Bad Boys

Bad boys who had no choice. The tale of the Takkunen brothers attracted 615 000 admissions, more than any domestic film since 1989.

Bad Boys, which premiered on 17 January 2003, was loaded with high expectations, as it was in the public spotlight throughout its production. The film is based on the Koistinen brothers, known to all Finns, who were held accountable for more than 100 crimes committed in various parts of south-west Finland between 1997 and 1999. Producer Markus Selin and director Aleksi Mäkelä read an article by Anssi Miettinen about the four Koistinen brothers, known as the Daltons of Eura, in the Helsingin Sanomat monthly edition in autumn 2000 and immediately started planning a film on the subject. The producer and director drove to the brothers' home in Eura together with Anssi Miettinen.

"The boys seemed like good citizens. In a way, it summed up the film's slogan: A story of brothers who had no choice," Selin recalls.

Mäkelä and Selin hired Pekka Lehtosaari to do the groundwork together with Anssi Miettinen. Lehtosaari then started working on the script independently. At the same time, the decision was made to make the film fictional. There were eleven children in the Koistinen family, in addition to the mother and father. Only the father and four brothers are in the film. Because the truth is often more fantastic than fiction, the circumstances in the film correspond to reality and the crimes resemble the same crimes the brothers committed in real life.

Mäkelä decided right away that this was going to be a real guys' film, but even that needs a love story and a couple of female roles. At the same time, Mäkelä knew that the first experience of the market economy for boys who had grown up "in a swamp" and were quick to make money would lead to comical situations. They created the humour the film needed. It was also clear that the brothers had to be strong and muscular, but strictly non-violent. They would represent purity and goodness against a harsh society and an evil father.

Synopsis

A father took everything from his sons except the ability to love

Takkunen boys don't drink, don't smoke, and don't swear. But they do have a record of nearly a hundred robberies. Otto, Matti, Ilkka and Eero Takkunen have spent their entire lives under the domination of their father, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Child benefits have gone to somewhere else and, in addition to the Lord of the Birchwoods, both sickles and fists have been used to keep them in line. The father, who draws his laws from the Bible, is convinced that Television, chewing gum and fashionable clothes are sinful and brings up his children with uncompromising cruelty.

Boys who read Donald Duck and Tex Willer are used to getting more affection and understanding from backyard pets than from society. They have supported themselves by begging, eating the mush they make from wheat flour and blueberries and live without electricity. After their father is sent to a mental hospital, the boys are left to fend for themselves and are driven to earn a living through criminal means. They start with small-scale slot machine robberies and get their hands on money by "cleaning up" unmanned petrol stations by ripping out the petrol dispensers with wire. As the boys go on a crime spree, they become independent and learn to take charge of their own lives. Their greatest wish – to be normal, like everyone else – is finally within their grasp.

Muscles grown in the gym

The brothers in the film went to the gym regularly for ten months to gain muscle mass, which is very visible in the summer scenes. The subject was spared, and the actors were not allowed to appear shirtless in press articles before the poster was released. The combination of the boys' bare skin and flames was guaranteed to attract attention wherever the poster appeared. There was testosterone, eroticism, flames from hell or humour, depending on the eye of the beholder.

The location was the yard of the film brothers' house in Karkkila. The background of the picture was a wooden wall, which was replaced by a sea of fire in the poster. The poster was shot by Juha Reunanen and designed by Jussi Maula. The idea team also included director Aleksi Mäkelä, producer Markus Selin and head of PR Rampe Toivonen. The cinema poster attracted a lot of attention and its content was also analyzed in press articles. A cat on Lauri Nurkse's lap received a lot of attention. Abroad, the poster had a strong stamp on the film and it was invited to participate in numerous gay festivals.

ROLES INCLUDE:
Eero – JASPER PÄÄKKÖNEN
Ilkka – LAURI NURKSE
Matti – NIKO SAARELA
Otto – PETER FRANZÉN
Jouko, father of the boys – VESA-MATTI LOIRI
Ensio, chief of police – RISTO TUORILA
Muukkonen, policeman – HANNU-PEKKA BJÖRKMAN
Pirjo – ELSA SAISIO
Aulis – EERO MILONOFF
Timo – ARTTU KAPULAINEN
Leena – JANNA HERTTUAINEN