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Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma

Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995) Movie Poster
Finland  •    •  83m  •    •  Directed by: Jari Halonen.  •  Starring: Jorma Tommila, Tarja-Tuulikki Tarsala, Hannu Huuska, Outi Mäenpää, Rauno Juvonen, Iris-Lilja Lassila, Chelaf Abdeslam, Jari Halonen, Riitta Pasanen, Pentti Korhonen, Jouni Nikkanen, Inkvar Jaska, Esko Hukkanen.  •  Music by: Kustaa Kantelinen, Tuomas Kantelinen, Johnny Lee Michaels, Kristian Molina, Peter Nordström.
    The 21st-century tale centers on taciturn detective Lipton Cockton as he looks into a series of murders involving exploding victims. The main clue in the case is the white halter dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the subway vent scene in The Seven Year Itch. This clue directs Cockton to the highest levels of the super company LTD Prods. But though Cockton tries and tries, he cannot get there and ends up himself blown to smithereens.

Review:

Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Image from: Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma (1995)
Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma is a dystopian science fiction film with a symbolic narrative about how hard-line masculinity has perverted the world.

The events of the movie take place in the Ugric ghetto of Vladivostok, a peripheral mega-city in the European Federation in the future. The main characters speak Finnish, a Finno-Ugric language, but also both English and Russian are heard and they appear to be more prestigious languages in the society. The city infrastructure is crumbling in the ghetto and people are poor. 80% of the populace earn meager living by subjecting themselves to medical experiments for multinational corporations. The world is in an environmental and social crisis.

A series of deaths of inexplicably exploding people has caused a wave of terror among the populace that could destabilize the government, which is unable to protect them. Lipton Cockton, a lone über manly detective (played by Jorma Tommila of Rare Exports fame), is on the case. The government sends a sadistic federal officer (played by director Jari Halonen himself) to take lead of the investigation and to bring it to the conclusion at any cost. In the following torturous days Cockton finds out that the real threat is not some lone lunatic bomber but the system, for whose protection he has dedicated his life.

The film looks good and believable in spite of the low budget. This is achieved by excellent staging and lighting. The entire film takes place in crumbling urban surroundings, so there aren't any spectacular sci-fi sights except for the futuristic subway. Some props require suspension of disbelief, like Cockton's three-wheeled vehicle and the robot in front of Apocalypse Gallery.

The actors are convincing though they play absurd roles in an absurd story. Cockton doesn't seem to do much actual detective work, he just wanders around the city and bumps into clues. The main thread of the story seems to be about blows to Cockton's masculinity. Anyway, lack of character motivation is the biggest weakness of the film. Fifteen minutes before the end I was worried is the director able to draw the story to a satisfying conclusion. Fortunately he is. The story unfolds nicely and Cockton makes a choice between regaining his masculinity and something else.

All in all, Lipton Cockton in the Shadows of Sodoma is a satisfying movie watching experience. It is worth seeing for more than just its curiosity value.


Review by Risto Kupsala from the Internet Movie Database.

 
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