SISU (2022) - Movie Review
What do you get when the people behind John Wick fund a film about the legendary Finnish Laplanders made by the best Finnish filmmaker alive?
The most badass, fun film experience in years.
Let’s discuss.
Sisu is a 2022 Finnish WWII action film brought to us by visionary writer / director Jamari Helander. If you don’t know his name, you should. He is the brilliant mind behind one of the best Christmas Horror films ever made, 2010’s Rare Exports. What I really love about his films are that he brings in Finnish talent and Finnish history into his work. It’s a country that doesn’t get any respect. But if you know WWII history, you know it really should.
Sisu sets out to illustrate that point in a simple, straight forward action film that is a non-stop adrenaline fueled thrill ride.
The film focuses on Aatami, a former Finnish soldier wandering the wilderness. As a silent protagonist, he lives the simple life of a miner, hunting gold across the Finnish lapland. It’s a hard life, but when he finds a large gold vein it all seems worth it—until he realizes he’s thousands of miles from the nearest bank. Worse yet, a Nazi war band stands between him and civilization. When the Nazi’s discover what he’s carrying, they decide to they’re going to kill him and take the gold to fund their escape from justice. But killing the man proves problematic and as they lose more and more compatriots, the hunter may just become the hunted.
It’s as simple as that. It’s a straight forward, dialogue-light action movie. Our hero, played masterfully by the great Finnish actor Jorma Tommila doesn’t speak until the final moments of the film, but his non-verbal performance relays so much more than words. He tells you who he is through his body language, his expression, and most of all—his actions.
It illustrates one of the major weaknesses in the Nazis during WWII. Their obsession with the Aryan master race led them to look down on other races and other countries. They underestimated the talents and powers of the Jewish communities of the world, the French, and of course the Finnish people. They see this withered, old man and think he’s an easy mark only to find that the human spirit defies superficial expectations.
It was also nice to see a good guy get to be a good guy. He isn’t a beaten down old man. He doesn’t live at the bottom of a bottle, regretting all of his decisions in life. He’s just a person trying to live a life outside of conflict. He’s just trying to do honest work.
I also like that we get villains who have 0 goodness. It’s easy with Nazi’s, sure—but lately, the trend is for the villain to actually be a good person who’s misguided. Which defeats the purpose of a true villain. Yes, most great villains are the hero of their story, but they’re supposed to be evil. In this case, we get pure evil.
It’s a movie with fantastic action, practical effects, and decent CGI.
The cinematography is breathtaking as well. Every shot is gorgeous. It’s a love letter to Finland.
You MUST watch this movie. It’s available for rent currently on all major platforms.
