Sisu: Camino a la Venganza

The first Sisu was a huge surprise for me. I enjoy action films, but I don't usually connect with this rougher, hyper-stylised subgenre that lives off pure excess and endless brawling. Still, the original won me over with its balance between cartoonish violence, tight pacing and that lone-wolf Western attitude that made it stand out. And the funny thing is that, until recently, I didn't even know a sequel was being made. I went in blind, just hoping for the same madness as before.

The truth is that Sisu: Road to Revenge pushes that madness even further. So far, in fact, that it sometimes slips into almost cartoon-level absurdity. There are at least three scenes that cross that line: one involving a warplane, another with a tank and one where the character literally rides a missile. All moments that made me think "sometimes, less really is more". It doesn't ruin the experience, but it does take away that sense of brutal plausibility that the first film still managed to hold onto.

For anyone who likes unfiltered action, the film gives you everything it promises and then some. It's fists, bullets, chases and explosions from start to finish, without a single pause to breathe. The narrative is as simple as expected: we follow the protagonist played again by Jorma Tommila, now hunted by Soviet soldiers, one of whom carries a particularly cruel connection to his past. And honestly, that's all the story needed. Unlike franchises like John Wick, which kept expanding their mythology to the point of unnecessary complication, Sisu stays direct and focused. That straightforwardness is probably the main reason I've become a fan of this saga.

In the end, Road to Revenge is fun, visceral and fully aware of the kind of spectacle it wants to deliver, even when it goes beyond the limits of what makes sense. It's slightly weaker than the original because it loses some of the surprise factor and the restraint that made the first one so special, but as a cinema experience it's still a glorious little festival of chaos. I left satisfied, feeling it achieved exactly what it promised: pure entertainment.

Ok, we can all agree many successful journeys-to-wherever narratives ratchet up the action sequences to crescendo into bigger, better, bloodier, and Sisu 2 is no different. You'll enjoy the passing of each chapter, just so long as you don't think too much about logistics or motivations. The largely dialogue-less screenplay benefits from zero zingers and relies on the emotive countenance and eyes. Grunts, groans and growls aside of course. In short, this is a good use of your movie viewing capital as it delivers a well-paced tale of loss, struggle, and sweet, sweet - and yes, very bloody (though not overly gruesome) - revenge.

Lots of over the top action? Yup. Blood? Yup. Vengeance is on the menu? Yup. Story? Well, kinda. 😂. But you don't go to see a dialogue heavy storyline. You aren't getting a a deep narrative. Guns, bombs, beheadings, and bombast. And I loved it! It's better than the first film and I really loved that film. I just wished it was about 20 minutes longer. All in all, go see it. It's a visceral film.

This is a very Finnish take on the nostalgic action movie genre. Good action movies with a one-man army are absolutely silly but when they are good - like Sisu and Sisu2, they are convincing in their own reality.

Action scenes in the Soviet Union are so over the top but make sense in the context of the story. Extreme but not psychologically serious violence of this film honors the genre of action films from the 80's and 90's. And many of us grew with those films which makes this feel nostalgic; you feel safe on your seats even though everything is covered with blood unless it is exploding into million pieces.

Jorma Tommila is just fantastic as the main lead: not a single word is said by him throughout the movie but his performance is one of the best I have ever seen. I guess that I just love actors who are extremely physical and raw in a subtle and precise way. There was this Finnish cult-leader like professor in the national theater school in the 1980's named Jouko Turkka. I think he would have been very proud of his student's job as an avtion star at the age 60+.

There is a dog and a man. No words. Just one man's mission to save what he can save when everything is lost. The ending is beautiful. Tommi Korpela has a small part but he makes every word count in the catharctic moment.

I enjoyded this film a lot. My American-Australian husband loved this as well (and the first one too).

Sisu: Road to Revenge is basically a live action rendition of Looney Tunes with plenty of over the top laughs and slapstick worthy kills throughout. It's a bigger, more personal and absurd sequel that knows exactly what it is and executes it efficiently from the moment it starts. Dialogue is generally kept to a minimum, allowing the story to be mostly communicated visually which continues to be extremely satisfying.

Jorma Tommila is once again a man of few words who brings an unwavering determination and steely resilience as he really gets put through hell and back. There's enough context given at the start to understand why he's doing this which keeps it emotionally investing enough. Stephen Lang is perfectly cast as a ruthless villain with no morals so his inevitable comeuppance can land the way it should.

Jalmari Helander's direction delivers another slick yet simultaneously dirty looking film that isn't afraid to get pretty brutal when it comes to its main character's suffering and his writing has an effectively simple structure. The score by Juri Seppä & Tuomas Wäinölä is suitably rousing and Mika Orasmaa's cleanly shot cinematography ensures nothing is missed in most of the action sequences.