A must see for Kaurismaki fans. It brilliantly depicts how the more adroit members of society casually exploit the weak without consequence. What constitutes such a weak isolated character is the subject of the film. His infantile dreams, his botched attempt to make something of himself and when this woman enters it seems to him that he’s finally on his way to fulfilling his dreams. And despite knowing he’s been betrayed he refuses to turn in his betrayers.

I feel sorry for the poor protagonist. Unfortunately, shit does happen like this.

Slow-moving and uninteresting; not one of Kaurismaki's best.

Aki is one of my Scandinavian favorites. His films are something for themselves and the ones I've seen from him so far is following pretty close plots. Here we meet a looser type of guy (as always). He's a security guard that no one seem to care much about. He smokes cigarettes, he drinks and he seem to just excist. That's until he meets a lady - a lady that got some intentions of using him. It's a dark film with some dark'ish humor sped around. It's strange, but still naturallistic and true, direct but minimal. It feels like I have seen it before but it's a great recipie. The best feature is that it's short. No unneccessary stuff and it get's straight to the point - the pace is great. Not his best film, but if you have seen other films of him you won't be disappointed. It's a huge symathy shout to the average man trying to keep his dreams up. 7.5 out of 10 grill wagons.

Probably the most realistic (yet also very stylish) film noir I've ever seen (and, like any good film noir, a criticism of capitalist society).

I really enjoyed 'The Man Without a Past' but this one left me cold. I guess you have to be Finnish to appreciate the humour in it. I just felt that it was a kind of reverse tourist feature, in that anyone seeing this would never visit Finland - or if they lived there, then leaving would be the only sane option. It kind of starts in a bad place and goes continuously downhill from there. I guess if you were feeling over-elated this might calm you down; otherwise, avoid.

The arid, bitter-sweet beauty of despair--A Kafkaesque, Urban Film-Noir about Loneliness, Alienation and Marginality!!

I'm a huge fan of Kaurismaki - if you know his work you will love this film. Great cinematography and of course a great soundtrack.

Released in 2006, Aki Kaurismaki's film LAITAKAUPUNGIN VALOT (released internationally as Lights in the Dusk), completes a loose trilogy of films that deal with underdogs, employ similar colour palettes and are set in a strange fantasy Finland where the social divisions and rock music of the 1950s have persisted into the present day. The film is concerned with the sufferings of Koistinen (Janne Hyytiäinen), a security guard who is not just neglected by his coworkers and society, but eventually set up by femme fatale Mirja (Maria Järvenhelmi) for a jewelry heist. Prominent supporting roles are Lindholm (Ilkka Koivula), the mastermind of the criminal operation, and Aila (Maria Heiskanen), a hot dog vendor who seems to be Koistinen's only contact with the world, though "friend" would be too strong a word. The previous two entries in Kaurismaki's "Losers" trilogy -- (Driftng Clouds) and MIES VAILLA MENNEISYTTÄ (The Man Without a Past), had their characters knocked about, but ultimately they pulled through and found happiness. LAITAKAUPUNGIN VALOT is a much bleaker film. The cruelty directed at Koistinen is more brutal and the ending, while hinting at something positive, is ambiguous and painful to watch. Kaurismaki has really come to repeat himself, maintaining not just the same atmosphere from film to film, but even reusing stock scenes like a man being beaten and left for dead at the docks, prison labour and awkward dates. Nonetheless, here offers something new in crossing that thin line from deadpan humour to outright tragedy. Kaurismäki has always maintained an austere tone, but here he pares things down even further. This is a flawed film, but one with many admirable features and I'd generally recommend that one see it, though perhaps after the earlier two films in this trilogy.

Didn't know what to make of this one...thought it'll change direction somewhere but it continued in the same dimension...keeps you hooked on throughout though

Aki Kaurismaki has a unique style that mixed dry humor and tragedy. The non-acting is often confusing but always used effectively. This one is no exception. Not everyone will enjoy it, but it's really pretty good.

A bit of a strange movie, about a Finnish security guard who works primarily night shifts for the mall and metro in Helsinki. A mobster sets him up with a blonde who is to use him to get the security codes to rob a jewelry store, and then frames him for the theft. I found that this was a statement about the frustration of a powerless working class citizen versus the wealthy class of mobsters and corporates who use and abuse him for their own ends. Check it out if it sounds interesting.

Kaurismaki strips his own already minimalist style of its narrative spontaneity in this loose take on the noir genre. There's something about this quiet world of missed opportunities that makes every slight and colossal failure of Koistinen's life more heartbreaking than the last. Does the title refer to the dim possibility of hope that our protagonist has suffered for? The ending reminds me of Bresson's Pickpocket. Love comes too late.

Ãltima película de la trilogía de Finlandia de Kaurismäki, a la que anteceden "Drifting Clouds" y "The man without a past". Es un cierre dà (C)bil despuà (C)s de llegar a la cumbre de su carrera con "The man without a past", su película más premiada. Abarca los mismos temas -perdedores, miseria, desempleo, clase trabajadora- pero de una manera más somera y con menos sentido del humor. Sí se quiere acercar a la obra de este director, y específicamente a esta trilogía, recomendamos mejor darle la oportunidad a las primeras dos cintas.

good interesting and very satififying

Koistinen a complete loser, a human doormat of a man with a bum security job, is duped by a beautiful woman, his life goes down the crapper after that. This is downbeat stuff, but with a slightest hint of hope. This is my first Kaurismaki movie, i liked the sense of black humour and the style of framing that he uses, i'll certainly seek out more of his stuff.

El minimalismo y humor de Kaurismäki guardan algo especial.

Was glued to the screen till the very end of the movie.

An ironic, existential portrait of loneliness. From the start, Koistinen is painfully out of sync with his environment and ostracized by almost every person he encounters. The tight, lingering frame compositions, remarkably open and suggestive, emphasize this discordant, askew vision. Amidst this bleakness, hope triumphs in the final, life-affirming shot. A positive end to Kaurismaki's Loser Trilogy.

This is a sad and painful story. It's may be a bit slow, but in a good way as it gives you time to think.