Another great page has been written in Finnish film history, with the words: Sisu at the top.
Winter War veteran Aatami Korpi, played by Jorma Tommila, destroys the Nazis with almost supernatural fury. ANTTI RASTIVO / FREEZING POINT OY
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Finland, 2023
Direction: Jalmari Helander
IL rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports, Big Game), 46, has written and directed the best Finnish action film ever seen on the big screen. It won’t get you anywhere.
Go is from start to finish exhilarating fireworks and unashamedly brutal bloody action.
Helander borrows elements from anywhere in his film: the silent beginning of the film is like by Paul Thomas Anderson of the masterpiece There Will Be Blood (2007) – which would certainly have been suitable for the title of this film as well. On the other hand, you can see influences from the Terminator movies and Zack Snyder’s of stylized cartoon adaptations. The atmosphere of western movies and Quentin Tarantino spirit are also strongly present throughout the entire film.
As a film fan, it is delicious to watch a fast-moving adventure film made with great professionalism, which also reflects the Indiana Jones films and Mad Max: Fury Road such top products.
But it doesn’t hurt that there are a lot of prototypes in the film. The main thing is that the final product works and Sisu really works. It kicks into gear after going all the way to the finish line, and at no point does it feel like the story is standing still. Despite numerous loans, Sisu is personable enough to stand on his own two feet.
The plot of the film set in Lapland’s war is quickly summarized: Aatami Korpi, a veteran hardened and embittered by war and loss (Jorma Tommila) digs for gold alone in Lapland. Eventually the toil is rewarded, but then he runs into a Nazi patrol trying to steal his treasure. It is, of course, a fatal mistake on the part of the Nazis.
Sisu’s action scenes are not only witty, but also funny. Hero photographer Kjell Lagerroos has masterfully captured the beauty of Lapland’s wilderness on the big screen. The special effects work perfectly and look flawless. The film’s violence is extreme, but at the same time so cartoonish and exaggerated that it is already on the side of black humor.
Jorma Tommila is absolutely perfect in his role as an almost mute killing machine, but most of the Nazis remain a bit expressionless. Perhaps they would have needed a little more colorful characters in their group. Now only playing the leader of the Nazi patrol Aksel Hennie and to be seen in the role of his Sidekick Jack Doolan stand out from the crowd.
From the point of view of the whole, the small illogicalities and exaggerations found in the plot do not harm anything, but Mimosa for Willamo and would have given the other female Nazi prisoners perhaps one more raunchy action scene.
Fortunately, Sisu is also widely distributed around the world, and as a Finn you can be really proud of that.
When watching the movie and especially after it, there is one thing in mind: the joy of victory. It’s great that films like this can finally be made in Finland.
Sisu, which is prohibited for children under 16, premiered on Friday, January 27, 2023.