He seems like a winner, but has a whiff of a loser about him. His relationships don't seem to last. So he's complicated and ambiguous. And maybe not the kind of guy you really want to bring home. Or... maybe he is....

    It's a dark world that Vares and his pals occupy. But they are fun to watch!

    And the music! The music is amazing, in movie after movie it mesmerizes. I especially enjoyed the soundtracks in Tango of Darkness and The Path of Righteous Men. Who would've known the Finnish are gaga for Tango?

    Thanks to MHz Worldview International Mystery for airing these. And making them available on DVD. http://www.mhznetworks.org/programs/mystery-drama
    helpful•6
    1
    • LauraAnnG
    • Sep 7, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 6, 2011 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • Finland
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • Finnish
    • Also known as
      • Vares - Private Eye: The Kiss of Evil
    • Filming locations
      • Turku, Finland
    • Production company
      • Solar Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €1,400,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,587,512
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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