Sisu review.
If you’re in the mood for an over-the-top, Nazi killing, bloodbath…Sisu has got you covered. Violent, funny and above all else, confident…Sisu is one of the best times you can have in a theater in 2023.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Sisu
Directed by Jalmari Helander
Written by Jalmari Helander
Starring Jorma Tommila, Askel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo and Onni Tommila
Sisu Review
We’re going to start this review of Sisu with a discussion about why a horror movie website is reviewing a non-horror film. Sisu is an action movie. It has more in common with John Wick than it does Evil Dead Rise. There was no John Wick: Chapter 4 review put up on the site…so why is there a review of Sisu? Determining what qualifies as “horror adjacent” is a never-ending quest with moving goal posts. What I can attempt to do here…is explain what qualifies for us.
What is “horror adjacent”? There isn’t a tried-and-true measuring stick for what falls under this made-up umbrella. I tend to think of it as movies that would appeal to horror fans…despite not being of that genre. Sisu is a bloody, violent movie about revenge. It has dark comedy and over-the-top gore. These all sound like horror elements to me. Now…you could say the same for John Wick…which isn’t a movie that you would see covered on horror-centric sites.
But maybe you should. The first John Wick (and Sisu) are horror stories…they just aren’t scary from the viewer’s perspective. For the characters that John Wick and Sisu’s Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) are coming for? They may as well be Michael Myers. There’s a reason that Wick is called the Boogeyman. He’s just not our Boogeyman. We’re essentially watching a reverse slasher movie. With guns. Lots of guns.
Is that enough of a reason to review these action revenge movies on a horror website? Perhaps not. But consider the case of Sisu. Unlike the pop culture juggernaut that is the John Wick franchise…Sisu needs to find an audience. There was no moment while I was watching Korpi destroy Nazis that I wasn’t convinced that the horror audience was the one it should be finding. The gore effects and dark humor play better to people with horror sensibilities than they will to fans of most other genres. It’s penchant for pushing the envelope into the ridiculous will entertain scary movie fans more than anyone.
This is all a long way of saying…you should go see Sisu. I think you’re going to like it. More than most. While I wouldn’t look for reviews of straight-up action movies on the site that often…when there is one, rest assured it’s been curated with purpose. Maybe it’s a movie that needs its signal boosted in the horror community. Maybe it contains the kind of blood and guts that scary movie fans crave. In the case of Sisu…it’s both.
Oh…about that John Wick: Chapter 4 review…it’s great. Check that out.
Sisu is a simple story. A grizzled war veteran, Aatami Korpi, has turned in his gun for a pickaxe, spending his days mining for gold. His problems begin when he finds some. Nazi troops in the area, led by Bruno Helldorf (Askel Hennie) want that gold for themselves. They can see that the war isn’t going their way and view his payload as their way out of an inevitable noose upon the war’s conclusion. There’s just one flaw in their plan. Korpi is a notorious Finnish soldier nicknamed “The Immortal”. A man who they say can’t be killed…and will never, ever stop coming for those he feels wronged him.
Sisu is broken up into several chapters…usually focused on whatever obstacle Korpi will face next. The escalating encounters keep Sisu paced at a good clip. While it does take its time unfolding the story…the change in situations give it a great energy. What makes that especially impressive is the fact that Korpi is an (almost) completely silent protagonist. He makes up for his lack of speech by being a man of gruesome and furious action.
Sisu is a very violent movie. It’s also a surprisingly funny one. A lot of the fun is, obviously, watching the satisfying destruction of Nazis. An almost equal amount comes from the seeming indestructability of Korpi. Put yourself into the shoes of any of the Nazi fodder here and tell me this isn’t a horror movie. For them, at least. Both aspects tip into the absurd at points. Incredibly satisfying absurdity. From vehicle mayhem to how Korpi manages to stay underwater for as long as he does…Sisu is not afraid of a little ridiculousness.
The acting is strong throughout the picture. Tommila does an incredible job with (nearly) no dialog. The Nazi’s are suitably punch-able…and they play their realization that they’ve messed with the wrong man for some good laughs.
There is no shortage of exhilarating moments…and an equal number of fist-pumping ones. Wild action, clever comedy and satisfying violence…that’s what Sisu is all about. Horror movie or not…horror adjacent or not…there is a lot here for genre fans to love.
Scare Value
I know…Sisu isn’t a horror movie. You come here for horror reviews. Well…the truth is that Sisu will appeal more to horror fans than most genres. It’s the kind of movie that horror fans should line up to support. A gory, violent revenge thrill ride with a sense of humor and no fear of tipping into the absurd. A lot of those things don’t appeal to mainstream audiences. If you’ve found this website…I suspect that they will appeal to you.
4/5
Sisu Link
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Sisu Trailer
If you enjoyed this review of Sisu, check out Yellow Dragon’s Village and Holy Shit!
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