SISU (2023) – Bloody and over the top with paper thin plot and logic

This is a Finnish film that has gotten some notice and positive reviews. They must have seen a different film than the SISU I saw, because there is little to be wowed by a film that draws inspiration from a variety of Hollywood sources, including Rambo, Tarantino, and, more recently, John Wick. In reality, the purposefully excessive violence and narrative style are an obvious rip-offs of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards.”

The story centers around an ex-soldier Aatami (played by Jorma Tommila) in Finland during the final year of World War II. He discovers gold in the wilderness but soon finds himself being pursued by a bunch of Nazis who wants the gold for themselves. That is the entire plot described to you in one short sentence! The Aatami character as it turns out is some sort of super soldier that is indestructible. He is like Rambo without the bloody head band. The whole movie is a string of futile attempts by the Nazis to kill Aatami and get his bag of gold. Aatami escapes death each time in increasingly unbelievable situations. At the same time, I got increasingly skeptical and cynical of the whole thing as it progressed because of its total disregard for logic. It all becomes just an excuse to show violence and limps flying, while also showing off some nifty stunts and special effects. One might argue that isn’t that the sort of thing that happens in John Wick movies? I agree but the difference is John Wick movies also have an interesting story and premise with a whole bunch of interesting supporting characters that compliments the action so well. Sisu, has none of these and devoid of an interesting story or main character to root for. It all becomes no more than a Road Runner episode.

On the plus side, Jalmari Helander, the writer and director, has a genuine talent for making his film look spectacular. The cinematography is excellent, and most of the scenery, including the flying limps and bodies, is positively magnificent! Despite the fact that the film is Finnish, Jalmari chose to have the Nazis and other Finnish characters talk in English. However, he strangely chose to have a few characters speak in Finnish near the conclusion! This sort of throws realism further out. Anyway, our main character Aatami only spoke a few words during the film, so I suppose it makes little difference. Sisu is over the top, overrated and underwhelming. It is good fun if you like your movies thin on plot and heavy on the violence.