Aleksi Hihnavaara aka. Mosku is a legendary character in the Finnish history. I remember hearing stories of him in my early childhood, and I guess that has happened to many people having grown up in northern Finland. Most of the stories are probably just made up, as people just want to hear legends, true or not.
There are as many versions of the story as there are people to tell it. Mosku's wife, children, friends, enemies... everybody has had one perspective. Some facts can be verified, of course: Mosku was a reindeer ranger of excellence. In the early 20th century the northeastern part of Finland was no peaceful place. Mosku was often accused of reindeer theft, a crime to be compared to horse theft in the westerns. He was also known to catch (and kill) some thieves himself.
Somehow this movie reminds me of westerns. A quiet, tough and solitaire man, who shoots as often as talks. Wandering through the great forests hunting his enemies with ultimate survival skills. A man who just can't stay home with his wife and children.
Kai Lehtinen actually plays the role of Mosku pretty much like Clint Eastwood would have done it. He is a decent actor, but can not completely save the movie, although I think he does great work. The problem with the movie is that it is trying to tell the whole lifetime story of the man. We see a little bit of this and that, but no real drama is ever created. Who would have cared if they had used a little bit more of imagination, as most of the legend is just gossip anyway? The lack of a story also destroys the ending of the movie, although it indeed is made up - in reality, Mosku died peacefully, of natural causes. Anyway, this is more like a portrait of the man, not a story of him.
Unfortunately it also annoys me that Mosku is presented as a fair and decent man. Like the "good" guy in the westerns, he shoots a few men once in a while, but is a righteous man... fundamentally. As most of the people having known him don't agree with the image, it seems like they wanted to tell a heroic tale. This might be a good choice considering the sales, but it makes me dislike the atmosphere of the movie. This is not the Mosku I heard stories about.
Apart from everything mentioned, "Mosku - lajinsa viimeinen" is quality work. A little bit of excitement, some nice landscapes and mostly good acting. Kind of a western in Finnish style, just lacking a story. This could have been an important movie historically, so it is a shame they had to screw things up. 5/10
