''Born American'' (Finnish: ''Jäätävä polte''; also known as ''Arctic Heat'') is a 1986 Finnish film directed by

Renny Harlin Renny Harlin (born 15 March 1959) is a Finnish film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter who has made his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood and Cinema of China, China. His best-known films include ''A Nightmare on Elm ...

. It was originally supposed to star

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...

but he backed out when filming was delayed by funding problems and his son, Mike Norris, landed the lead instead. A Finnish production, this was at that time the most expensive film ever to have been made in Finland. The

Finnish Board of Film Classification The Finnish Board of Film Classification ( fi, Valtion elokuvatarkastamo; sv, Statens filmgranskningsbyrå) was an official institution of the Finnish Ministry of Education. From 1946 until the end of year 2011, the VET/SFB was responsible for ...

initially banned the movie due to its excessive violence and anti-Soviet elements. Because of that, the movie had to be shortened 3.5 minutes before it was finally accepted for distribution October 29, 1986 with the Supreme Court decision. The

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

was December 19, 1986. The success of the film in the United States allowed Harlin to get his foot in the door in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, giving him his first American directorial work in the 1987 horror film ''

Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

''. In his 2008 book ''Kohti sinipunaa'', Juhani Suomi revealed that the request to ban the movie originated from Vladimir Sobolev, the Soviet Union's ambassador to Finland.

Cast

* Mike Norris as Savoy Brown * Steve Durham as Mitch Sheppard * David Coburn as K.C. * Piita Vuosalmi as Nadja Kulakova *

Vesa Vierikko Vesa Tapio Vierikko (born 24 May 1956 in Lappeenranta, Finland) is a Finnish actor. Vierikko began acting in 1978 on television working consistently throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He starred in the 2003 film ''Sibelius'' working with Finnish di ...

as Kapsky *

Thalmus Rasulala Thalmus Rasulala (born Jack Crowder; November 15, 1939October 9, 1991) was an American actor with a long career in theater, television, and films. Noted for starring roles in blaxploitation films, he was also an original cast member of ABC's soap ...

as Admiral *

Albert Salmi Albert Salmi (March 11, 1928 – April 22, 1990) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Best known for his work as a character actor, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. Early life Salmi was born and raised ...

as US Ambassador Drane * Ismo Kallio as Zarkov * Marjo Vuollo as Tamara * Laura Munsterhjelm as Irina * Antti Horko as Cossack * Pauli Virtanen as Sergei * Jone Takamaki as Interrogator * Inkeri Luoma-Aho as Female Guard * Markku Blomqvist as Irina's Father *

Sari Havas Sari Havas (born 25 January 1962 in Kolari, Finland) is a Finnish actress. Havas began her career in acting in 1986 in the film ''Born American'' but has mostly appeared on television in Finland and has also written a number of TV series since 1 ...

as Girl At Party * Rapa Ripa as KGB Agent (uncredited) *

Mats Helge Olsson Mats Helge, also known as Mats-Helge Olsson (born 10 May 1953) is a Swedish independent filmmaker, best known for movies such as ''The Ninja Mission'' (1984), and he is one of the most productive independent Swedish directors ever, with almost 100 t ...

as Priest (uncredited) *

Stack Pierce Robert Stack Pierce (June 15, 1933 – March 1, 2016) was a Hollywood actor who was previously a boxer and professional baseball player.Speakers InternationaStack Pierce His acting career began in the early 1970s with television roles in th ...

as Admiral (voice) (uncredited) *

as Man's Voice From Ship's Loudspeaker (voice) (uncredited)

North America box office

''Born American'' was released in North America over the

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

Weekend in 1986. It was the ninth biggest movie that weekend, earning $2.2 million in 1,071 theaters. The film's overall box office take was $3,388,020.

References

External links

* * * *
Fedorov, Alexander. The Analysis of Stereotypes of Politically Engaged Media Texts in Media Studies in Student Audience (by the Example of Renny Harlin’s films “Born American” (1986) and “Five Days of War” (2011)
1986 films 1986 action films English-language Finnish films 1980s English-language films Cold War films Films directed by Renny Harlin Films set in the Soviet Union Films shot in Finland 1986 directorial debut films Finnish action films {{1980s-action-film-stub