Attack on Finland
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Attack on Finland
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Attack on Finland is a 2022 Finnish action movie in which the president of Finland is taken hostage on Finnish Independence Day. Expect a fair amount of military violence -- lots of shootouts with assault weapons, guns, rocket launchers. Characters are shot and killed at close range. One character's throat is slit. A child is shot and killed in the middle of what appears to be a home invasion. Cigarette smoking. Beer and alcohol drinking. In Finnish, with English subtitles.
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What's the Story?
In ATTACK ON FINLAND, it's Finnish Independence Day and a lavish gala is underway in the presidential palace. However, the celebrations end when a group of heavily-armed terrorists take over the palace and take the president, other dignitaries, and a bodyguard (Nanna Blondell) hostage. Now, Max Tanner (Jasper Pääkkönen), a hostage crisis negotiator, must negotiate with the group's apparent leader, Vasa (Sverrir Gudnason), who demands hundreds of millions in bitcoin currency, and the release of his father, a former military leader, from prison. It doesn't take long for Tanner and his allies to figure out that there are other shadowy figures behind this hostage crisis and that the stability of the European Union is at stake. Tanner must find a way to stop them.
Is It Any Good?
This is a decent if not great Finnish action movie. Attack on Finland is set on Finnish Independence Day, and the epic scope of the first half hour or so is reminiscent of other epic action movies, and even disaster movies from the 1970s, as every major character is introduced and explained. It takes a while to get to the titular attack on Finland, and after that, it's the proverbial "tense hostage situation" we've seen in other action movies before it gets interesting.
Despite the slow pace of the beginning, and a reliance on action movie cliches in both characters and action, the movie does go in some unexpected directions. Most of the good and bad characters are developed more than in the typical action movie, and there is a payoff to all of this. Even with these unusual story twists, though, it's still a pretty standard action movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about action movies like Attack on Finland. How is this similar to and different from other action movies you've seen?
What does the movie reveal about Finnish, Scandinavian, and Baltic culture?
Was the violence necessary for the story, or did it seem excessive? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 1, 2022
- Cast: Jasper Pääkkönen, Nanna Blondell, Sverrir Gudnason
- Director: Aku Louhimies
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 119 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: January 18, 2023
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