Sisu (Jalmari Helander, 2022)
Sisu by writer-director Jalmari Helander is a Finnish World War II movie that mixes bloody violence with over the top action.
The movie has become a cult sensation all over the world, and for good reason, cause Jalmari Helander - who directed Samuel L. Jackson in the action movie Big Game back in 2014 - remains a talent to watch.
Stylistically, the movie is very engaging. It draws you in from the first moment and never lets go.
It tells the story of retired commando turned prospector Aatami (Jorma Tommila), who is looking for gold towards the end of the Second World War.
But when he strikes the motherlode in lonely Lapland and wants to bring his gold to the city he crosses paths with the Nazis, who know they are losing the war and just want to destroy everything and everyone in their sights.
What follows is an epic struggle between a one-man-army and the ultimate evil, in which Aatami proves himself to be full of Sisu, which can be described as ‘a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds.’
If you like Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards, the stylistic flourishes of Nicolas Winding Refn or the recent German Netflix-hit Blood and Gold, you will probably like Sisu too. Enjoy!
Note: Sisu had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Since then it has had theatrical releases all over the world. Its next releases are in Belgium on September 6 and in The Netherlands on September 7.