Private investigator, ladies' man, hard-drinking pub regular - Jussi Vares is a hero poised between rock-hard determination and laid-back nonchalance. Created by bestselling Finnish crime author Reijo Maki, Vares has become the immensely popular protagonist of a series of crime novesl that have now found their way onto the screen. As played by Antti Reini, Vares radiates all the vulnerability, loneliness and death-defying dedication of a man who may not have found his place in life, but can pretty much do without it. His outward appearance alternates between scruffy - which helps him win the trust of the lowlifes he needs for his information - and spiffy - which helps him win the hearts of the ladies he wants to seduce. Vares can rely on the support of Lieutenant Hautavainio, who knows better than to rein him in, and the valuable assistance of ex-con Antidote, who still has underworld connections. Pretty blonde cab driver and exotic dancer Anna rounds off Vares' gallery of friends and helpers. Based in Turku on Finland's southwestern coast, Vares takes on cases that run the gamut from intimate family score-settlings to big-time Russian Mafia trouble. Distributed by Global Screen. In Finnish with English subtitles.