During the final days of World War II, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the soldiers decide to steal his gold, they quickly discover they have just tangled with no ordinary miner.
Synopsis
“Sisu” is one of the best action films of the year, providing a breath of fresh air in a runtime of only ninety minutes. It’s clear that “Sisu” draws inspiration from grindhouse films, as indicated by the font and colors used in the on-screen title cards during exposition scenes that help to establish the setting. While “Sisu” is not a horror film per se, it is an exhilarating action movie with plenty of gore that will bring to mind Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.” In fact, “Sisu” and “Inglourious Basterds” would make for an excellent double billing. The trailer’s marketing mentions “From the Studio That Gave You John Wick,” which is somewhat misleading, as “Sisu’s” story is much more than that.
Jalmari Helander has a knack of making great darkly comedic films ever since we saw his Rare Exports film we knew he had a special unique vision. The placement of “Sisu” taking place on the last days of World War 2 make it even more suspenseful knowing our protagonist found a hefty amount of gold and the nearest bank is over 500 miles away. Now since the Nazis have ignited their scorched earth policy where they’re burning every town in their path. It makes traveling difficult and dangerous. At first the Nazis let our protagonist go unbeknownst to them the gold he has on them.
Once they find out, it turns into a one-man wrecking show. Jorma is similar to John Wick in the way that there are not a whole lot of words coming from him, but strictly actions speak louder than words here. Aksel Hennie gives a solid performance as Bruno Helldorf, and you’ll hate his guts. Same with Jack Doolan as Wolf. Mimosa Willamo, who plays Aino, is a scene-stealer in the film. “Sisu” is a fun, white-knuckle action film that is one of the best crowd-pleasers of the year!
Overall Grade: 4/5 stars
