The last border - viimeisellä rajalla (1993)

Director:

Mika Kaurismäki

Writers:

Alexandra Deman (writer)
Mika Kaurismäki (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

20 August 1993 (Finland)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

One man's quest for revenge in a post-apocalyptic world

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Army | Arctic | Nature | Criminal Gang

Cast

Jolyon Baker	...	Jake
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Duke
Fanny Bastien	...	Doaiva
Kari Väänänen	...	Borka
Matti Pellonpää	...	Dimitri
Soli Labbart	...	Old Woman
Clas-Ove Bruun	...	Skunk (as Clas Ove Bruun)
Jussi Lampi	...	Rabbit
MC Overkill	...	Motorcycle gang
Juice Leskinen	...	Bartender
Esko Salminen	...	Jake's Father
Jochen Nickel	...	Beggar
Arvid Dahl	...	Young Jake
Tixa Juka	...	Beggar
Andrew Kastner	...	Officer (as Andrew Krasne)
Mato Valtonen	...	Drunkard
Ravil Salah	...	Posterman
Marko Rauhala	...	Biker
Jukka Uhlgren	...	Biker
Jussi Puumalainen	...	Biker
Jarkko Laine	...	Biker
Jouko Kalliola	...	Biker
Petri Kämäräinen	...	Biker
Vesa Repo	...	Biker
Risto Hiltunen	...	Biker
Riku Roimu	...	Biker
Olli Lahtinen	...	Biker
Sakke Järvenpää	...	Biker
Timo Ojala	...	Biker
Ulla Tapaninen	...	Whore
Eeva Tikka	...	Whore
Nina Labbart	...	Whore
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Konsta Väänänen	...	Young boy making alarm (uncredited)

Directed by
Mika Kaurismäki

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alexandra Deman		writer
Mika Kaurismäki		writer
Pia Tikka		writer

Produced by
Jean-Pierre Bailly	....	associate producer
Willi Bär	....	producer
Rainer Bienger	....	executive producer
Klaus Heydemann	....	executive producer
Mika Kaurismäki	....	producer
Klas Olofsson	....	producer
Jean-Pierre Saire	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mauri Sumén
Anssi Tikanmäki

Cinematography by
Timo Salminen

Film Editing by
Mika Kaurismäki

Production Design by
John Ebden

Art Direction by
Tony De Castro

Makeup Department
Juliana Ebden	....	assistant makeup artist (as Juliana Mendes-Ebden)
Ari Haapaniemi	....	additional makeup artist
Tuire Hämäläinen	....	assistant hair stylist
Päivi Hänninen	....	assistant hair stylist
Kaija Ilomäki	....	hair stylist
Kaija Ilomäki	....	key makeup artist
Ari Oja	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Pauli Pentti	....	unit production manager
Marko Rauhala	....	assistant production manager
Jaakko Talaskivi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pauli Pentti	....	assistant director
Kimmo Taavila	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jukka Anttonen	....	carpenter
Jouko Kalliola	....	props
Petri Kämäräinen	....	props
Mark Lavis	....	set designer
Vesa Repo	....	props
Juhani Rytkölä	....	props
Seppo Saarinen	....	carpenter
Ravil Salah	....	property master
Juha Yrttimaa	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Tom Forsström	....	sound re-recording mixer
Risto Iissalo	....	sound recordist
Pekka Karjalainen	....	sound editor
Pekka Karjalainen	....	sound
Kauko Lindfors	....	sound editor
Kauko Lindfors	....	sound
Peter Nordström	....	sound re-recording mixer
Seppo Vanhatalo	....	sound editor
Seppo Vanhatalo	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jouni Lähteenaho	....	special effects assistant
Jan-Eric Nyström	....	special photographic effects
Esa Parkatti	....	special effects

Stunts
Rene Aas	....	stunts
Mihail Danilov	....	stunts
Anatoli Efimov	....	stunts
Oleg Korytin	....	stunt coordinator
Oleg Korytin	....	stunts
Vladimir Strokan	....	stunts
Aldo Tammsaar	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Eero Haapaniemi	....	first assistant camera
Panda Hoffmann	....	lighting technician
Pummel Klüge	....	lighting technician
Risto Laasonen	....	lighting technician
Jussi Puumalainen	....	lighting technician
Susanna Salonen	....	first assistant camera
Pia Tikka	....	still photographer
Olli Varja	....	cinematographer: second unit
Olli Varja	....	lighting technician
Mika Kaurismäki	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Päivi Hatanpää	....	costume maker
Tiina Kaukanen	....	wardrobe assistant
Anu Mäkiniemi	....	wardrobe assistant
Tina Seppo	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Tuuli Kuittinen	....	assistant editor
Timo Nousiainen	....	colorist
Leena Palmu	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Risto Hemmi	....	music mixer
Vesa Hyrskykari	....	musician
Janne Joutsenniemi	....	musician
Hannu Kahiluoto	....	musician
Pekka Kasari	....	musician
Toni Lähteenmäki	....	musician
Roope Latvala	....	musician
Peter Lerche	....	musician
Jyri Närvänen	....	musician (as Lyle Närvänen)
Markku Niiranen	....	musician
Juuso Nordlund	....	music mixer
Juuso Nordlund	....	music recordist
Juuso Nordlund	....	musician
Stone	....	band
Mauri Sumén	....	composer: additional music
Mauri Sumén	....	musician
Anssi Tikanmäki	....	musician
Tokela	....	musician

Transportation Department
Jouni Kortesato	....	driver
Reijo Sorvoja	....	driver
Tapani Välläri	....	driver

Other crew
Haije Alanoja	....	production secretary
Reima Alho	....	caterer
Erkki Astala	....	publicist
Philippe Bober	....	production accountant
Paula Cavalcante	....	caterer
Joe Davidow	....	language coach
Berit Heatta	....	caterer
Jan-Henrik Heatta-Sara	....	production assistant
Richard Heller	....	legal services
Toni Kariluoto	....	caterer
Esa Karinaho	....	caterer
Erkki Lahti	....	caterer
Jan-Eric Nyström	....	titles
Kari Pulkkinen	....	caterer
Ripa Pulkkinen	....	caterer
Satu Pusa	....	production assistant
Johanna Rekola	....	caterer
Heaika Skum	....	location manager
Nina Stenros	....	production secretary
Pia Tikka	....	assistant to director
Pia Tikka	....	script supervisor
Isak-Mattis Triumf	....	production staff
Barry Tullet	....	script translator
Heikki Ukkonen	....	location manager
Heikki Ukkonen	....	production coordinator
Sinikka Usvamaa	....	production accountant (as Sinikka Telaranta)

Production Companies

• Connexion Film Productions
• Last Border Productions

Distributors

• Finnkino (1993) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1994) (Finland) (TV)
• Penta Visión (1994) (Argentina) (VHS)
• SubTV (2005) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Kikeono Filmsound Oy  sound

Also Known As:

Die letzte Grenze (Germany)
The Last Border (International: English title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Finland | Sweden | Germany

Language:

English | Russian | Saami | Swedish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Kautokeino, Finnmark, Norway

Company:

Connexion Film Productions

Soundtrack:

Soul Ammunition Too

Better than Mad Max for sure.

'The last border' may not be good science fiction. It reminds me of Mad Max, although the plot is different for sure. Not everything is completely logical, but I must bring up a few points. The movie was filmed somewhere in northern Scandinavia, and obviously they didn't do much to change the way the vegetation looks like. To be a post-apocalypse world, it looks slightly too "normal". On the other hand, if there was no vegetation, there would be no people either. So I would say the landscape does indeed look as realistic as it can. I just wonder what the people eat, as most of the reindeer seem to be gone.

On the previous comment there was a question raised about clothing. The pretty dress seen in the movie is a traditional Lappish costume - the kind of dress you might very well find from those regions, even after an environmental disaster. So most of the things match, although obviously this movie was made when people still believed the oil is going to last forever. So eager are the biker boys to waste fuel driving around with no purpose.

Anyway, the movie itself is slightly boring. The idea of a solitaire man seeking for revenge has been used many times. I would say that Kaurismäki intentionally recycles some of the basic ideas of classic westerns. On the other hand, there are clearly characters and scenes that seem to be very similar to those in Mad Max. (Althogh I can't make a difference between the three.) It is not a bad idea. The only problem is, there is not enough to happen. Most of the characters just hang around pointlessly. Some of them do have potential, but nothing really comes out of it. Kari Väänänen at least is really enjoying himself, and Matti Pellonpää has a few funny lines.

What I really like about this movie is the image it gives of an ultimate macho culture. The biker boys look childish and ridiculous, like a bunch of school kids playing war on the backyard. They don't look tough but just stupid, just like real-life low-forehead -type of crooks.

It is a bad movie in a way, but on the other hand... I somehow like it more than average science fiction. Maybe it is just because the landscapes are familiar.