MenuFLIXANO
Start Your Free Trial
Search
Kari Väänänen

Kari Väänänen

Kari Kyösti Väänänen (born 17 September 1953 in Ivalo) is a Finnish actor and director. Domestically he is a member of the group theater group of actors. He was introduced to the international audience by Aki Kaurismäki; and belongs to the list of his "trusted" stable of actors.

His most challenging role has been the eponymous mafia hitman of Rosso, for which he learned all his lines phonetically, without previously speaking a word of Italian. Kari Väänänen was featured in Star Wreck, a Finnish sci-fi parody where they played the Russian president. They also starred in Jim Jarmusch's 1991 film Night on Earth.

Sign up to watch Free Kari Väänänen Movies

Movies Starring Kari Väänänen (69)

The Missile (2024)

Niina, a single mother working for a small-town newspaper, is drawn into an investigation into the fall of a Soviet missile that upends her life and that of her small northern village. ...

Watch Now

The Grump: In Search of an Escort (2022)

Grump's life follows the same familiar routines: spring is here and the early potato harvest is ripening. But Grump crashes his beloved Ford Escort and the car has to be scrapped. A new, modern vehicle is no match for quality and the nearest Escort, a 1972 ...

Watch Now

Fingerpori (2019)

Live action comedy about a fictional town and it's uncommon people, based on a comic strip 'Fingerpori', by Pertti Jarla. ...

Watch Now

Master Cheng (2019)

Cheng, 45, a restaurant owner from China, has travelled with his young son halfway around the world to a remote village in Finland. His wife died recently in an accident, and Cheng wanted to have a break from everything by traveling with his son to see an ...

Watch Now

Ryhmäteatteri (2018)

Documentary on the history of Ryhmäteatteri theatre company. ...

Watch Now

Kiwi Christmas (2017)

Fed up with the materialism of Christmas, Santa runs away to New Zealand for a summer holiday. When two Kiwi kids figure out who he is, they have to find a way to get him back to the North Pole in time for Christmas. ...

Watch Now

Lapland Odyssey 3 (2017)

In the third instalment of the franchise, Janne embarks on an epic hike, a journey of self-discovery. His dreams of a tranquil retreat into nature are quickly shattered however, when Räihänen and Kämäräinen both decide to come along for the trip. Mean ...

Watch Now

Kajaani (2017)

After several years in France, Juho and Anna go back to see their sick father. Juho fears this travel, he did not see him since 15 years and fears what he is going to find. ...

Watch Now

Dirty Hands (2015)

A political drama set in the fictional country of Illyria between 1943 and 1945, the story is about the assassination of a leading politician. The country, an ally of Nazi Germany, is on the verge of being annexed to the Eastern Bloc. Kaurismäki's TV ada ...

Watch Now

We Are the Pirates of the Roads (2015)

The Rosvola family – The Robbersons drive around the country in their pirate car robbing bypassing cars of their sweets, extra food and consumer goods. Life changes for the Rosvolas when they accidentally kidnap 10-year-old Vilja, a diligent school girl. ...

Watch Now

Arne's Legacy (2013)

Arne comes into the family of an old friend of his father as a foster child. He hopes to find closeness and security with Harald, his wife Elsa and their children Hans, Wiebke and Lars. But he finds it difficult to integrate - his trust in the community ha ...

Watch Now

The Rise and Fall of a Friendship (2012)

The egocentric author Jalo Rautakumpu welcomes a visitor to his cabin in the Lappish wilderness. After sauna and a bottle of alcohol, the friendship is formed. But friends can be bad for business. ...

Watch Now

Let My People Go ! (2011)

Everyone knows that Ruben is Jewish, gay, half-French, half-Finnish, an ungrateful son and disappointing lover, a thief who can't help himself, and possibly a murderer to boot. The only person who doesn't know who Ruben is is Ruben himself. When he comes t ...

Watch Now

Bohemian Eyes (2011)

Documentary about the life of Finnish actor Matti Pellonpää. ...

Watch Now

Backwood Philosopher (2009)

Self-taught philosopher Konsta Pylkkänen guides a group of researchers through Finland's Kainuu wilderness in the hopes of having a "sinistä ajatusta", idea out of the blue. While firing upon a hybrid of the hazel grouse and the western capercaillie, kin ...

Watch Now

The House of Branching Love (2009)

The story recounts the breakup of a thirty-something professional couple - Juhani, a family therapist, and his wife, Tuula, a successful business trainer. ...

Watch Now

One Foot Under (2009)

Visa Vuorio, a 35-year old team leader at the Helsinki city gardening department, is suffering from a terminal neurological disease and only has a few months to live. Because of this, he is a member of a therapeutical support group for people suffering fro ...

Watch Now

Christmas Story (2007)

Hundreds of years ago in Lapland, a little boy named Nikolas loses his family in an accident. The villagers decide to look after the orphaned boy together. Once a year - at Christmas - Nikolas moves to a new home. To show his gratitude, Nikolas decides to ...

Watch Now

V2: Dead Angel (2007)

The tough Detective Vares, get hired by a friend accused of murdering a girl. His job is to find the real killer, but people aren't talking. Before he can get traction another homicide takes place- and things move toward a dire conclusion. ...

Watch Now

Rock'n Roll Never Dies (2006)

The story of a simple and good-natured rocker in his late thirties who has a homemade electric guitar and loving parents. ...

Watch Now

Onni von Sopanen (2006)

11-year-old Onni is struck with the idea that his parents aren't his biological parents. ...

Watch Now

Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning (2005)

Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning begins with Captain James B. Pirk of the starship Kickstart shipwrecked on the 21st century Earth with his crew. Originally from the distant future, Pirk and his crew traveled back in time to save the Earth from hostile aliens ...

Watch Now

Trench Road (2004)

After his wife leaves him, a man becomes obsessed getting his family back together by buying an old house. ...

Watch Now

Honey Baby (2004)

An American, with a past as a successful musician, makes a living by playing at weddings and the likes in Germany. Then he gets an offer to tour in East Europe. During his travels he gets insight and finds true love. ...

Watch Now

Land of Love (2003)

A comedy of a Finnish man who falls in love, gets tangled deeper into a circle of lies and finds out that he has suddenly changed his name, nationality and skin colour for the sake of love. ...

Watch Now

Kymmenen riivinrautaa (2002)

Rauno Rämekorpi is celebrating his 60th birthday. He has been awarded the title of Industrial Counsellor, and the company's management has commissioned a biography of him. After the celebrations, the industrial counsellor orders a taxi to take the flowers ...

Watch Now

Highway Society (2000)

The mechanic Jack tries to get rid of his criminal background. ...

Watch Now

Bad Luck Love (2000)

A shocking crime forces a man to re-evaluate his life, only to find that going straight is more complicated than he imagined. Ali is a low-level criminal who spends much of his spare time working out at a gym with his brother Pulu. Ali spends most of his d ...

Watch Now

Lakeuden kutsu (2000)

Businessman Erkki Hakala returns to Ostrobothnia after years in Florida and buys a metal workshop in Jalasjärvi from the unknown Partanen brothers with his business partner Taisto Matsomppi. Erkki misses his wife Kaisu, who back in the day stayed in Finla ...

Watch Now

Spy Games (1999)

A romantic suspense-comedy about CIA agent Harry (Bill Pullman) and SVR agent Natasha (Irene Jacob) fighting to save the world, their lives and secret love in the post cold war Helsinki. ...

Watch Now

Ambush (1999)

It is the summer of 1941 and the Finnish army has been mobilized along the border with Russia. A platoon led by Lt. Eero Perkola is waiting for orders to go on the offensive. The platoon receives orders for a recon mission through the wilderness around the ...

Watch Now

The Tough Ones (1999)

The Tough Ones tells a story of two friends who have a hard time finding their place in the society. Antti and Jussi are released from jail. While they were doing time for bank robbery, the third man involved in the robbery, the one who was not convicted, ...

Watch Now

Train Birds (1998)

Hannes is a beer truck driver in Dortmund. His biggest dream is to win the first prize at the International Timetable Contest in Inari (Finland). When his new boss cancels his extra holidays to go there, Hans goes mad… On his journey to Finland by train, ...

Watch Now

Underwater Iceland (1997)

Marko Röhr's film crew takes the viewer to Europe's last unexplored area: Iceland's unique underwater world. We explore the geysers of boiling waters and the crystal clear lakes off the coast of Iceland. We dive under the icebergs, into the tears between ...

Watch Now

Sambolico (1996)

Eric, a successful Finnish conductor, has time to relax by the ocean after work in Rio de Janeiro. He finds it hard to forget an encounter with an extraordinary woman at the hotel. ...

Watch Now

Drifting Clouds (1996)

The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided t ...

Watch Now

Iron Horsemen (1995)

Bad Trip, a biker who has been freshly inducted into a gang, flees from them after stealing one of their bikes. ...

Watch Now

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)

After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vladimir, who now calls himself Moses lead them on their way home. ...

Watch Now

Goodbye Gibraltar (1993)

Goodbye Gibraltar, directed by Ulrika Bengst, is a film about reconciliation, encountering different lifestyles and dreams. ...

Watch Now

The Last Border (1993)

One man's quest for revenge in a post-apocalyptic world ...

Watch Now

Ripa Hits the Skids (1993)

A week-long glimpse into the wretched existence of Ripa, a long-haired, hard-drinking lug. He is also a filmmaker-wannabee, whose last two projects were condemned for their sex and violence. A Parasite Deluxe, who barely recalls his previous night, Ripa cr ...

Watch Now

Mestari (1992)

Eero Tyrni, a reporter for Iltapäivä newspaper, is in Austria doing a story on ski jumper Teemu Kimpilä. Kimpilä's jumps fail and he disappears from the scene. Left behind are his third wife Sari, his sponsors, the Ski Association, and the Finnish peop ...

Watch Now

La Vie de Bohème (1992)

Three penniless artists become friends in modern-day Paris: Rodolfo, an Albanian painter with no visa, Marcel, a playwright and magazine editor with no publisher, and Schaunard, a post-modernist composer of execrable noise. ...

Watch Now

Night on Earth (1991)

A quintet of cabbies in five cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night. ...

Watch Now

Zombie and the Ghost Train (1991)

Antti "Zombie" Autiomaa does two things well: play the bass guitar and drink. After several months' sleeping on the streets of Istanbul, he returns to Helsinki where he's called into the army but discharged on mental health grounds after adding turpentine ...

Watch Now

Amazon (1990)

Widowed and broke Finnish businessman Kari takes his two teenage daughters with him to Brazil. A bush pilot introduces him to the idea of gold mining in the jungle, but a beautiful and educated local woman warns him about the possible consequences to the r ...

Watch Now

Dolly and Her Lover (1990)

Detective Karisto releases Auno 'Räpsy' Pirilä from prison, who in turn has to calve his childhood friend Börje from criminal activities. Alcoholic Dolly takes Räpsy to live in Kallio, Helsinki, and hopes to move to Paris with her in the spring. ...

Watch Now

Paper Star (1989)

Anna Kelanen is an ex-model, who just has been released from prison. She thinks back on her life, when she was a rather successful model, and on the things that went wrong. ...

Watch Now

Kukunor (1989)

Based on Lauri Viita's fairy tale. In Kukunor, two trolls, Kukunor and Kalahari, read books and travel the world in their dreams. ...

Watch Now

Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)

The Leningrad Cowboys, a group of Siberian musicians, and their manager, travel to America seeking fame and fortune. As they cross the country, trying to get to a wedding in Mexico, they are followed by the village idiot, who wishes to join the band. ...

Watch Now

Cha Cha Cha (1989)

A lawyer pays a visit to Matti Ojanperä, a bum living under a bridge in the Helsinki harbour, to inform him that he is about to inherit an American aunt of his. The sum 1,000,000 Fmk would be his, if only he meets the qualifications set by his aunt. He m ...

Watch Now

Helsinki Napoli All Night Long (1987)

A Finnish taxi driver in Berlin gets in over his head when he accepts a fare from two men with briefcases full of money stolen from ruthless gangsters. ...

Watch Now

Hamlet Goes Business (1987)

When Hamlet discovers his father's deceased body, he finds himself pulled into a power struggle as his scheming uncle attempts to secure a monopoly on the Scandinavian rubber duck industry. Will Hamlet avenge his father? Will he become the king of rubber d ...

Watch Now

Siriuksen vieraat (1987)

Anders flees his drug debts to his former home village. Once there, he must come to terms with his past. ...

Watch Now

Älä itke Iines (1987)

Älä itke Iines is an absurd comedy about an eccentric community that lives on the roofs and attic of an apartment building, struggling to improve their living conditions. The dialogue is entirely improvised by the actors. ...

Watch Now

Näkemiin, hyvästi (1986)

When a new man appears in Tuula's life, Jorma does not tolerate the idea and begins to yearn back for his ex-wife. They drift into a situation where both face a big choice that has far-reaching implications for the rest of their lives. ...

Watch Now

Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (1986)

A new ice age is coming to England. All energy sources have been depleted and despair is taking over the earth. The young king decides to use his last trump card before his power collapses and anarchy reigns over the island kingdom. ...

Watch Now

Harmagedon (1986)

A film about the end of the world. ...

Watch Now

The Unknown Soldier (1985)

Second silver screen adaption of the Finnish war book by Väinö Linna. The story is based on Linna's experiences as an infantry man in the Finnish army during the so called "Continuation War" (1941-1944). ...

Watch Now

Rosso (1985)

Giancarlo Rosso, a professional assassin from Sicily, is sent to Finland to kill a very specific target. When he reaches the country, he discovers that the target is one of his past loves. ...

Watch Now

Ylösnousemus (1985)

A man fakes his own suicide in order to see how his close ones react. ...

Watch Now

Calamari Union (1985)

A group of men all called Frank—except for one named Pekka—have had enough of life in their working-class neighborhood, so they set off for a better existence in the magical seaside district of Eira. But the way is long, and the group face many hurdles ...

Watch Now

Viimeiset rotannahat (1985)

Anssi Mänttäri's low-budget movies with their intimate content have become classics. In this black comedy that takes place in Helsinki in summer the main character (played by Mänttäri himself) jumps from one bar and bed to the next. Especially vulgar b ...

Watch Now

The Clan: Tale of the Frogs (1984)

Young Alex Sammakko has seen his brothers defy the law in a series of deeds that first land them in jail, and then, after they escape and return to their rural home, land them back in the lap of their locally notorious family. Alex wants nothing to do with ...

Watch Now

Apinan vuosi (1983)

A young student seeks direction in his life to counterbalance the studies through female adventures. ...

Watch Now

Jon (1983)

Story of Jari, a misfit and coward who, after hitting his girlfriend escapes to a fish factory in Norway. There he meets Heikki, who works for the same company. However, the violence follows Jon in Norway too. ...

Watch Now

Kuoleman hellä kosketus (1982)

A young man finds himself in conflict with military order and purpose. ...

Watch Now

Pedon merkki (1981)

Set during the Second World War in the Finnish war zone. ...

Watch Now

The Breakthrough (1981)

Theater students rehearse their own play, "Freedom," and become entangled in the depths of the play's themes in their personal lives. ...

Watch Now

Movies Made By Kari Väänänen (5)

Backwood Philosopher (2009)

Self-taught philosopher Konsta Pylkkänen guides a group of researchers through Finland's Kainuu wilderness in the hopes of having a "sinistä ajatusta", idea out of the blue. While firing upon a hybrid of the hazel grouse and the western capercaillie, kin ...

Watch Now

The Classic (2001)

A self-loving fictional autobiography of author Kari Hotakainen. ...

Watch Now

Vaiennut kylä (1997)

A criminal investigator arrives to investigate the murder of Annikki Niemi in a village whose residents remain silent about the killing. Local boss Onni Pukari and his shady associates try to prevent the investigator from finding the murderer. ...

Watch Now

Sutki (1993)

Sutki travels around Finland selling his wife's knitted mittens at market stalls. Business is slow, and Sutki's boisterous lifestyle doesn't help matters. Sutki is an enterprising salesman. In addition to mittens, he even manages to sell lottery tickets fo ...

Watch Now

Rosso (1985)

Giancarlo Rosso, a professional assassin from Sicily, is sent to Finland to kill a very specific target. When he reaches the country, he discovers that the target is one of his past loves. ...

Watch Now