Sisu: Le chemin de la vengeance

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.

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).

This was an insane trip from beginning to the end. It blew the first one outta the water on every front. The action, way better. The villain, way more menacing. This movie actually was emotional and made me feel things, especially the end. Effects we're also great. While the story is what it is like with Sisu 1, I think this just has more. Simple but done well.

This is easily the best action flick Finland has made but I think it might be my favorite ever. The action is that good, with some of the most creative kills I've seen.

So, Aatami is at it again. This time, he is going back to his old farm and fetching the house left behind the border after the peace treaty. However, the Soviet officials find out about this and send the man responsible for the death of Aatami's family after him.

So, at first I was a bit worried that we were going to be stuck in this beat up truck with Aatami through the whole movie. After all, if his motivation is to save his house from the Soviets, the whole thing is for nothing if he just ditches it. However, they do manage to work around that, which was a definite positive.

At times they kind of forget what the movie is about and they embrace the humor a bit too much. I was not a fan of that.

Of course, Jorma Tommila is pretty old at this point, so he has limitations on what he can do, but they work around that as well. Still, that does hinder the movie a bit.

On the positive side, they do make the limited (although massive by Finnish standards) budget work. You are not going to get bored. And they do step up from the first movie as well.

I even cried at the end, when the only lline of Finnish in the film is spoken. I don't know if anyone outside of Finland is going to quite get it, but it was just so indicative of Finnish sentimentality that it kind of broke me.

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.