(Pri)sons 4K 2024

When I first encountered this Finnish film, I came across taglines such as “The bloodiest film of the year,” “Teeth-grinding primitive violence,” etc., which automatically set me up for limbs gushing with strawberry syrup and the “crunch of Finnish buns.” In this regard, the film did not disappoint: the physical trials that the characters go through are truly inventive and exaggeratedly cruel. Particular attention was paid to practical effects, which the authors relished.

Perhaps this aspect is the only thing that at least indirectly connects (Pri)sons to the horror genre. The tension created on screen does not even try to seem disturbing. What we have here is a concentrated crime thriller with a dramatic storyline in which, unfortunately, the main character seems completely superfluous.

There can be no complaints about the performance, as the main task of the actors here is to remain unperturbed in the most hopeless situations. The staging of the scenes is excellent! Of course, it's not choreography on the level of John Wick, Reid, or Tyler Rake, but that doesn't take away from the clenched teeth and empathetic aggression when another head explodes from boxing gloves wrapped in barbed wire. Pure brutality from the first scene to the last.

Often, our impression of a film is formed even before we press “Play” and depends on the qualities we attribute to it in advance. In this case, forget about intricate plots, deep characters, and fear. What awaits you are blows and gunshots, flesh and blood, dirt and revenge.