21.5.23
Sisu impresses with its mud-stained aesthetic, and satisfying Nazi kills, but the whole film feels rather hollow. It tries to emulate Mad Max: Fury Road, Kill Bill and the John Wick series in its wild chases, comic book stylings and ‘one-man army’ narrative, but as the film nears its conclusion, it comes across as a cheap imitation rather than something fresh and captivating.
What impresses however is the film’s ownership of the frosty Finnish landscape, juxtaposed with the unflinching violence in the story. The action scenes are excellently shot and choreographed, making them wince-inducing yet thrilling to watch. The first kill, in particular, is jaw-droppingly good and prompted a ‘Holy shit!’ response from me. There are also some fine creative elements, such as the sense of humour and misfortune suggested whenever an SS soldier gets dispatched by our hero Aatami. The crunching sound design and fitting original score go far to immerse the audience in a world of brutality and blood-soaked gold.
Sisu’s narrative structure and storytelling techniques are simplistic but effective. It’s a classic tale of retribution, neatly organised into six chapters which makes the film feel well-paced. It also attempts to disclose the concept of Sisu (Finnish for resilience, I believe) but I never felt that it handles that element effectively. There is an attempt at a backstory for Aatami but it just feels like forced exposition rather than referring to an original or interesting character.
In terms of problems, Sisu falls into the trap of predictability and lack of originality. The storyline adheres to familiar tropes and conventions found in many revenge films, failing to offer any significant surprises or unique perspectives, some funny kill scenes aside. The biggest issue is the weak dialogue, especially as the film nears its end. The script fails to deliver compelling and nuanced conversations, relying on clichés and uninspired exchanges instead. With better-written dialogue, the decent performances from the cast would have been elevated and made the film much more memorable.
Sisu has got its work cut out trying to come across as a daringly violent action film when there are so many good ones due out this year. John Wick 4 seems to have set the bar really high and rightly so, but if you want something shorter and grubbier which delivers some of the same thrills, then Sisu is worth pursuing.