Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses

German theatrical poster
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
Produced by Aki Kaurismäki
Reinhard Brundig
Paula Oinonen
Fabienne Vonier
Written by Sakke Järvenpää
Aki Kaurismäki
Mato Valtonen
Starring Matti Pellonpää
Kari Väänänen
André Wilms
Nicky Tesco
The Leningrad Cowboys
Music by Mauri Sumén
Cinematography Timo Salminen
Edited by Aki Kaurismäki
Distributed by Pandora Filmproduktion
Release dates
 16 February 1994
Running time
 94 minutes
Country Finland/Germany/France
Language English

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses is a 1994 film directed by Aki Kaurismäki. It is a sequel to the popular 1989 film Leningrad Cowboys Go America that introduced the fictional Russian rock band Leningrad Cowboys which, subsequently, became a notable real life rock band in Finland.

Plot

Picking up where Leningrad Cowboys Go America left off, the band has settled in Mexico after charting a top ten hit there. However, many band members become alcoholics spending most of their day drinking tequila. Before long, more than half of the band members have died from excessive drinking. The surviving members have, in the mean time, become naturalized Mexicans, complete with mustaches, Mexican wardrobe but with their pompadours still intact.

Down on their luck and out of practice, the band and their road manager Igor (Kari Vaananen) receive an anonymous telegram, requesting their presence for a gig at the Surf Hotel at Coney Island. So they sneak past the Mexican-American border and make their way to New York City. When they arrive, they find out that the sender of the telegram was their ex-manager Vladimir (Matti Pellonpää) who, after going through an experience of being born again, now calls himself Moses. Moses gathers the group at his room, and plans a return trip to the Promised Land (Siberia), for purposes that are explained later. After they leave for Europe, Moses takes the Statue of Liberty's nose as a souvenir.

While the others head to Europe by boat, Moses stows away on the wing of a plane. Inside, Johnson, a CIA agent (André Wilms), learns of the missing nose through an article in the New York Tribune. Moses, meanwhile, falls off the plane and meets up with the band at a beach. Several of their people from Siberia arrive in a rented bus to pick them up.

Their first stop is Brest, where Moses goes to secure gigs for the band for money. Eventually, Johnson catches up with them at a hotel in Amiens and, posing as a record producer (under the name Raymond Lazar), provides them with money to play for a wedding at the hotel. Johnson goes to the bus to find the nose there, but is knocked unconscious by Igor. The next day, they learn of his real identity from the CIA logo on his cigarette holder, and take him for the rest of the trip.

Before they cross the border to Russia, Moses states that, according to The Holy Bible, he never sees the promised land. As Vladimir once again, he turns in empty bottles to the customs office as a distraction while the others sneak the bus across the border. Everyone is happy to see their return and have a party that evening. The film ends with Elijah being left alone with the nose.

Cast and characters

Music

There has not been a soundtrack album released for this film. Music credited in the film include:

See also

External links

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