The true story of Olli Mäki, the famous Finnish boxer who had a shot at the 1962 World Featherweight title.The true story of Olli Mäki, the famous Finnish boxer who had a shot at the 1962 World Featherweight title.The true story of Olli Mäki, the famous Finnish boxer who had a shot at the 1962 World Featherweight title.
- Awards
- 13 wins & 15 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn 2011 in Kokkola city theatre, director Juho Kuosmanen saw a play about Olli Mäki, who was also in the audience that night. After the play, the theatre director Jarkko Lahti posed together with Mäki for a picture. Kuosmanen said to Lahti that if he directed a film about Mäki, Lahti could play the leading role. Lahti took that as a promise and began training boxing. He even took a few official amateur bouts (which he lost) and thus it became obvious that he really would play Olli Mäki in this film.
- GoofsA modern switchboard housing can be briefly seen in the hallway of Elis Ask's apartment.
- Quotes
Olli Mäki: What if I lose? What if people are disappointed in me and realize I'm not the guy they advertised? What if you're disappointed?
Raija Jänkä: How could I be disappointed when I haven't asked anything of you? If anyone's disappointed, it's because of his own stupid fantasies. You're not responsible for them.
Olli Mäki: Is that so?
Raija Jänkä: Yes, it is.
Olli Mäki: Will you marry me?
Raija Jänkä: Will you become the world champion?
Olli Mäki: Of course I will.
Raija Jänkä: Okay, I'll marry you.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Dinosaur (2021)
A candid but earnest early 1960s period piece about a Finnish prizefighter Olli Mäki is a straightforward retelling of his venture to challenge the then-current world featherweight champion, the legendary American Davey Moore. The unembellished details laid out all from his drudging routine in getting himself match-fit to dealing with the media publicity that follows him to placating fight promoters and sponsors too excited in hosting the world championship title fight in Helsinki. The pressure mounts, but that impertinent Cupid always has other plans that benefit an unorthodox sporting narrative.
In the pantheon of great boxing films, this Kuosmanen film debut deserves its place alongside the Scorsese masterpiece. Overall, it is like a buoyant but never cloying folksy ballad to Raging Bull's rueful and tempestuous classical. Quite an excellent contrast.
The interplay between the acting trifecta is just as comparable. The LaMotta biopic showcases the boisterous performances of Moriarty and Pesci that balances that of De Niro's unbridled magnificence in his scorching depiction of the Italian brawler. The reservedness portrayed by an astounding Lahti as the reluctant sporting national hero, on the other hand, exudes an aloofness that subtly draws a perceptive viewer to him instead of being repelled. Inspired performances from Airola and Milonoff as his girlfriend and his coach, respectively, both serve as the bedrock of his existence, complements him with their support that has that refreshing hint of insouciance.
Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, the operatic theme that figures predominantly as the main anthem in the Scorsese biopic, intensifies the melancholy and effectively softens the dire but sporadically turbulent narrative non-diegetically. The Finnish film, though, has an upbeat jazzy-brassy tune in its opening and closing credits by the Ykspihlaja Cinema Orchestra, a group to which the romantic female lead Airola also belongs.
Even though for a boxing film that only tangentially deals with the historical sporting bout in its pivotal center, it is in the things that sidetrack the athlete's focus that the film delves in, seeing the beauty and wisdom in the banality and the constant turmoil of obligations versus scruples. The scenes logically transition from one to the next despite a somewhat bumpy start that goes more smoothly as the story progresses. The director's logical use of that marvelously crisp black-and-white photography makes sure the audience concentrates on the character's contemplation and gaze. An artistic decision that serves Raging Bull as well, but that one is to accomplish the opposite as far as the gaze is concerned.
And quite befitting for the film to end by having the real-life couple whose story has just unfolded walk past their cinematic counterparts. It is quite a sumptuous dessert, especially for those already numbed by a constant diet of world-weary content despite its seeming prosaicness. It is a very much welcome antidote to cynicism seasoned with that intrinsically Finnish dry humor.
In rating this beta guy boxing film, this deservedly gets an alpha.
- Ron_Solina
- Aug 11, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki
- Filming locations
- Vartiosaari, Helsinki, Finland(The house where Olli goes into retreat)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- €1,200,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $571,373
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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