We don’t get a lot of good no frills, lean, mean action machine flicks with little to zero interest world building or franchise cash grab catalysts. The unkillable hero who fights his way through bodies of evildoers rarely exists without the looming implications of the whole adventure being a long trailer for what comes next. The original “John Wick” very much had that, until he became the literal god tier superhero of assassins. This is an important comparison, because “Sisu” feels very much like a John Wick period piece. There’s even a dog companion here, if you thought that the premise what where the parallels stopped. Luckily for us, “Sisu” has no interest in its franchise longevity or the possibility of a Sisu Extended Universe (at least not yet until this thing makes a boatload of money and then this whole intro will be for naught). No, “Sisu” exists for one reason and one reason only: to kill Nazis in the most brutal and creative ways it can possibly imagine. And by god, does it deliver.
Written and directed by Jalmari Helander, “Sisu” is set in 1944 during the Lapland War in Finland. The country has been essentially reduced to ash thanks to the scorched earth methods of the Nazis. Inhabiting this wasteland is Aatami Korpi, a legendary Finnish soldier who has chosen to leave the war life behind him in search of gold and an isolated, nomadic lifestyle. Amid the wilderness with only his horse and his dog for company, Korpi strikes it rich with the discover of a plethora of gold during his dig. He must now travel some 500 miles across the wilderness to the nearest, functioning bank. Of course, Korpi encounters a company of Nazis along the road monitoring the territory. Though they pay him little mind at first, they soon discover that he has enough gold to change their lives as well and decide to pursue him. Unlucky for the Nazis however, their prey turns out to be a one man death squad, nicknamed Koschei, meaning “The Immortal.” And they just took the only thing he had left to a better life. Let the bloodbath commence!
“Sisu” smartly keeps its narrative as simple as its elevator pitch, and doesn’t have to go too deep into the character development to get the point across. Unkillable hero encounters a bunch of Nazis after his pot of gold, brutal violence ensues. You really don’t need much more than that to have a good time at the movies, and thankfully “Sisu” delivers a lean runtime that gets straight to the point and doesn’t overstay its welcome. The film knows that it doesn’t need to be any more than what was advertised, and relishes in its brutality and escalating clashes of guns and knives and yes, landmines to the face. The brutality is disturbingly graphic in the best of ways, with Koschei dispatching of Nazis in some bloody great ways that will have you smiling ear to ear with how nasty and satisfying it is to watch. “Sisu” wastes no time getting going, and splits itself into chapters that are often punctuated by a new kill box scenario for whichever Nazis managed to make it out of the last encounter. It’s a genuine bloody good time, and is the kind of no holds barred action thriller fans crave and don’t see often enough.
The cinematography of Kjell Lagerroos helps elevate the film’s rather simple premise, delivering gorgeous wide shots of desolate landscapes that bring the isolation and devastation of war front and center. Helander uses the Finnish backdrop to his advantage, using wide open spaces, burned down villages, and miles and miles of nothingness to his advantage and frames the carnage in plenty of unique ways. There is a command and a focus on the things that matter instead of getting caught up in trying to do anything more than what fans of “Sisu” would want. The restraint to not get too far into the weeds of the lore and war allows the blood to flow without mercy or dams, and each encounter gets crazier and crazier, leaving you no choice but to sit back and enjoy the ride. This framing also helps isolate the events themselves. No one is coming to help either side, as they are trapped with each other for 100s of miles in any direction. “Sisu” smartly uses this to eliminate reinforcements or filling the space with unnecessary characters. It’s just The Immortal, the company, and few women hostages that are being transported. It is the wild, wild west of Lapland, and it makes “Sisu” that much more exciting and fun.
Dispatching Nazis is always a good way to get me to the theater, and I am genuinely glad “Sisu” delivered on that front. No need to get fancy with words. “Sisu” is a bloody good time, and the most fun you’ll have watching Nazis get their comeuppance. Jorma Tommila is a menacing presence as Korpi, and quickly gains your empathy within the first few minutes of meeting him. Tommila has all of 3 lines in the entire film, with “Sisu” taking the silent killer anti-hero approach very seriously. And yet, Tommila’s performance is strong enough to where you don’t need him to say anything to justify his actions or root for him, nor do you need anyone to do an exposition dump as to why he is the way he is. It’s all conveyed through the logical trajectory of the story and Tommila’s stellar performance. He does action well, and you believe his skills instantly even when they get borderline outrageous by the end. Seriously, the things Korpi survives the longer “Sisu” goes on does push the limits of plausibility, but the film is so much fun it doesn’t even matter.
Aksel Hennie as Nazi company leader Bruno Helldorf is a worthy adversary to Korpi, willing to sacrifice his men if it means getting closer to killing him and getting his hands on the gold. Helldorf is also given some nuance to his motivations of pursuit, some of which go deeper than just putting them in place for their demise. Again, “Sisu” isn’t interested in going too far beyond the surface of its premise, but the brief moments of character development through Hennie’s performance adds some stakes to their inevitable face-off. It’s just enough to keep you engaged if for some reason the unhinged gore and violence wasn’t enough.
Outside of the suspension of disbelief required as we get into the third act, “Sisu” has very little flaws for action aficinados. You came to watch Nazis die horrible deaths, and for that “Sisu” doesn’t hold back and gives you exactly what you’re looking for. In a genre that already has plenty of Nazi killing to go around, “Sisu” doesn’t exactly add any new layers or attempt to bring a new voice to the genre. But fans of just the violence in “Inglorious Basterds” will be more than satisfied here, especially if you don’t care for all that Tarantino talking and feet stuff.
“Sisu” is all business when it comes to violence and brutality, and can make the claim of being the most fun you’ve ever had watching Nazis get absolutely wrecked. If you were hoping for anything more than that, this one is probably not for you. But if you’re just in it for the thrills and kills, “Sisu” is about as lean as an action movie can get, and will give you a bloody good time as advertised.
I don’t need more “Sisu,” but I’ll take more movies LIKE “Sisu” any day. This one is worth the trip to the theater. It slaps harder than a mine to the face, and you’ll be glad I mentioned that twice because it truly never gets old.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“Sisu” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
