MOVIE REVIEW: SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE

 

Korpi dismantles the house where his family was murdered and loads it on a truck to rebuild it somewhere safe. He soon finds himself in a violent cross-country chase as the Red Army commander who killed his family comes back to finish the job.

Director: Jalmari Helander

Cast: Jorma Tommila, Richard Brake, Stephen Lang

Release Date: November 21, 2025

Genre: Action, War

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language

Runtime: 1h 28m

Review:

Jalmari Helander's Sisu: Road to Revenge, his follow up to his 2022 original, ups the ante on the over-the-top grindhouse carnage by taking it to a cartoonish level of excess that's as lean as it is bloody.  Helander gleefully delivers another barebones story packed with massive action set pieces that get increasingly insane and nonsensical as the film goes on.  While his original film was more grounded and self-serious, this entry possesses a wry sense of humor that takes a minute to take hold.  The film plays like a bloody mashup of The Passion of the Christ in the form of a Looney Toons war movie which makes for an interesting experience to say the least.  The film throws out any semblance of logic in order to deliver some of the crazier action sequences in recent memory.  At the center of it all is the eternally stoic and driven Jorma Tommila who returns as the bloodied and battered Aatami Korpi.  Tommila just exudes intensity throughout while never uttering a single word of dialogue.  It’s another fascinating turn for Tommila in this role as he's again able to communicate so much emotion via facial expressions, something on full display in the last moments of the film where the character finally lets his guard down.  Stephen Lang serves as the primary antagonist in this entry, a role he's perfectly suited to his talents.  The role, much like the story, isn't terribly deep but Lang is menacing enough to serve as a perfect foil to Tommila's vengeful Korpi.  The film would have been well served to have given their relationship a bit more time to breathe so that you get a real sense of the animosity between the two before the final showdown.  Alas, Sisu: Road to Revenge doesn't concern itself with story or characters all that much which keeps it from being something truly special.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: SISU

During the last days of World War II, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-Earth retreat in northern Finland. When the soldiers decide to steal his gold, they quickly discover they just tangled with no ordinary miner.

Director: Jalmari Helander

Cast: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo, Onni Tommila

Release Date: April 28, 2023

Genre: Action, War

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language

Runtime: 1h 31m

Review:

Jalmari Helander unabashedly ridiculous and gory grindhouse throwback, Sisu, is a bloody good time.  Helander's film takes bits and pieces from John Wick, Inglourious Basterds and Spaghetti Westerns to deliver a bare bones story with minimal dialogue propped up by gleefully designed carnage.  How much an individual will enjoy this minimalist approach will come down to individual taste.  Those that can appreciate this type of movie madness will find plenty to appreciate.  Jorma Tommila leads the films as more of a force of nature as opposed to a fully realized character.  He only utters two lines of dialogue throughout the entire film but that doesn't keep him from being incredibly engaging with his rugged weather worn face and mangled body.  He stabs, explodes and eviscerates a bevy of nameless Nazi with Aksel Hennie serving as the big bad who wants to steal his gold.  This isn't the type of film that ask for much range or depth from its actors but they both deliver solid work until their inevitable fight.  The film continues to stretches credibility as it goes on but ultimately Sisu isn't the type of film you'll enjoy if you attempt to dissect logically.

B