The gritty Finnish action hero Aatami is storming back to cinemas this November in Sisu: Road to Revenge, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2022 indie hit that captivated audiences with its pedal-to-the-metal intensity.
From Nazis to the Red Army
Following his brutal dispatch of an entire Nazi platoon in the first film, the indomitable gold prospector Aatami, once again portrayed by the formidable Jorma Tommila, returns with a tragic backstory. This time, he faces a new and vicious postwar foe in Soviet-occupied Finland: the tremendously named Red Army butcher Igor Draganov, played by wily James Cameron favourite Stephen Lang.
Writer-director Jalmari Helander continues to demonstrate a masterful economy in his storytelling approach. The film wastes no time in establishing the conflict, with just one scene showing Aatami meticulously dismantling his family home beam by beam and another of Draganov's jailbreak before their paths violently intersect on the back roads of Finland.
Old-School Action Excellence
This efficient setup grants Helander ample opportunity to craft spectacular set pieces where Aatami consistently outthinks and outflanks the might of the Red Army. The sequel delivers exactly what fans loved about the original: punchy, old-school stunt work, crisply uncluttered editing, and varied, inventive methods of dispatching villains.
The action reaches spectacular heights from the moment Aatami creatively uses one of the wooden beams from his former home to take down an enemy jet fighter. Helander revels in showcasing Finland's gorgeous, sun-dappled scenery, approaching the material with the boyish enthusiasm of someone playing war games in the woods.
A Refreshing Cinematic Experience
While the film occasionally ventures into cartoonish territory—watch out for a regrettably misplaced mousetrap—its comic-strip simplicity serves as a welcome rebuke to today's often overly complicated blockbusters. The production proves you don't need excessive CGI when you have practical special effects as potently compelling as Tommila's bloodied, defiant face.
The script offers graceful touches throughout the narrative, with those symbolic beams transforming from mere mementos into life rafts and ultimately representing new beginnings. Like his resilient protagonist, Helander holds on to what's essential, torches the rest, and creates a harder, faster, and more compelling film for it.
Sisu: Road to Revenge is scheduled for release on 20 November in Australia, followed by its launch on 21 November in the UK and US.
