The Winter War (1989)

This is an excellent film, brutally honest and tightly reality-bound depiction of the defense of Finland against a better equipped, many times larger, but (fortunately!) poorly led Soviet army, in a bone-chilling arctic winter. Like an image of what a hell frozen over would be like.

Though I am a Finn, and understand the language, out of interest I watched the film with English subtitles. I was dismayed to discover how much was lost in the translation; the subtitles are more like short summaries of the gist of what is being said, without any of the flair and flavour.

As such, the film is a bit spartan and bleak for Hollywood-saturated eyes, but so is war.

In all, an excellent war film, depicting the horror of war more tangibly than any other that I've seen, save for "The Thin Red Line".

Fmovies: While many reviewers compared this to Private Ryan, there really isn't much to compare other than the setting is placed in the same conflict. It should be remembered that this movie came out in 1989, and the attention to gritty, dirty warfare was not the norm back then.

If this could be compared to a war story, it would be more accurately paralleled with "All Quiet on the Western Front" in that the characters were plucked from home and cast into the horror and chaos of war. Unlike Private Ryan where there is a story by which the war is the backdrop, or Band of Brothers which followed the lives of those of Easy Company within the conflict, this is a portrayal of war itself. The characters were just unlucky pieces of the ugly mosaic.

As picky as this sounds, one thing I liked about this movie was that it had one small detail that most war movies tend to ignore, that is shell casings. Most of the time, like others I suppose, I am either caught up in the effects, story line etc...but this time, that one detail stood out. Yes, I know brass flies out and strip clips ping in most new war films, but in this one, the brass is scattered on the ground after the battle scenes. (Just an interesting observation)

For the average movie goer, who's favorites are Matrix and Batman, this will certainly not be your cup of tea. If you like war movies, and you liked "Windtalkers", then I suggest you pass this one up as well. However, if you are a history buff who had seen "Stalingrad", "Downfall", and you would love to see a version of "All Quiet on the Western Front" done with all the grit of the book, then you will get something from this movie.

I won't go so far as to say it didn't have some "cheesy" moments, but no film can be perfect. But I will go so far as to say this film is definitely worth a look.

If you taught that "saving private Ryan" was a sad war film you haven`t seen anything yet.

Movie opens as a group of Finnish soldiers are transported to eastern border of Finland to fight somewhat 50 times bigger and much better armored enemy Russia. Enemy is shot to dead like fly`s, but the movie contains only a bit of patriotism. Finland`s soldiers are not in a happy situation, there`s very little ammunition and own soldiers are getting low too.

Sounds & special effects are excellent and acting is good too.

I can`t describe this film better with my English, so watch it and say your opinion.

The Winter War fmovies. I have watched Talvisota for two times and it was even better than in the first time. It's a very realistic movie about the 105 day Winter War, which was fought between Finland and Russia in 1939-1940. The movie follows an infantry regiment from Lapua, and particulary private Martti Hakala. The movie starts when the men are called to an extra training session, but soon they are transported near the border and, soon after that, to the frontline, where they are trying to stop all the russian attacks. The combat scenes look good and realistic. They usually consist of Finns trying to stop the Russian human wave from getting in to the Finnish trenches, but every battle is still different, when the number of Finnish soldiers is decreasing and decreasing and the battles are getting more desperate. And of course, sometimes it's the Finns attacking. Technically the movie is also very good. The sounds really make you feel as if you where there, in the middle of combat, thanks to the sound designer Paul Jyrälä. I have always liked scenes with added slow motion, especially in war movies. This movie features some, and they are in really great places (for example, in one scene a soldier is running to the HQ during a bombardment, trying not to get hit by a grenade. And all is shown in a cool slow motion!) The explosions also are very well done, with pieces of ground, ice and trees flying in the air.

I can't say anything bad about this movie. Sometimes it reminds me of Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan (I also like both of them) but unlike them, Talvisota tells about a war not so famous. I guess that almost everyone of you has heard about the invasion of Normandy and Operation Market Garden, but how many has heard about Taipale? How many has heard about the Winter War?

Not many know of our wars. I really would love to see a movie made that not only describes the conditions and events that led to these wars, but also describes how our parents and their parents experienced the events both in the front and behind. I liked "Saving Private Ryan". I loved "Band of Brothers". But still, it's "Talvisota" and "Tuntematon Sotilas" that really make me feel the weight of war, the effect it has on human mind. "Talvisota" also brings forth the families who saw their fathers, sons, even daughters go to war, with pitiful equipment, maybe even carrying personal rifle as the army could not support them with much else than the blue&white coquards (or what it is called) for their hats. And it shows the pain those families felt when their menfolk came back in wooden caskets or crippled for life. It's also a fine story of personal courage of the ordinary guy, of friendship and loyalty. And of pain and fear.

See it.

And seeing some Russian war-films could also make you see the world a bit brighter. They have filmed some fantastic stories.

Though I'm not a great fan of war-movies I must say this one made quite the impression. I can't really tell what it was but the story struck me.

Not only did this movie give you a story about the war itself, but also on the impact it had on the families afflicted by it. Excellent acting and a chillingly choice of filming made this movie one to remember. Forget about "saving private ryan" this movie shows a war in all it's roughness without the fancy actors doing their best to be the "brave soldier" (no offense to some, but lots to others). After Full Metal Jacket (to me a totally different genre but still for many a war-movie) one of the favourite movies in the "war-theme"