Movie Review: 'Sisu'

Sisu (2023)

Directed by Jalmair Helander

Written by Jalmair Helander

Starring Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan

Release Date April 28th, 2023

Published April 24th, 2023

Sisu is a Finnish word that, essentially, means extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity. That is a strong descriptor for the main character of the movie, Sisu, a man referred to as The Immortal for his uncanny ability to survive any kind of attack. Indeed, the former Finnish commando, Aatami Korpi, played by Jorma Tommila, does appear to be immortal. The things that Korpi survives in Sisu threaten to turn the movie into a Monty Python-esque parody of what the human body is capable of surviving.

That the film doesn't descend into parody likely comes from how satisfying it is to watch a man brutally destroy Nazis, seemingly the last group of people we collectively enjoy watching die horribly. Rarely will you hear someone try and say, can't we just let the Nazis be, and that's the way it should be, no quarter for Nazis. Depicting Nazis being brutally decimated should not only be protected, it should celebrated and shown to actual Nazis as a warning of what we collectively will do if they think about trying to come back.

But I digress. Sisu is told over several chapters. Chapter 1 introduces Korpi as a man mourning the death of his wife and setting out into the world to seek his fortune. Chapter 2 quickly follows and shows Korpi striking it rich, finding a rich vein of gold that should set him up for life and beyond. But, that's only if he survives to get the gold to the Finnish capital where he can exchange it for his life changing fortune. This task is rendered impossible when Korpi is accosted by Nazis who are fleeing in the dying days of World War 2.

It's 1944 and Finland has been convinced to come over to the side of the allies and banish the already fleeing Nazi army. Running away with their tale between their legs, the Nazis can't help but try to start something with an old man just trying to reach the next outpost. Korpi doesn't want trouble but the Nazis sure do and when they attack, they find out that the old man they believe they can bully and rob on their way of town is not the man to mess with. Indeed, Korpi brutally murders his attackers but in doing so, he catches the attention of a fleeing German convoy, one equally eager for a reason to fight.

The convoy turns back to attack Korpi and a brutal and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues with Korpi somehow surviving multiple bullet wounds, losing his horse to a mine, in a stomach-churning scene of violence, and a near drowning. He will survive even more than that as Sisu plays out its story but that's for you to discover when you see Sisu. Korpi also gives as good as he gets as he inflicts deathly wounds on Nazis using any manner of bloody, bloody, violence. As I said earlier, it's incredibly satisfying seeing Nazis on the receiving end of this kind of brutality.

It certainly doesn't make up for the real life crimes of Nazis but since we are not currently murdering Nazis, there is a reasonable satisfaction in seeing figurative Nazis get slaughtered. If you're mad that I am saying this about NAZIs, you might want to have a long talk with yourself or maybe a therapist and consider why someone talking about the brutal, bloody, eviscerating of Nazis bothers you. Most people don't deserve this but Nazis do. Being a Nazi is not an ideology, it's not a debate, it's just wrong and should be met with that in mind.

On that level, Sisu delivers. This is a bloody, violent spectacle, well on par with the John Wick franchise in terms of the bullets, blood, and guts, that feature prominently throughout. Indeed, Korpi could be a distant relative of John Wick. Both men are fictional characters who can survive any manner of injury in order to rain death down upon their opponent. Korpi even has a dog that, when it is threatened, Korpi goes beast mode and violently destroys the man threatening his beloved dog. John Wick can certainly relate to that.

Don't worry, the dog doesn't die. The marketing campaign for Sisu has been very clear about the fate of the dog following online concern for the safety of the curly haired pooch in the film's trailer. That said, fans of horses might want to avoid Sisu. A horse steps on a landmine in Sisu and the gore of this scene is almost unmatched in the rest of the film. It's a brutal scene, filled with gruesome viscera, a horses head, and its exposed, exploded torso. Yeah, it's not pretty and it's sad, the horse is gorgeous before it is exploded across an open field like a water balloon dropped from a great height.

Is Sisu a good movie? Sure, it's definitely for a very specific audience that enjoys or, at least tolerates, grave amounts of blood, guts, and gore. It's especially satisfying to the good hearted and right-headed people who hate Nazis. Nazis definitely won' enjoy Sisu and that's a good sign of quality for me. It's not a movie for all audiences and there is nothing wrong with that. If you have issues with spectacular violence on screen, don't see Sisu, it will only trigger that distaste you have for hyper-violence. On the other hand, if you enjoy the skillful deployment of violence, blood, and guts, you will really enjoy Sisu.

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