Sisu: Road to Revenge Review

This reappraisal is based connected a screening which took spot astatine the 2025 Fantastic Fest Film Festival. Sisu: Road to Revenge volition beryllium released theatrically successful the United States connected November 21.

What if Sisu, but alternatively of brutally massacring Nazis, it's brutally massacring Red Army soldiers? That's the premise for Sisu: Road to Revenge, Jalmari Helander’s follow-up to 2023’s ultra-violent World War II enactment spectacle. As a instrumentality of the original, I'm not definite which I bask more—not a atrocious occupation to have. Helander unleashes "the antheral who cannot die" to dole retired Soviet-era justness with buckets afloat of bullets, doubling down connected ’80s genre strength that doesn't springiness a hoot astir thing but gunsmoke amusement done utmost measures.

Jorma Tommila stars arsenic the present legendary Aatami Korpi, a erstwhile Finnish Army commando who singlehandedly defeated a pack of rogue Nazis. At this point, each helium cares astir is transporting the disassembled lumber from his cherished location crossed the Soviet Union’s border. Unfortunately, the murderous bastard who killed Korpi's family, Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang), is released from situation with 1 mission: to destruct the story that is Aatami Korpi. It's that simple. Korpi drives towards salvation with his beloved woody planks and faithful pooch portion Draganov sets an interception course. One antheral versus the mightiness of the Soviet army—luckily Korpi doesn't attraction astir the odds.

Sisu: Road to Revenge wastes nary clip turning into a bloody bully road-rager littered with corpses. There's astir nary spoken dialogue, but who needs speech erstwhile unit does each the talking? Draganov's minions effort their hardest by onshore and aerial to snuff retired the determined Finnish golden prospector, but it's each truthful gloriously futile. Those who've seen Sisu recognize that Korpi is fundamentally invincible, driven by thing but bravery and willpower successful the look of Axis evils. Helander's astir playing by superhero rules, which fits the cartoonishly merciless code helium puts forth. It each makes sense, and it's each delivered with specified almighty impact.

Tommila's show is paramount to the sequel's success, spitting thing but grit and steel-toed perseverance. He's a resourceful assassin who tin maneuver astir everything from incoming combatant aviator bulletstorms to motorbike grunts with robust shields protecting their domes. You'd deliberation the gimmick mightiness tally retired of steam, but Tommila's doing his champion dirt-covered John McClane without catchphrases. The mode helium channels a breached psyche who simply wants to respect his deceased loved ones makes him scarier than John Wick, but besides garners much empathy. As Korpi turns aggressors into mincemeat and lays discarded to Soviet ranks, you can't assistance but cheer.

Even better, Sisu: Road to Revenge indulges successful extravagance. It's not conscionable astir immoderate headshots oregon slit throats. Korpi is simply a pure-hearted boogeyman who weaponizes everything from unused missiles to the precise planks of wood connected his motortruck to debar definite death. He collects wounds from shattered vodka bottles similar badges of honor, and portion his symptom threshold is inhuman, ridiculousness is what keeps america truthful engaged. Helander's accent connected heroism and vanquishing evil is arsenic subtle arsenic a shark attack, yet it's precisely what the satellite needs much of close now. This one's for the B-Movie crowd, reworking stunts from The A-Team oregon Fast & Furious arsenic 1940s play hilarity. The strength of a WWII Mad Max: Fury Road meets the straightforward redemption of Inglourious Basterds, due to the fact that if Sisu wasn't broke, wherefore hole it?

The additions of quality actors Stephen Lang and Richard Brake, arsenic Draganov's commanding officer, are each the movie needs. Brake's inherently detestable typecasting sets a speedy and sinister tone, portion the Russian-accented Lang makes for a ruthless adversary. Draganov's property is similar a Bond villain who commits warfare crimes, positioned against specified a benevolent protagonist with the astir straightforward intentions. It's a enactment of caller aerial versus enactment flicks that overcomplicate motivations, arsenic Korpi's primal endurance instincts heighten the further Draganov pushes. Lang's built to beryllium the cruel mongrel who would termination women and children without a blink, overmuch similar however Tommila is simply a fantastic dependable for the voiceless (fists for the fistless, much appropriately), warring backmost against history's storied bastards.