Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses: Aki Kaurismäki’s sequel reinforces the idea that it’s not the destination but the journey. Alas, the journey is not as pleasant this time, being looser, slower, and more self-indulgent. The remaining members of the band reencounter their old manager, now a religious prophet, who takes them on a journey back home. Their visuals are even more absurd, now with loud Mexican clothes and monumental face hair in addition to the gigantic pompadours they had before. The episodes are generally less interesting, even if some visual gags are brilliant. The music selection, in general, is varied but not as interesting and upbeat as in the original film. Kaurismäki himself edits, but the pace is a bit too ponderous. Cinematographer Timo Salminen captures the colours vividly, manages to frame the whole cast in tight spaces often, and lights nicely. Matti Pellonpää (as the prophet-slash-manager) and Kari Väänänen (as the now-integrated groupie) repeat their roles, hamming it up within the confines of the deadpan tone; André Wilms is a nice addition as an agent in hot pursuit.

The music videos by the band Leningrad Cowboys: These Boots, Leningrad Cowboys: Those Were the Days (both are somewhat contemporary to this feature), and Leningrad Cowboys: Thru the Wire (which is older, from before the original feature) are all worth watching for nice covers of those songs.

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