Attack on Finland: Sort of 'Helsinki has Fallen,' But Devoid of Fun and Nonsense

By Thom Ernst

Rating: C

On the eve of their Independence Day celebrations, terrorists storm Finland's Presidential Palace, taking the President and a palace full of political socialites hostage. 

Director Aku Louhimies' Attack on Finland shows that Washington D.C. isn't the only place where it's hard to keep a good White House down. But not all houses are equal. Some serve as a backdrop for silly actioners, while others front procedural dramas on their way to being silly actioners.

Attack on Finland attempts to do one better than the rote lone wolf against the well-oiled machinery of trained mercenaries. Frankly, I miss the silly.

Jasper Pääkkönen explains the plot to his fellow actors.

Despite an abundance of spent artillery, terrorists disguised as caterers, military strategizing, and filthy rich people in imminent danger, Attack on Finland achieves the level of a dry espionage drama with only a few surprises to elevate it from the mundane.

The film is based on Ilkka Remes's bestseller Omerta 6/12, which is Finland's Independence Day—a date within a month's reach of the infamous January 6 attack on the White House. The resemblance between these two events is intriguing in circumstance only—and even that's a bit of a stretch.

Without reading Remes's book, it's difficult to determine whether Louhimies' adaptation is faithful to the novel. Regardless, Louhimies, who broke box-office records with The Unknown Soldier (2017), pulls out all the stops covering urban and rural territory, through concrete and snow-covered terrain, above ground, indoor, and out.

Plus, his film boasts an impressive cast of central characters featuring Nanna Blondell (Sisters in Arms), Jasper Pääkkönen (BlacKkKlansman, Vikings), Sverrir Gudnason (Borg vs. McEnroe), and Zijad Gracic (Novine).

And there are enough extras to clear the streets of Helsinki—literally—so that when a car chase erupts in downtown Helinski, the streets are void of all other vehicles and pedestrians.

Much of the film's action takes place in control rooms where people gauge the extent of the threat while well-dressed government bureaucrats holler orders into headpieces.

But there is more than one control room, more than one bureaucrat yelling into a headpiece. There is the expected transfer of money, plus the required fully-fueled plane to take terrorists out of lawful reach. The President's safety is the highest priority, and they insist that the terrorist's demands be met regardless of the difficulty.

Throughout the film, Louhimie tips the scale for who deserves our empathy, never entirely committing to taking sides. Particularly sympathetic Vasa Jankovic (Gudnason) leading the attack, coerced into the plot by the icy Anya (Savolainen). The latter promises Jankovic unparalleled wealth and the freedom of Jankovic's politically imprisoned father (Miodrag Stojanovic).

Inside the Palace is Sylvia Madsen (Blondell), an agent and undercover bodyguard for the illustrious General Jean Morel (Gracie). Outside is Max Tanner (Pääkkönen), a hostage negotiator who discovers there is far more to the plot than just the kidnapping of the President.

Attack on Finland has admirable ambitions, but an excess of storylines, characters, and excursions down diverging paths weigh down what might have been a gripping political thriller.

But the most damning hiccup in the film is the decision to dub the dialogue into English. Not even the advanced technology of facial altering computer-generated lip-synching can smooth out the jarring effect of voices that simply do not match the speaker. 

Attack on Finland. Directed by Aku Louhimies. Stars Nanna Blondell, Jasper Pääkkönen, Sverrer Gudnason, and Zijad Gracic. Available on VOD beginning July 1.