Sisu
Sisu
Starring Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo
Directed by Jalmari Helander
After losing his entire family during the Winter War, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) takes his dog and lives a solitary life in Lapland mining for gold. He finally hits the mother-lode but has to make the long trek to the bank to cash it in, and along the way he finds retreating Nazi soldiers under the command of Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie), along with his right-hand man Wolf (Jack Doolan), a slew of soldiers, and a group of captured women including Aino (Mimosa Willamo). At first the Nazis are willing to let Aatami go, because they've scorched the earth behind them, but once they find he has gold they set out to kill him - but find that this old man is seemingly unkillable. Known as "The Immortal," Aatami was a skilled fighter who killed countless Russians, and has now set his sights on Bruno and his men, stopping at nothing to see them all dead.
The Good:
"Sisu" knows what it is and leans 100% into it. It's not a deep character study on the pros and cons of war; it's not a deep dive into the psyche of a wounded hero who has to face the demons of his past in order to move onto his future; it's not some epic battle between the numerous forces of good versus the forces of evil. What it is is simple: an old man who wants to get to the bank to cash in on the gold he's found, and finds a group of Nazis along the way who want the gold. He holds onto it with everything he has, relying on his "particular set of skills" to dispatch the numerous Nazis in gloriously gory ways, leaving a wake of blood, flesh, brain matter, and screams in his wake. That's it, that's all. And we're all the better for it.
The film is a wonderful, offbeat blend of action films and cartoons that combine into a fun, unique, stylish, blood-filled action thriller. It takes from "John Wick" in that the main character was once a skilled assassin with a dog who gave up his career, but finds himself pulled back in due to reasons beyond his control. It's "Taken" in the fact that the hero of the story is a man of a certain age, who possesses a "certain" set of skills. It's "Inglorious Basterds" in that Nazis get their butts (literally) handed to them (the Bear Jew himself would be proud). It's even Road Runner and Looney Tunes in the fact that the Nazis (the Coyote) chases Aatami (the Road Runner) all over the place, with him always having the upper hand, as well as Aatami being Bugs Bunny to the Nazis Elmer Fudd (he only needed to be chomping on a carrot asking "what's up doc?" as he literally stabs Elmer through the head with a knife).
"Sisu" is a film where you can turn your mind off from the worries and cares of the world and enjoy Nazis getting their comeuppance, which is something that never goes out of style (unless you're actually a Nazi sympathizer, to which you have bigger problems than not liking a movie). While there's some deeper stories there, especially involving the captured women and their resilience, the main focus of the film is Aatami's one-man-Nazi-slaying machine and how he dispatches them in the most gory ways possible.
The performances are all top notch, with Jorma Tommila taking on the brunt of the work. 64-year-old Jorma Tommila proves that he has the ability to tackle a physically demanding role, turning Aatami into a killing machine that is, like his legend is known, immortal. Although he doesn't utter a word, his sheer presence speaks volumes. Aksel Hennie excels at villains roles, and is in his element as Nazi commander Bruno, who is ruled by greed and self-preservation against common sense. Jack Doolan is a comedian but here he plays Bruno's right hand man Wolf, and is a wholly detestable character that you hope receives his just desserts. Mimosa Willamo's Aino is the toughest girl there is, holding her own against the Nazis and showcasing grit and determination that makes herself a Sisu as well.
The blend of practical and special effects are done perfectly, as men get eviscerated by exploding land mines, get brutally murdered by knives through their heads, and run over by rolling tank tracks. In a weird sense it shows the slapstick of it all, with it being so over-the-top you can't help but chuckle with the film - but you're chuckling with the film, not at it. Again, Helander knows the kind of film he's making, and allows the audience in on the joke even though it's technically not supposed to be funny.
For a smaller budget they relied heavily on its location, and using the vast empty expanse of Lapland is a stroke of pure genius. They didn't have to spend a lot on CGI buildings - or even practical buildings - but let the deserted landscape offer a sense of hopelessness in and of itself. In a way it plays its own character, excelling at giving a sense of dread and tension throughout.
The Bad:
The fact that the Nazis speak perfect English was a bit off-putting, although I understand the budget didn't allow for actual Germans to be a part of the film (or something like that). Still, while it took away from their "Nazi-ness," it was nice not having to read subtitles throughout the whole ordeal, even though I never really mind it.
While the entire concept is silly on its face, there's so much deus ex machina (a hopeless situation suddenly solved by an unexpected occurrence) in this film that it's simply stunning. In reality, the Nazis would've shot and killed Aatami in seconds, but then again that would've made for an incredibly short movie. Instead they give long monologues that allows Aatami time to escape; they concoct difficult ways to try to kill Aatami akin to Dr. Evil's plan in "Austin Powers" to have sharks with lasers attached to their fins; they fire rapid-fire guns that shoot dozens of bullets a second and yet all of them miss their target time and again. No wonder they lost the war.
The Verdict:
While it's not high cinema in the sense that it'll be one discussed by film students decades from now, "Sisu" accomplishes what it set out to do: give a lean 90-ish minute action gorefest centering on one man's quest to make it home, and kill as many Nazis as he can along the way.
The Score: A-
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