The Winter War

"They held back the Russian Juggernaut in a frozen Hell!"

1989 3h 9m FI

👍

6.9

SOLID

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 102★7.5IMDB · 9,264

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After Nazi Germany invades Poland in September 1939, Russia attacks Finland two months later. Finnish reservists leave home and go to war. Brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala, farmers from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Ostrobothnia, serve in a Finnish platoon.

“They held back the Russian Juggernaut in a frozen Hell!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Taneli Mäkelä
Martti Hakala
Vesa Vierikko
Jussi Kantola
Timo Torikka
Pentti Saari
Heikki Paavilainen
Vilho Erkkilä
Antti Raivio
Erkki Somppi
Esko Kovero
Juho Pernaa
Martti Suosalo
Arvi Huhtala
Markku Huhtamo
Aatos Laitila

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pekka Parikka
Writers: Antti Tuuri, Pekka Parikka
Languages: Finnish
Countries: Finland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 189 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pekka Parikka, shot by Kari Sohlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Juha Tikka. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Keijo Virtanen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Taneli Mäkelä and Vesa Vierikko and Timo Torikka carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They held back the Russian Juggernaut in a frozen Hell!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pekka Parikka directs. Kari Sohlberg behind the camera. Juha Tikka scores. Keijo Virtanen cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Finland. Dialogue in Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 189 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
2Shot for just $4.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
337 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Pekka Parikka, shot by Kari Sohlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Juha Tikka. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Keijo Virtanen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Taneli Mäkelä and Vesa Vierikko and Timo Torikka carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They held back the Russian Juggernaut in a frozen Hell!".
9IMDB entry: tt0098437 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.