Juoksuhaudantie is a nice movie, though it is very close to the book written by Finnish author Kari Hotakainen. The book won the biggest Finnish literature prize, Finlandia, in 2002. Though book and movie are very similar, they contain also some differences. The book contains much more humor and is more optimistic too. The main problem on the film is that the highlights of the book, which are due to the verbal acrobacy of Hotakainen, are impossible to translate to a movie. And the makers of the film have not managed to invent many new points which would render the loss of Hotakainen's best verbal insights. Though the film has its weaknesses, it is very fluently directed and pleasant to watch. No matter have you read the book or not.
