Rent Sisu (2022)

Bloody, Crazy But Great Fun - Sisu review by GI

You need a hugely enjoyable B movie type action film every so often and this delivers brilliantly. It's a glorious, bloody war based film that has the stamp of Quentin Tarantino all over it (it has 'chapters' that QT often uses), and I'm sure he'll be a fan, as well as the hallmarks of films like First Blood (1982) and the John Wick series. Set in Finland in 1944 where a grizzled gold prospector avoids the war living in the remote Lapland area. Finding a rich vein he sets off with his gold to the nearest city to cash it in but on the way he's accosted by a company of SS soldiers who try to steal it. A big mistake as the old miner has a past and a skill set that is awoken to dire consequences for the Nazis. This is brutally violent with some crazy set pieces. The main character hardly says a word until the film's final moments and this is part of makes this film work so well. Like John Rambo he's man after some calmness and peace but once aroused to action he's simply unstoppable. Great fun, and rattles along at a solid pace and is wrapped up in a tight 90 minutes.

One Regiment with 'Sisu' and the war would have finished a month into 1939 - Sisu review by Strovey

Sisu is definitely a war film made for and by the Marvel Superhero generation, for all of the laudable action, and ongoing excitement, despite being set in a real situation, in a horrible war, it is utterly unrealistic. Disappointingly so.

Jorma Tommila as the Finnish miner, ex-commando-type, protagonist, says nothing, except for two lines near the end, so his acting is all in his actions and his facial expressions. To be fair he does a good job, but I wonder if any point he thought, ‘This is preposterous?’

I hate to be a miserable moaning old man, honestly, I really do, but for a film set in World War Two the longer the story goes on the sillier it gets.

The German soldiers, and a couple of airmen, are more evil, and soulless, than any baddy or evil group in any you will see in a superhero movie. Needless to say normal sane people are not big fans of Nazis, but not every German was a Nazi or in the SS and evil beyond belief. Sisu is too black and white, if some nuance had been added, some thought, instead of mindless nastiness, the tale would have been better.

Add in credible physics and human capabilities and you could have had an exciting and interesting story, perhaps questioning the point of war as it was ending for all sides. Instead, we have a superhero who is basically indestructible, fighting and winning single-handedly against men who were thrown out of hell for being too evil and heavily armed.

Having criticised the film for being unrealistic I will say if you view the film as ‘Sisu’ made into a story, an abstract tale about the Finnish spirit to never give up, always resist and win no matter what, then the nail is hit on the head. My problem is I do not know if the makers meant it to be this or if it was meant to be ‘war story’. Like a difficult painting I suppose, you take from it what you want to take from it.

The gore is good, so being killed in a war situation is horrible, the men dirty, grotty and unkempt and the setting, the tough barren Finland, looks good and the actors give it their all.

My problem has always been the same with war films. War is really horrible, pointless and full of unnecessary death. Unbeatable heroes who cannot really be hurt do not exist and it worries me that younger folk, who, in general thank goodness, have never been involved in this type of thing, will genuinely think this is how it goes. It does not. There are no winners in a war. None.

Sisu is well made, especially for the budget and time spent making it, looks like a dirty horrible war story and gives life to the Finnish ‘Sisu’ but ultimately it is nothing you have not seen before in many other films that usually do not purport to be World War Two tales.

Disappointing for me. If you are not keen on Superhero films, indestructible heroes and baddies who wear the blackest of black hats, then do not watch Sisu.

Expected more - Sisu review by sb

FILM & REVIEW Saw the trailer for this and thought I’ll have some of that…..and (I know this may be a minority view ) but kinda the trailer was the best thing about it.. Set in Finland in 1944 a retired Finnish commando is panning for gold and strikes the motherlode. On his way back to cash in he comes across a retreating Nazi patrol with some female captives that are used for mobile r&r. The Nazi’s discover the gold and attempt to relieve him of it….which is the first mistake they make… Soon they begin to realise they have come across a killing machine called Korpi (Tommila) who stops at nothing. The body count soon mounts up with Nazi’s stabbed, shot, impaled and blown to pieces while Korpi endures enough to kill 100 men. It has a strong Tarantino vibe but but it just came over a little flat to me - Tomilla is solid in the mainly silent role while the rest are out of Nazi central casting - it was quite fun but I kinda expected more - 3/5