In 1944, in Finland during WWII, (Aatami Korpi), a minor, was prospecting for gold. He hits paydirt and decides to go cash in his gold for paper money. Unfortunately, he runs into some unsavory Nazies that have decided on a scorched earth tactic where they destroy bridges, roads, and everything in their path. A prospector is just another thing in their path. He’s more than they bargained for though. And he has a history that they didn’t realize at first, a bloody history.
Sisu is a Finnish word that cannot be translated. It means a white knuckle form of courage and unimaginable determination. It manifests itself when all hope is lost. That is the title of this film. Right from the beginning there is a feeling that this man has a way about him. He seems like someone you don’t want to mess with. At first, he seemed like a nice fellow. That doesn’t last long when people start messing with him. What transpires is an absolute bloodbath.
The film uses numbered chapters as a way to tell its story. Each chapter basically informs viewers of what’s going on in the movie. 1:gold, 2:the Nazies, 3:the minefield, 4:the legend, 5:scorched Earth, 6: kill ’em al. It’s these six chapters that make up the entire length of the film. Which isn’t that long. Only about an hour and a half long. This story goes rather quickly. The director Jamari Helander doesn’t mess around; he gets into pretty things fast.
The miner was an ex-soldier, he survived a hanging, kills two pilots who stopped, but looks terrible, has bloody wounds full of shrapnel, like a jigsaw puzzle, and blocks the road with the pilots plane, The film has crazy stunts involving hanging on to a truck while it’s driving and a plane while it’s in the air, These sequences are all pretty intense. This is the kind of thing that this movie hangs its hat on. Which makes it pretty awesome.
As far as films involving Nazies go, this is a pretty good one. It has a very good narrative. What would any of us do in a similar circumstance? This kind of story has a mix of First Blood and Inglorious Bastards. Two great action-oriented movies with great stories and direction. I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like these two films. So to use these two movies as inspiration was a great idea.
Sisu mixes a few genres and a lot of story beats together to make a fantastic action film. The star doesn’t say much but is instantly likable from the moment we see him on screen. Also, the villains of the film are perfect for viewers to hate. Nazies are good for that. There are plenty of action scenes that keep things moving in a great direction and the length of the movie doesn’t go on too long. It has all the elements that make for a fun action film.
4 stars
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 