Sisu is a wildly violent war movie. It is a fictionalized version of the real-life historical Lapland War in the 1940s. That was between the armed forces of Finland and Germany.
As per the historical details, the Finnish won that seven-month-long battle. It raged from September 1944 to April 1945 and took place in Finland’s northernmost region, Lapland.
Synopsis [official] of the Sisu (2022) movie
During the last desperate days of WWII, a solitary prospector (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word “sisu”, this legendary ex-commando will embody what it means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds.
And no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back – even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.
Spoiler-free review of the Sisu (2022) movie
The introduction
In the Finnish language, the “Sisu” word means grit, guts, spunk, pluck, balls, bravery, determination, perseverance, etc. So, the Sisu and all these words are an apt description of the “Aatami Korpi” character. The said Aatami is perfectly played by Jorma Tommila. With “Nazi” soldiers acting as the perfect villain, they are pitted against the Finnish hero “Aatami Korpi” in this film.
SISU:- noun | white-knuckled grit and determination.
Aatami Korpi is the mighty action hero
However, in this make-believe fictional tale, you get to meet an old Finnish soldier Aatami Korpi. He is a fierce and relentless character. Even under the most trying of circumstances simply refuses to give up and die, while fighting the Nazis of Germany.
Therefore, in this action-packed war movie, Aatami Korpi rises to challenge the might of the heavily-armed Nazi forces using his unbelievable desire to stay alive and win at all costs. Thus, this film is full of gore and blood. Even we (me and my team) discovered that quite a few action scenes in this film are brutal and gruesome even by our standards.
Far too many well-choreographed action scenes
So, this film is filled with quite a few well-choreographed action scenes. There are lots of unimaginable violent scenes, which action-movie buffs might enjoy immensely. One can certainly watch this action flick because it is a well-directed, admirably-acted and stylish shot movie from a Nordic nation – Finland.
The conclusion
We can say that even in the grim scenario of war, it might make you chuckle and smile while witnessing the raw courage of “Aatami Korpi” in this escapist cinema. We loved the never-say-die attitude of Aatami Korpi. Mind you, this is not a typical Nordic movie, and we still enjoyed it. Let’s salute the character of Aatami Korpihim in this film, in addition, let’s raise a toast to his grit, determination, audacity, and gumption. No doubt, for action film lovers, Sisu is a lot of fun film to watch.
Ratings of the Sisu (2022) movie
| FM’s rating | 3.75/5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 95% Tomatometer & 88% Audience Score |
| Critics Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes | Narratively lean as it is deliriously gory, this film is an inspired pastiche that gives bloody satisfaction to action aficionados. |
| Audience Says / Rotten Tomatoes | A gory grindhouse good time, this film should satisfy almost anybody who’s wondered what it might look like if John Wick went up against Nazis. |
Poster of the Sisu (2022) movie
Key details about the Sisu (2022) movie
| Genre | Action, War |
| Original language | Finnish (Finland) |
| Age-restrictions | A (18+) |
| Writer & Director | Jalmari Helander |
| Released | April 2023 (India) |
| Cast | Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan |
Trailer of the Sisu (2022) movie
Awards won by this Finnish war movie
| Award Name | Award Winners |
|---|---|
| Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival – 2022 | Jorma Tommila – Winner Best Actor – Secció Oficial Fantàstic – Kjell Lagerroos – Winner Best Cinematography – Secció Oficial Fantàstic Jalmari Helander – Winner Official Fantàstic Competition – Best Motion Picture Juri Seppä, Tuomas Wäinölä – Winner Best Original Music – Secció Oficial Fantàstic |
Focus on the bonus info. about this Finnish war movie
- The writer Jalmari Helander has disclosed that he wrote its screenplay in the fall of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic period. While writing and directing it, he was inspired by the First Blood (1982) film, wherein action star Sylvester Stallone essayed the role of Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. Nevertheless, the character of Aatami Korpi in this movie has far too many soldiers, quite unlike the John Rambo character, who does not kill anyone directly in the First Blood movie.
- This one-and-a-half-hour-long movie has been divided into clearly identifiable episodes. Each of these acts is approximately 15 minutes in length. The names of these chapters are – Chapter One: The Gold, Chapter Two: The Nazis, Chapter Three: The Minefield, Chapter Four: The Legend, Chapter Five: The Scorched Earth, Chapter Six: Kill ‘Em All and The Final Chapter. One can find enough intense action scenes with a lot of brutalities in each chapter.
Featured Image and Poster of the Sisu film | Lionsgate Movies.