An action film like Sisu can succeed even with a simple premise if it has tense situations, increased stakes, and well-choreographed action scenes (Ilya Naishuller’s Nobody (2021), starring Bob Odenkirk, is another notable example). Sisu successfully ticks all the above boxes as Finnish director Jalmari Helander unapologetically wears his cinematic influences on his sleeves, from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns to Ted Kotcheff’s Rambo First Blood to Indiana Jones, to make something that is uniquely his own.
Sisu opens in Lapland, Finland, toward the end of World War II, when the Germans are forced to leave the country. However, they’re destroying towns and abducting women on the way back as they retreat. On the other hand, there is an elderly gold prospector named Aatami (Jormi Tommila) who lives alone with his dog and a horse in the Lappish wilderness. One day, while mining, he finds a large amount of gold and sets out for the next town to cash it in. Along the way, his paths cross with a thirty-man platoon of Nazi soldiers, led by the brutal SS Obersturmführer Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie), who eventually realize that Aatami has struck gold. Bruno steals the gold from Aatami because he wants to use it to buy his freedom and avoid going back to Germany, where he knows he will face prosecution for his crimes. But the arrogant and smug Nazis are unaware that they have crossed the wrong guy, who has a troubled and bloody past and would go to any length to obtain what is rightfully his.
The makers do an excellent job of sustaining suspense throughout the film, such as in the landmine scene, where Aatami gets stuck in a landmine with Nazis cornering him, but he devises a cunning escape. The film’s unique charm comes from Aatami’s bizarre survival strategies, like dripping himself in gasoline so that the Nazi dogs don’t recognize his smell or lighting himself on fire to keep those dogs from chasing him. There’s also an incredible underwater sequence in which he slashes the throat of a German soldier and breathes in the escaping air from his neck, which feels fresh and creative. The film has several well-done scenes; however, the ‘hanging scene’ is one of the exceptions where Jalmari Helander’s direction could have been better. Also, I didn’t see the point in him dividing up a straightforward, linear story like this into Tarantinesque chapters. It was an unnecessary exercise.
Aatami’s maniacal pursuit of the riches stolen from him by Bruno and his men gives the film an urgent tone, due to which the stakes rise, and the action scenes expand in scope. The car chase scene in the film, while clearly influenced by Indiana Jones movies, works well on its own, and the ending gets even grander with Aatami pulling a Tom Cruise and chasing Bruno on a flying plane.
In Finnish, the word “sisu” means a form of courage and unimaginable determination, qualities that shine through in Jorma Tommila’s portrayal of Aatami. He gives an outstanding physical performance, and even though he only speaks once in the film, he brilliantly portrays his grief, rage, determination, and everything else with his body language, expressions, and eyes. Sisu is a low-budget, stylish action film that has a simple plot and a charismatic lead at its center. This film doesn’t take itself seriously and isn’t afraid to be absurd, so yes, there are moments where Aatami overcomes unbelievable, life-threatening assaults from the Nazis. So, if you’re looking for a fun time at the movies, Sisu perfectly fits the bill.
Sisu movie link: IMDB
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