©Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Finland’s resiliency is amazing. They flat-out defeated the vastly larger Soviet Red Army in the First Winter War and essentially battled them to a draw in the Second. Aatmi Korpi was their not-so-secret weapon. According to his mythical backstory, after the Communists massacred Korpi’s family, the enraged Finnish commando launched a personal campaign to kill as many Soviets as possible. The resulting body-count earned him the nickname of “The Legend.” Obviously, the “Legend” survived his encounter with retreating company of “scorched earth” Germans in the first film, because his story now continues in a sequel. This time around, Korpi does what he does best, killing Russians, in director-screenwriter Jalmari Helander’s Sisu: Road to Revenge, which opens this Friday in theaters.
As Helander’s opening pre-titles explain, “Sisu” is a Finnish word with no precise English equivalent. It roughly translates to extreme guts and tenacity displayed under utterly dire circumstances. Old grizzled Korpi brushes his teeth with Sisu every morning.
Rather unjustly, considering Stalin invaded Finland without provocation, the Allies allowed the USSR to annex Karelia after WWII. Of course, that was where Korpi lived with his family. As a tribute to them, Korpi enters the Soviet-occupied region, only accompanied by his loyal Bedlington terrier Ukko, to disassemble their old log cabin, with the intention of rebuilding it in free Finland.
However, when Soviets authorities learn Korpi passed through border control, they dispatch notoriously sadistic Red Army officer Igor Draganov to slay “The Legend.” For a regime that depends on fear to oppress, Korpi’s bloody defiance is bad for business.
Draganov unlashes the full fury of the Red Army on Korpi, who takes a licking, but keeps on killing. He starts with a few squads, but quickly escalates to armored cyclists and dive bombers, in a series of spectacular, over-the-top action set pieces apparently inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark and Wile E. Coyote’s Acme misadventures. Yet, the ruckus physical comedy always comes wrapped around a brutally bitter and bloody grudge match.
©Courtesy of Sony Pictures
You haven’t seen grittiness on-screen until you’ve watched Jorma Tommila in the Sisu films. He never speaks a word in Road to Revenge, but, somehow, he is even steelier and flintier playing Korpi this time around. Yet, Stephen Lang makes an equally fierce nemesis as Draganov, who is even more ferocious and deranged than his Norman Nordstrom character in the Don’t Breathe movies. As a bonus, Richard Brake is also aptly sinister as the KGB officer who recruits Draganov to wage the USSR’s dirty war against Korpi. Plus, “Simba” is reliably cute as Ukko.
Yes, Helander gleefully indulges in utterly crazy action sequences that make films like RRR look rather sedate. However, it arguably also reflects the current geopolitical zeitgeist. After all, Finland officially joined NATO last year, in response to Russia’s military aggression against its neighbors. Perhaps coincidentally, one of the poor, hapless Russian soldiers who approaches Korpi at a checkpoint early in the film sure seems to bear an uncanny resemblance to Putin.
While Finland and Russia certainly share a long history of antagonism and resentment, viewers require no geopolitical or historical insight to appreciate Helander’s outrageous mayhem (but it arguably deepens the fun times for those in the know). No matter what, viewers should respect the inventive means Helander devises for Korpi to blow-up, immolate, decapitate, crush, and aerate Communist bad guys.
Despite the absolute lunacy, Helander and company clearly always maintained an awareness of the historical tragedies of the Winter Wars and the post-War Stalinist oppression. That is quite a balancing act, but he and Tommila pull it off. Regardless, the super-charged energy is infectious. Very highly recommended for genre fans and Russia hawks, Sisu: Road to Revenge opens this Friday (11/21) in theaters.
©Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Grade: A
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Here’s the trailer of the film.