They often say actions speak louder than words. So it’s entirely fitting that the dialogue is minimal in Sisu: Road to Revenge, Jalmari Helander‘s brutal, gloriously implausible follow-up to 2022’s surprise success Sisu.
Following relatively the same structure as its predecessor, the sequel (Sisu is a Finnish word-blend of strength, resilience, willpower, and grit) once again lays focus on Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila), a former Finnish Army commando turned gold prospector, who survived the gory travels of his WWII trek, and is now looking to build a new home , from the dismantlement of his old dwelling; the “one man army” is hoping to rebuild his home in a quieter sanction of Finland in a bid to honour his slain family.
The man responsible for said slaying, Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang, leaning thickly into his European villainy), has been released from a Siberian prison with – wouldn’t you know it – specific instructions to kill Aatami through any means necessary. From the type of torture he endured in the first film, we know this will be easier said than done, and, indeed, Sisu: Road to Revenge adheres to the simple structure of a violent caper that feels almost like a spiritual sibling to Mad Max: Fury Road as Igor does his damnedest to eliminate Aatami.
Despite being whipped with electrical wires, beaten to a pulp by bare fists, and enduring shattered glass across his torso (there’s one particular shot involving his already lacerated back and the bottom of a broken bottle that is truly wince-inducing), Aatami isn’t going down without a fight, much to Igor’s frustrations. Plausibility is completely thrown out of Helander’s scripted playbook – but you wouldn’t want it any other way! There’s almost a classic silent movie mentality celebrated here, with each action sequence (tanks, planes, motorcycles, and boats all given their due as the setting for a violent altercation of sorts) indulging in the farcical nature of such. And because Tommila and Lang play the slapstick with such sincerity, it’s all the more entertaining.
Whilst there’s ultimately not too much to Sisu: Road to Revenge other than its extravaganza of ambush-driven action, it executes its physicality so confidently that we can forgive the simplicity of its structure. It manages a modicum of emotionality during its final credit run, which is surprisingly effective, but, overall, Helander’s bloody sequel is a glorious celebration of the revenge genre at its most risible.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Sisu: Road to Revenge is now screening in theatres in Australia and the United States.
