Summary
Fast, punchy, bloody, and deceptively gorgeous to look at. Jalmari Helander’s action film is a spectacle.
Sisu, we are told in an opening bit of text, is a Finnish word that can’t be easily translated. It means something like ‘white-knuckled courage.’ While Google Translate has a good think about that, director Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) ensures that his period action film concentrates on that white knuckling part.
SISU is set after Finland’s loss of the Continuation War in late 1944, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War. We are introduced to retired soldier and gold prospector Aatami KorpiIt (played by Helander regular Jorma Tommila) during Germany’s violent retaliation against the Soviets, who are demanding the expulsion of all German soldiers from Finland.
Shortly after striking it rich, Aatami encounters SS Obersturmführer Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie) who is reigning terror and capturing Finnish women. During a skirmish, Aatami’s horse is killed – and it doesn’t take a John Wick fan to know that you do not mess with a warrior’s animal. So, from here on in, we’re into ‘one man army’ territory.
From the first action scene – a brutal, fast, and bloody affair where many a limb is airborne – SISU is a breathlessly intense action film. Aatami’s campaign plays out like a cartoon, where physics and historical reality are elastic entities. It’s a freedom Helander joyously exploits for the punchy 90 minutes we spend in this world.
With his splashy yellow titles, slamming into frame as stylish chapter headings, Helander wears his influences on his sleeve. There’s a tense scene, for example, where the German soldiers navigate a minefield. Helander allows himself measured stretches where nothing can be heard but the wind whipping past, punctuated only by the sound of a mine exploding and a leg plodding to the ground. Combined with extreme close-ups, one almost feels the ghost of Sergio Leone lurking on the sidelines.
Like that director, Helander knows the power of a good score. Against a gorgeous wasteland of a backdrop, and sparse dialogue, Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä’s dirgy soundtrack drives the narrative like a precision tank. Which is to say that it’s sometimes overwhelming, but there’s enough precision hits that its impact is undeniable.
Helander’s SISU doesn’t ask for much, but it delivers in spades. In Jorma Tommila, we have a fully-formed action hero, with the potential to go on and lead a Rambo’s worth of sequels. Yet that would almost be a shame. Like the title, the success of this film might not translate for everyone, but it will certainly mean a lot more if left to stand in its own bloody frame.
2022 | Finalnd/US | DIRECTOR: Jalmari Helander | WRITER: Jalmari Helander | CAST: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo | DISTRIBUTOR: Sydney Film Festival 2023 | RUNNING TIME: 91 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 7-18 June 2023 (SFF 2023)
