Big Game
2014
***
Director: Jalmari Helander
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Onni Tommila, Felicity Huffman, Victor Garber, Ted Levine, Jim Broadbent, Ray Stevenson, Jaymes Butler, Jorma Tommila
Just as 13-year-old Oskari is about to perform the traditional rite of passage to prove his manhood, Air Force One is shot down over Finland and the young hunter is the only person who can protect the U.S. President. Jalmari Helander's follow-up to the delightful Rare Exports is also set in his native Finland, albeit shot entirely in Germany. This time the budget is bigger and the cast features international stars. The plot is often silly and the dialogue is occasionally clunky, but this is still a likeable and entertaining action movie. Onni Tommila is incredibly natural in front of the camera and Samuel L. Jackson has fun playing the slightly cowardly POTUS.
