Sisu: Road to Revenge review:  Didn’t really need to go down this route

Writer-director Jalmari Helander undermines the Sisu legend, delivering a mindless, blood-soaked sequel to his gripping 2022 action thriller.

Rating: (1.5 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

What makes a legend? In action films, it’s often the villains’ mistake, underestimating the hero and missing their first chance to strike. Now flip the scenario: a hero, a legend, letting the perfect opportunity to eliminate a threat slip by. That’s unbecoming of a legend; it reduces him to a mere mortal.

One can’t help but wonder if writer-director Jalmari Helander is undermining his ‘legendary’ character Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila), loosely inspired by real-life Finnish military sniper Simo Häyhä, who fought against the Red Army. Sisu, after all, only manifests when suffering knows no bounds. Buoyed by the success of the first film, Helander chooses to subject Korpi to unimaginable pain and torment in the sequel Sisu: Road to Revenge.

Story

World War II is over, but a border dispute has left the Soviet Union in control of the Karelia region, displacing its Finnish residents, who now seek to return to their homeland. Korpi’s legend was forged through his relentless killing of Russians during the war, a lesson the Nazis learned the hard way in Sisu (2022). Three years later, fringe elements of the Red Army learn that the Koschei (immortal) Korpi has entered their territory. They enlist convicted war criminal Draganov (Stephen Lang) to eliminate the legend. Draganov is the very man who had brutally killed Korpi’s wife and children. When Korpi uncovers the full extent of Draganov’s crimes, he sets out on a relentless road to revenge.

Screenplay and Direction

From the moment he lets the first opportunity to kill Draganov slip, Korpi invites only unimaginable pain and suffering. It’s too much to bear, even for a Sisu, and the unabashed violence and mutilation feel farcical and painfully uncomfortable to watch. With a protagonist who doesn’t speak and exists solely as a killing machine, Helander pushes the action into outright gore. Some of it is creative, but after a while, it veers fully into the realm of farce. D4There’s metal tearing through flesh, and in some scenes, heads and other body parts are ripped apart. Need we say more?

Acting

With Sisu, we were introduced to Finnish actor Jorma Tommila, who left us in awe with his silence and daredevilry. Except for a few seething cries, Tommila doesn’t speak a word. This is a character driven purely by adrenaline. Beyond that, Tommila has little new to offer in the sequel. Come on, how on earth can he continue to bleed endlessly, yet still get up and resume his battle? How long can you stretch your suspension of disbelief?

Stephen Lang, best known for his villainous role in Avatar franchise, is a true blue American. Watching him put on that fake Russian/Siberian accent simply doesn’t land. At 73, he still intimidates with his menacing eyes and physique, but this Draganov in Sisu is a misstep for both Helander and Lang.

The rest of the characters come across as lambs to the slaughter. The first film was fortunate to feature the women who were held captive by the Nazis. With no living women in the sequel, Road to Revenge ends up as a crazy overdose of testosterone – a mindless, soulless barrage of action.

The legend isn’t limited to Korpi as his Bedlington Terrier is also by his side through many a bloody action.

Final Word

The one good thing about the sequel is its 90-minute runtime, which actually feels even shorter. After a relentless, bloody pursuit on land and then on a train, all that remains are heaps of blood, flesh, and carnage, and the strong sense that Helander didn’t really need to take this route.

Sisu: Road to Revenge is set to be released in theatres worldwide from 21 November.