Sisu is a historical action film following the prospector Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) as he tries to deliver gold to a nearby town when he comes across a Nazi platoon who scorch the earth as they pass. Marketed as “John Wick meets Mad Max”, Sisu is jam-packed with brutal action and has fun with it.
I think marketing this movie as being John Wick-esque was a mistake. Because of that comparison, I came in with some gaudy expectations that just couldn’t be met. The action was very strong and quite visceral. But Sisu lacks the smoothness that makes John Wick stand out. The action scenes are choppy and cut all up, which was disappointing. I love when action scenes are these long fluid shots where I can almost feel the impacts myself. I kept waiting for one signature scene to embrace that but it never came.
Even with choppy action, I do appreciate just how nuts the movie goes with it. The lengths that Korpi goes to trying to cash in his gold are bonkers. He puts his body through the wringer and makes those standing in his way pay for it. I believe the movie uses a lot of practical effects which is a very nice touch as the cinema world continues to dive deeper into CGI. When paired with the lovely scenery, this movie was a treat to look at.
Story is not necessarily as important in movies like these, and this film certainly didn’t blow me away on that front. All I needed was some plausible reason for Korpi to spring into action and Sisu delivered that. Was it consistently solid? No, but I found this a good movie to turn my brain off to just enjoy the visuals.
However, one of my pet peeves is when a movie tells us something important instead of telling it to us. Korpi has a fascinating background and displays his skills throughout the movie, but we are constantly told how he is an “immortal” and how he lost everything to the war. I think it would have been more impactful to showcase more action in a flashback than have others speak to it.
I completely bought into Jorma Tommila’s performance as Aatami Korpi. He is incredibly menacing when he needs to but showcases vulnerability when he can. He doesn’t say his first line until the very end of the movie but there wasn’t a second where I didn’t know what he was feeling.
I know it’s just a movie, but the amount of shit Korpi goes through is outrageous. He gets shot, burned, hanged, drowned, and is in a serious crash but just walks away like a complete badass.
Final Thoughts
Sisu is a fun action movie with some great effects and amazing scenery. Where I thought it lacks in fluid shots it makes up with preposterous situations. Again, it’s a movie that is more fun when my brain was shut off and I can enjoy the things my eyes saw. Sometimes it is just enough to watch a bunch of Nazis get brutally killed to satisfy me.
