Jalmari Helander's Sisu, a hit of 2022, was a cartoonish and dirty adrenaline rush for action fans, not unlike the original Mad Max decades ago. This particular comparison becomes even more relevant with the advent of “Sisu: Road of Revenge“, in which the seemingly unkillable protagonist Jorma Tommila must fight countless bad guys at high speed in various modes of transport.
Bigger isn't necessarily better, and this bigger sequel almost inevitably lacks the freshness that made the original so popular. However, the director's undeniable talent for over-the-top chaos and brisk pacing will more than satisfy those who loved his predecessor. Its comparatively meager, middling progress feels especially welcome after so many recent on-screen thrill rides that delivered far less energy at far greater length and expense.
Last time out, decommissioned Finnish Army commando Aatami Korpi (Tommila) wanted to be left alone as World War II came to an end. Alas, the discovery of gold in the Lapland tundra awakened the greed of the retreating Nazi troops, who had no idea who they were dealing with: a “one-man death squad” that had already claimed the lives of many Russians in uniform after Soviet troops killed his family during the short but brutal “Winter War” of 1940. His revenge was sweet, bloody and impressively excessive.
This time, the stunningly healthy 60-year-old protagonist meets in 1946, when the global conflict has officially ended. He drives a huge truck to his old home, which, thanks to the redrawing of borders, is now located on Russian territory. He intends to dismantle and then reassemble what is left of Finland. But the Soviet authorities did not forget that this “legend” single-handedly killed more than 300 soldiers.
Red Army officer Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang) is released from the Siberian prison where he is being held for committing countless unnecessary wartime atrocities by a high-ranking KBG official (Richard Brake) to ensure that Aatami never sees Finnish soil again. The two adversaries are unique: Korpi knows that the other brutally murdered his wife and sons, while Draganov will not feel like he has truly completed the job until his father is also dead.
This setup takes about 10 minutes, after which it's one fast-paced scene after another: Aatami manages to escape the initial roadblock and ambush, then is attacked by a phalanx of motorcyclists, followed by fighter jets with machine guns. After a brief water break, there is a drawn-out climax aboard a train speeding back to Siberia, with scores of armed Soviet men and one bloodied, shackled prisoner. Needless to say, the chances of survival are very high – that is, against the poor Russians.
Divided into six chapters, these episodes are for the most part excellent in terms of production design, stunts, and CGI. Sometimes the violence becomes so intense that we don't quite understand what just happened. And even within the established boundaries of temporary disbelief, some of the hair-breadth escapes seem absurd, especially the one where Aatami forces a tank to perform mid-air acrobatics to jump over a barrier.
As entertaining as it is, such madness is not as well supported by the dark comedy as it was in the first “Sisu”. You could also argue that there is too much emphasis on general nastiness, as the manliest man in the far north seems to frequently dig up bullets and other objects from his tortured flesh. (The last half hour spent bleeding in boxer shorts in sub-zero weather doesn't seem to bother him at all.)
But Tommila's turn retains a degree of tough humor, even some warmth – despite the fact that she never managed to utter a word. Lang's expletive-filled speech makes up most of the dialogue. While Draganov isn't the most prominent villain role he's ever attempted, he still does a good job in the role, rewarded with a particularly explosive outing. Break's role is short, while the rest of the cast provides little more than cannon fodder. The dog actor playing the title character's Bedlington terrier disappears for a while into one of several minor but noticeable plot holes in Helander's script, which are best simply stepped over.
Shot primarily in Estonia, Sisu: Road of Vengeance is strong rather than ingratiating in many aspects, from Mika Orasma's widescreen cinematography to its contributions to the physical design. The fairly standard bombast of Jüri Seppa and Tuomas Vainola's original score is given a distinctive twist by passages of throat singing and spaghetti western whistling. There is some subtitled Finnish speech at the end of the English version reviewed; a separate edition is also published in Finnish.
