Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- grounded
- tense
- melancholic
- late night crime drama viewing
- nordic cinema discovery
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Antti and Jussi leave prison and try to find a place in a small town, but their past and choices pull them back toward crime.
The two friends share a history of bank robbery while pursuing a black-market liquor operation that threatens their prospects differently.
The characters establish an illicit liquor business in a small town in Pohjanmaa, making the local community central to the criminal plot.
The protagonists' release from jail and effort to settle down are overtaken by renewed illegal activity and the prospect of returning to prison.
Films like The Tough Ones, and why
Bad Boys
Finnish crime drama centered on marginal men, criminal loyalties, and bleak reintegration into ordinary society
Pusher
Nordic crime drama combining working-class alienation, criminal pressure, and morally conflicted male friendships
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Character-driven crime story about former offenders struggling against social exclusion and recurring criminal temptation
Movie Details
- Director
- Aleksi Mäkelä
- Release Date
- 1999-01-15
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (49)
Cast
- Samuli Edelmann
- Juha Veijonen
- Teemu Lehtilä
- Kalevi Haapoja
- Sari Havas
- Pia Latomäki
- Eero Aho
- Arttu Kapulainen
- Vesa Mäkelä
- Kari Väänänen
Common questions
- What is The Tough Ones about?
- Two ex-convict friends try to rebuild their lives in rural Finland, but an illicit liquor business draws them back into the criminal system.
- What is The Tough Ones like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Tough Ones as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Tough Ones violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Tough Ones as mild.
- Which films are like The Tough Ones?
- Films with a similar feel include Bad Boys, Pusher, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
- How long is The Tough Ones?
- The Tough Ones runs 105 minutes.
