Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses

1994 1h 34m EN

😐

5.9

MID

⭐

5.6

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 58★5.6IMDB · 2,098

ComedyAdventureMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vladimir, who now calls himself Moses lead them on their way home.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Twist-Twist Erkinharju
Leningrad Cowboys
Ben Granfelt
Leningrad Cowboys
Sakke Järvenpää
Leningrad Cowboys
Jore Marjaranta
Leningrad Cowboys
Ekke Niiva
Leningrad Cowboys
Jyri Närvänen
Leningrad Cowboys
Pemo Ojala
Leningrad Cowboys
Silu Seppälä
Leningrad Cowboys

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Writers: Aki Kaurismäki, Aki Kaurismäki, Sakke Järvenpää
Languages: English
Countries: Finland, France, Germany

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

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Finland, France, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Leningrad Cowboys Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, shot by Timo Salminen. 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 Mauri Sumén. 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 Aki Kaurismäki 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

Twist-Twist Erkinharju and Ben Granfelt and Sakke Järvenpää carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0107384 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aki Kaurismäki directs. Timo Salminen behind the camera. Mauri Sumén scores. Aki Kaurismäki cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Finland, France, Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 3 countries: Finland, France, Germany.
3Part of the "Leningrad Cowboys Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, shot by Timo Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mauri Sumén. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Aki Kaurismäki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Twist-Twist Erkinharju and Ben Granfelt and Sakke Järvenpää carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0107384 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Timo Salminen
Original score: Mauri Sumén
Editing: Aki Kaurismäki
Production design: John Ebden
Sound: Tom Forsström
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)
IMDB rating: 5.6/10 · 2,098 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Part of

Leningrad Cowboys Collection

Aki Kaurismäki's Leningrad Cowboys movies

Also by

Aki Kaurismäki

Community reviews

What people are saying

CRCulver2018-08-22
★ 3/10
This is a sequel to Leningrad Cowboys Go America of four years before, where Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki introduced one of his most absurd creations: an extravagantly quiffed "Russian" rock band from the wilds of Siberia, supposedly the worst band in the world, played by Finnish actors who speak only Finnish and then broken English to each other. That first film was a sort of road movie, where the Leningrad Cowboys played a series of ramshackle bars across the American South while headed towards Mexico to perform at a wedding. Unbeknownst to them, the village idiot Igor (Kari Väänänen), who aspires to be one of them, has arrived in the United States too in pursuit, and their manager Vladimir (played by the late, great Matti Pellonpää) exploited them all the way by taking their earnings for his own luxurious desires. Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses follows closely on the action of the first film, as Vladimir reappears after an unexplained absence, having become an extravagantly bearded religious fanatic and calling himself Moses. Their former manager wants to lead the band, who have become stranded in Mexico, back to their home in Siberia. This sequel has the same general format as its predecessor, though this time the road trip is from France back through Europe to the Russian border. Vladimir has stolen something important, and French actor André Wilms plays an American CIA agent pursuing him on the road back home (his thick French accent again clashing with his character's supposed origin). Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses is among Kaurismäki's worst films, and one of those sequels that should have never been made. Already with the first film one was just as likely to sigh at the lameness of it all as chuckle at the gags. The sequel, however, is a much more somber film than its predecessor, which mean there are even less gags, and virtually every scene feels like milking a formula. While it might be worth a try if you are a committed fan of Kaurismäki's body of work, I would be very reluctant to recommend this (or even the vastly superior LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO America) to a general audience.

Production companies