A spiritual second cousin of Renny Harlin’s infamous first feature Born American (1986), Rundi is a genuinely unique piece of work in the Finnish filmmaking landscape. Based on a true story of convicted felon Kyösti Erkinkorpi (b. 1946), this second feature by director Jouko Suikkari (1948-2021) is a hard-boiled crime / prison drama produced with financial backing from local Christian sects. Partially shot on location in the most (in)famous prisons in Finland of its era, Rundi combines exploitation overtones with devout melodrama and social criticism, not forgetting to sideline to action oriented pacing here and there.

The feature is projected from a 35mm archival print, unfortunately without subtitles in English.