Jackpot 2

The film follows the lives of three young people, a young man, his fiancée and his best friend. After some unexplained disaster, Helsinki is virtually deserted, only a few residents remain and most of them are affected by the disaster.

Unfortunately, the film doesn't explore this interesting setting and situation nor does it really explore the characters, it just focuses on the three central players. They sit around, talk hollow nonsense, play pinball and shoot pool. Dare I say it, it is an exercise in nothingness.

Being filmed on a tiny budget certainly does not help. Martti Syrjä and Matti Pellonpää are the only known performers, all the other actors are amateurs and, boy, does it show. To be fair to them, the dialogue is truly terrible and pretentious.

Maybe the Kaurismäki brothers were honing the style that went on to produce the well-received Leningrad Cowboys Go America and Zombie And The Ghost Train but I really cannot recommend this movie. I just could not get past the ham acting and the awful dialogue and the fact that the film just does not go anywhere. One star is being charitable.

Out to own on DVD with The Liar.