‘Sisu’ movie review: A goldmine for fans of gore and goofy action

A scene from ‘Sisu’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A man, already subject to some bullet wounds, is put on the gallows and hanged. He thankfully finds a rusty thick nail pointing to the pole he is hanging from, and unable to put his feet on it to save himself, he is unable to bear the weight of his body and the pressure. To overcome this, he applies a bullet’s entry wound to his leg. loop. If you think it’s compelling and not sick, Sisu There will probably be an action thriller which you should not miss.

Set in 1944, the film follows Atami Korpi (Jorma Tomila), a Winter War veteran living the last phase of his life as a gold prospector. When he strikes gold, literally, during a routine digging session, he has to transport the nugget to a bank 563 miles away. He embarks on a long and arduous journey into the remote wilderness of Lapland when trouble strikes in the form of a Nazi platoon led by Bruno Helldorf (Axel Henney) and his subordinate Wolf (Jack Doolan). When they underestimate Atami and try to swindle his gold, hell breaks loose and they learn why this man is nicknamed Koschei, meaning ‘immortal’.

World wars, exploitation, Nazis, women in distress and “messing with the wrong man” are anything but new. But director Jalmari Helander weaves them together into a simple, clear yet overwhelmingly powerful and effective historical actioner. The Finnish word ‘sisu’ is not considered to have a literal equivalent in English; It has a wiki page that calls it “a concept described as steadfast determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and fortitude”. The film also begins with a slide that mentions it as the “white-knuckle form of courage” and Atami, as expected, is the living embodiment of that word.

A scene from ‘Sisu’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

If this call for gold mining and blood sacrifice reminds us of many Spaghetti Westerns, a war veteran wading through a crowd of people and turning them into bodies feels like an homage. Rambo, The mind-numbing action and similarities between its main characters make the film likable john wick established in the past. Director Helander’s idea of ​​setting the film at that time also makes it a perfect setting for a massacre. Knowing that the Nazis are fighting a losing battle, Helldorf and his troop seek to use the stolen gold to buy their freedom when they become prisoners of war. A little sense of need goes a long way in a movie like Sisu Which doesn’t really care about logic and reasoning.

The action sequences are undoubtedly spectacular. With knives, machine guns, landmines, and even aerial bombs, Spirit sends body parts flying, giving us the joy of chaos. If that’s not enough, there are sequences in which our hero, in keeping with his current profession, digs into his own wounds to remove shrapnel and bullets; Sisu Takes the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ to a whole new level. His famous status and subsequent actions lead us to believe this when one character calls him immortal and another corrects him by saying, “No, he just refuses to die”.

Sisu will join a long list of movies that should be titled ‘101 Ways to Kill Nazis’ and judging by the way the body count piles up, it leaves one wishing Hitler was the final boss Soul had to face. After all, it’s not often we see a movie where a soldier steps on a landmine that kills him instantly while his severed leg goes flying to the other end of the field, only to trigger another mine. You still buy it, thanks to a mature performance from its lead Tomila, a performance that could have turned caricatured at any moment. On the whole, the film thrives on showcasing its undying love for adulterated violence and outlandish gore John Wick Chapter 4Sisu Creates a gold standard for action movies released this year.

Sisu is currently playing in theaters