Rööperi used to be Helsinki's most notorious quarter: if you weren't punched in the face, you'd have a bottle smashed on the back of your head. It was where the two friends Tomppa and Krisu made a remarkable career. Supported by the local "godfather", the two petty thieves get into the illegal alcohol trade – and within the decade they are respectable citizens. Business in the drugs and pornography trade is going extremely well, until someone from their own ranks proves to be an even more unscrupulous competitor and brings their criminal empire to its fall ... In his local history epos after a novel based on authentic interviews, director Aleksi Mäkelä ("The Tough Ones", "Bad Boys") recounts the economic upswing of his country in the years 1966 to 1979. His influence by Martin Scorsese is highly visible. As is the case with "Mean Streets", "Goodfellas" and "Gangs of New York", "Hellsinki" is not just a gripping thriller, but also a contemporary historical chronicle.