Tuntematon sotilas (2017)

A film adaptation of Väinö Linna's best selling novel The Unknown Soldier (1954) and the novel's unedited manuscript version, Sotaromaani.

Director:

Aku Louhimies

Writers:

Väinö Linna (novels), Aku Louhimies (screenplay)

Stars:

Eero Aho, Johannes Holopainen, Jussi Vatanen

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eero Aho	...	Rokka
Johannes Holopainen	...	Kariluoto
Jussi Vatanen	...	Koskela
Aku Hirviniemi	...	Hietanen
Hannes Suominen	...	Vanhala
Arttu Kapulainen	...	Susi
Paula Vesala	...	Lyyti
Samuel Vauramo	...	Lammio
Joonas Saartamo	...	Lahtinen
Juho Milonoff	...	Honkajoki
Andrei Alén	...	Rahikainen
Matti Ristinen	...	Sarastie
Diana Pozharskaya	...	Vera
Max Ovaska	...	Määttä
Vincent Willestrand	...	Sihvonen (as Kimi Vilkkula)

Storyline

June, 1941: Trapped between two repressive regimes, Finland has little choice but to ally itself with Nazi Germany against its traditional foe - although it manages to remain a democracy throughout. Virtually unknown in the WW ll arena, a brutal war against Soviet occupation takes place in the Far North. As the men of a Finnish infantry unit march through the forests of Karelia to regain territory lost to Russia in the Winter War of 1939, each of them soon realizes the horror and pointlessness of war. Except for their officers, more concerned about medals and personal glory than the lives of their men. A diverse group of men, all at odds with how they see themselves, each other, and the common cause - yet they are strengthened by a growing bond of camaraderie to each other and their loved ones. After huge personal sacrifice and a prolonged trench war, the outcome is inevitable, ending with a ceasefire in September 1944.

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Plot Keywords:

finnish soldier | finland | world war two | based on novel | soldier | 

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Taglines:

Finland, behold, thy daylight now is dawning.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Composer Lasse Enersen has stated that the music for the movie was highly inspired by Finnish nature and archaic folk music, music of Jean Sibelius and veterans intimate writings about emotional experiences during war.

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Goofs

After the wedding everyone walks out from the church. One woman in brown coat seems to have a foot injury, but the blue support around the foot looks very modern.

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Alternate Versions

There are three distinct versions of this film: Finnish version (180 minutes), international version (167 minutes) and miniseries version (271 minutes).

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Connections

Featured in The Dinosaur (2021)

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Soundtracks

Joulu Rintamalla/Christmas In The Trenches
Written by Lasse Enersen

User Reviews

Unknown Soldier 2017

First of all, this movie might not be for everybody. There are no super heroes, no super villains, no glorifying the war; it's a movie about the war between Finland and USSR that took place some 70+ years ago (resulting over 300 000 dead).

The film is a little slow paced, so if you're into Rambo and that sort of stuff, don't bother. If you don't know anything about the history between these two countries, it might feel a bit long-winded and boring. In order to get the most out of it, I suggest you to take a look at "Winter" and "Continuation War" in Wikipedia for example.

Special effects, acting, directing, music were all good and on par with bigger productions. Compared to the two previous versions of the same movie, this one has a darker tone to it and is a little bit "less national" which, in my opinion, is a good thing.

It's not the best movie I ever saw, but a good solid 8 out of 10.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Instagram for Unknown Soldier Official site [Japan]

Country:

Finland Belgium Iceland

Language:

Finnish Russian

Release Date:

6 December 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tuntematon sotilas

Filming Locations:

Pahkajärvi, Valkeala, Kouvola, Finland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR7,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,717,199

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elokuvaosakeyhtiö Suomi 2017, Kvikmyndafélag Íslands, Scope Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 135 min (international) 235 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1