Carl Roberts 
“Despite being slightly inferior to the original film, Sisu: Road To Revenge has enough action, violence and gore to keep the audience entertained.”
Back in 2022, the action movie Sisu took the world by storm. It is set during the Lapland War between Finland and Nazi Germany towards the end of World War II. A legendary Finnish Army commando-turned-gold prospector attempts to defend himself from being robbed and murdered. He faces a Waffen-SS platoon led by an infamously brutal and corrupt officer. Featuring an understated but excellent performance from Jorma Tommila as Aatami Korpi, the film breathed fresh life into the genre. Although he never speaks until the film’s final scene, Tommila delivered an action hero we could all cheer for.
Now, Korpi is back. The sequel, Sisu: Road To Revenge, is about to hit cinemas. Once again featuring Jorma Tommila as Korpi. This time, Stephen Lang and Richard Brake join him as the villains of the piece. They play Red Army officers out to kill Korpi and end the legend. Of course, this doesn’t go down too well with “the man who refuses to die.” This leads to more bloodshed, violence, gore, and mayhem. But is the film a worthy follow-up to the original? Or should Korpi have been left to enjoy his fortune attained at the climax of the first movie?
PREMISE
After returning in 1946 to Soviet-occupied Karelia, where his family was brutally murdered during World War II, Aatami Korpi, “the man who refuses to die”, dismantles his old family house, loads it on a truck, and is determined to rebuild it somewhere safe in their honour. When the Red Army discovers Korpi’s arrival on their soil, Igor Draganov, the man who killed his family, comes back hellbent on finishing the job: kill the legendary ex-soldier by any means necessary.
THOUGHTS
Korpi is back, alright. But this time, they’ve Bond-ified him! Containing some completely outlandish stunts and action that wouldn’t be out of place in a 1970s James Bond movie, Sisu: Road To Revenge is a riot. Featuring some nasty pieces of blood, guts, violence and buckets of gore, the film is a good, if slightly inferior, follow-up to the first film. Much of this is down to the surprise factor being gone.
Here, we expect Korpi to use whatever means necessary to get the job done, to kill those who attempt to kill him. When he does, we still enjoy it, but we can see it coming, so we know what to expect. However, some of what we see manages to surprise us in ways we hadn’t expected, making the film an enjoyable violent romp. It also features a great amount of humour to dilute the nastiness we see on screen.
JORMA TOMMILA
Jorma Tommila as Aatami Korpi once again amazes us with his devotion to his craft. The actor is in his sixties, but he never allows his age to slow him down. Korpi remains silent all the way through the film, except for a few screams of pain. Unfair comparisons will again be made with Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, but that is doing Tommila an injustice. He is a strangely watchable action hero, an older man who does what he does best. Tommila delivers an emotional performance simply through his eyes, telling the audience what he is thinking or planning. In the action scenes, he throws himself into his craft, making Korpi a flawed but fascinating hero. No matter what Korpi does, we can’t help but like him, cheering him on, and that is all down to Jorma Tommila’s sheer willingness to deliver a hero we can get behind.
STEPHEN LANG
Stephen Lang as Igor Draganov, the Soviet Red Army officer responsible for killing Korpi’s family, doesn’t just chew the scenery when he’s on screen. He devours it before spitting it out again. Lang plays Draganov like the ultimate pantomime villain, having us boo and hiss at him at every turn. But, as we would expect, Lang is superb in his role. He embraces the silliness of his role and plays on it brilliantly. By the time the big climax comes, we can’t help but love him. From start to finish, Lang has us booing him one moment, laughing at his antics and speeches the next. It is an over-the-top, scene-stealing, villainous performance for the ages. Lang is in on the joke, knowing the film’s ludicrous nature and its events, and runs with it with enthusiasm.
RICHARD BRAKE
Richard Brake, as a KGB officer who sends Draganov to capture Korpi, has basically an extended cameo role in the film, delivering his usual nasty sneer and villainous side to the full. Despite the lack of screentime for the Welsh-born American actor, Brake delivers as only he can. As soon as he appears on screen, the film picks up, making us sit up. He is the third part of the film’s triangle. Sadly, he doesn’t share the screen with Tommila, but his scenes with Lang are a highlight. By the time he exits the film, we feel slightly short-changed. We want to see him stare Tommila in the face, deliver his sinister lines, then exit stage left. However, it’s not to be. But Brake manages to make the most of his truncated screentime.
JALMARI HELANDER
Jalmari Helander returns to write and direct the film, delivering this second helping of Aatami Korpi. He writes the film in the style of Rambo, John Wick and Inglourious Basterds. From the start, we are in no doubt that the film will be a great action film while also riffing on those movies. To his credit, Helander succeeds. He writes and directs the film like he is on a mission to create the most over-the-top, outlandish, but fun action movie he can. Helander manages to create a great second chapter to Korpi’s story, directing the film deftly. He does stray into James Bond territory a bit too much, but that hardly matters. His film isn’t to be taken seriously. Instead, he delivers an action film that does what it needs to and never wears out its welcome.
VERDICT
Despite being slightly inferior to the original film, Sisu: Road To Revenge has enough action, violence and gore to keep the audience entertained. It’s a mix of action, violence and comedy that lands at almost every turn. With Jorma Tommila, Stephen Lang, and Richard Brake as his principal cast, Jalmari Helander’s sequel hits the ground running and hardly ever stops. The special effects are sound, the performances all resonate, and the film zips along at a decent pace. Despite this, the film can’t quite live up to its predecessor, settling for good rather than great. And that is a shame, as there is a lot to enjoy here: plenty for the audience to laugh at, cheer, and enjoy.
Will there be a third film? There is always scope for another sequel. However, if there isn’t, the film delivers a satisfying ending to Korpi’s exploits. It provides a climactic scene that has us thinking we have seen the last of him. It all depends on the box office and on the willingness of Jalmari Helander and Jorma Tommila to return. I wouldn’t mind seeing a third instalment, but if there isn’t, I can accept it as the film delivers a perfect ending to Korpi’s story. However, that didn’t stop Rambo from returning for a fifth film, and, frankly, an unneeded one. But in this case, grab some popcorn and a medium soda (the film runs for 89 minutes), sit back, switch off your brain, and allow Sisu: Road To Revenge to entertain you. You won’t be disappointed.
Sisu: Road To Revenge will be in cinemas from Friday, November 21st.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
