SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE
****
Directed by Jalmari Helander.
Starring Jorma Tommila, Stephen Lang, Richard Brake.
Action, Finland, 89 Minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in Cinemas in the UK by Sony Pictures Releasing on 21st November
One year after eviscerating a bunch of Nazi’s in spectacular and inventive fashion, Aatami “The Immortal” now finds himself facing off against the occupying Soviet army who have entrenched themselves within his home country of Finland. Released from a Siberian gulag, the sadistic Igor Draganov, the Russian soldier responsible for slaughtering Aatami’s family, is tasked by the Russian military to hunt down and destroy the legend he is responsible for creating. As Aatami travels into Russian occupied territory to dismantle and relocate his family home, he finds himself once again being pursued by a bunch of heavily armed villains who have no real idea of the force of nature they are up against.
One of the main pleasures of the original film, aside from Nazi’s being annihilated in gory style, was witnessing a simple premise executed in high style. A brisk watch, the film never outstayed its welcome, a trick that director and writer Jalmari Helander repeats here. Over five chapters spread across eighty nine minutes we are treated to all manner of carnage here, though Helander concentrates his view more on action of a vehicular bent here. As our hero races his way to the border in the 1940’s equivalent of a monster truck, he faces off against planes and a motorcycle gang in mediaeval looking armour, while inflicting maximum damage and executing impressive acrobatic skills with a tank before a train set climax that concludes in satisfyingly bloody fashion with a big bang.
It is a film that races by, but at the same time it feels that the formula has somewhat been stretched thin here. Although care has been taken to portray Aatami as a more vulnerable figure here, both emotionally and physically, there are also instances where the more cartoonish incidents of tank flipping and deflecting planes go a little too far and remind you of the more fantastical aspects of the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise. It may be an odd thing to complain about for a sequel to a film where realism was also stretched past breaking point but it does tend to give the film a distancing aspect where it appears the protagonist can easily outwit and defeat everything that is thrown his way.
Thankfully Stephen Lang is on hand this time around to provide yet another turn as a heel villain. Claiming to have chopped up Aatami’s family with a shovel, he is certainly despicable enough but there is also a certain arrogance that reveals itself more and more alongside his cold-blooded pragmatic nature that makes him an excellent foil to Jorma Tommila’s near mute Aatami. Genre fans will also no doubt be delighted to see Richard Brake this time around, as Draganov’s superior, although the film's near compact length robs him of the opportunity to match Lang’s evil scene-stealer.
In a winter season where little else is on offer other than the usual Disney animation franchise entry and another Wizard of Oz prequel, SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE is a much needed and very welcome alternative. Ridiculous and gory, Helander knows exactly what he’s doing here, providing enough of a spin on the familiar elements and mixing in enough of the new to make a more than satisfactory sequel. Concluding things on a surprisingly tender note that also seems to provide a none too subtle commentary on the current state of Finnish-Russian relations it also concludes things on a more than satisfying note if this is the last we are to see of Aatami. While providing more than enough thrills of its own, it also leaves us eager to see how Helander will now handle the more familiar character of John Rambo in the recently announced prequel.
Iain MacLeod