I’m sorry John Wick but I have bad news for you - there’s a new bad-ass in town and he’s coming for your crown. Ever since the first trailer for Finnish movie Sisu went viral earlier this year, people have been eagerly awaiting the film’s release having been delighted by just the small taste of the action to come. And whilst it’s bad news for all other action heroes, it’s great news for audiences as Sisu more than delivers thanks to its heady mix of extreme violence, chaotic action, and unyielding spirit.
Written and directed by Jalmari Helander, who previously brought us haunting Christmas tale Rare Exports, the story of Sisu is pretty simple: when former soldier Aatami (Jorma Tommila) discovers a loot of gold, he must battle every Nazi that he comes across on his journey across the wilderness to the bank in the city. Taking inspiration from classic action movies such as Rambo, Sisu is essentially one man versus a whole army - but this time, they happen to be Nazis. It’s no surprise then that it has been compared to the likes of Mad Max, The Terminator, and even Inglourious Basterds, but it also does stand out from the crowd thanks to the many, many imaginative ways we see Aatami slay his enemies.
A new way of killing
One of the reasons Aatami’s killing methods are so creative is the film's lack of budget, with filmmaker Helander telling us that whilst he couldn’t rely on funding, he could rely on his mind: “I didn’t have a $100 million budget to make this film but what I did have is my imagination, so I tried to be inventive with what he does and how he basically kills Nazis and survives. It’s one of the key factors that will make it stand out in the action genre, it has a different kind of approach.”
And Helander sure does let his imagination run absolutely wild showcasing several unprecedented ways of killing a man. If you thought it was impressive that John Wick could kill someone with just a playing card then think again - you ain’t seen nothing yet. Everyone will come away with a favourite death scene of course, with Helander also having his own as he told 12DOVE: “I really was laughing my ass off when I had the idea of how he would survive underwater. I don’t want to spoil it but it’s one of my favourite ideas.”
Death awaits
When we describe the violence as being no holds barred we really mean it, as Helander revealed to us that the studios backing Sisu allowed him to do whatever he wanted. No scene was too extreme and no kill was too shocking, meaning no action was left on the cutting room floor: “This is the first time I didn’t think about anything like that. I went full steam ahead with everything that came to my head and I was lucky that no one told me what to do or asked me to cut something out.”
What makes the violence even more satisfying is the fact that the people getting their throats cut, arms chopped off, and run over by tanks are all Nazis. But whilst it is rewarding to watch, Helander admits that planning gratifying methods of killing bad guys isn’t exactly easy: “It is satisfying but it's also hard as we have seen millions of kills in movies, so it was about trying to figure out something you haven't seen before. But it is satisfying when the idea finally comes and usually that doesn't happen when I’m writing, almost never. The idea always comes after the writing when I’m doing something else, it suddenly it crops up. You can't force it - if it's going to happen it will happen.”
The Sisu legend
Killing Nazis also isn’t a simple task for Aatami, despite the fact he is a ruthless, legendary ex-commando (whilst there is no direct translation for the word 'Sisu' into English it roughly means a stoic grit and bravery). As he goes on this journey to the city where he hopes to bank this gold, our hero grows increasingly weary as he battles threat after threat in the stark, cold wilderness. Whilst Aatami remains a man of mystery what is clear to the audience is that he doesn’t want to fight any more, he just wants to live in peace, as Helander emphasises: “I had a lot of things in my mind of what he did in the past, but I wanted to give the audience just enough information. The only things I wanted them to know is that he lost his family in the war against the Russians and that he's really good at what he does, being a soldier. He sought vengeance for that and now he's trying to get rid of it, he doesn't want the war anymore, he wants to do something else, find a new way in his life, a new direction, hope - he thinks gold will solve his problems.”
Helping Aatami remain an enigma is the fact that he doesn’t utter a word in the film until the very final scene, where he chooses his words very carefully. His silence is by no means a cheap gimmick though as it helps bring to life this troubled character, one who is so beautifully portrayed by the excellent Tommila. Helander is relieved that they were able to pull this stillness off admitting that initially he found it quite daunting, as was the challenge of deciding when Aatami would eventually speak: "It took time to figure out which line he would speak. And the reason he doesn't speak is twofold: I really wanted to do a silent guy and he doesn't have anyone to talk to. He doesn't understand what the Nazis are saying and he doesn't want to talk to them anyways. I enjoyed the process of writing scenes without dialogue as it helps you find a cinematic way to explain yourself and tell the story. At first it was really terrifying but when I got the hang of it it was a very cool way to write - and when we were shooting it was nice just to show things."
One man and his dog
Aatami isn't completely alone though as he does have two loyal companions: his horse and his dog, who are perhaps his only friends. And I can guarantee that you will be praying with every scene that passes that the gorgeous pup survives, especially as you discover how close their bond is, something which is helped by the fact the doggo is the actor's own: "He does need a friend though and it was always never going to be a human, as he's lonely. So, a dog and horse are his only friends, which I thought was cool. With the dog, at first I was thinking a more manly, big dog but when I asked for a photo of Jorma and what his beard/hair etc looked like, the dog was in the background as it's his own dog. I said that should be the dog! It's nice to have a contrast between the character and dog."
And we could indeed see the duo go on another adventure as Helander reveals he already knows where the Sisu story could go next: "I have an idea of what would happen next. That was one of the biggest challenges when writing it as I didn't know how the gold will make him happy in the end. So, I decided to end the movie like I did but it would be interesting to see what happens to him when he has all the money in the world as I’m pretty sure it won't make him happy. Maybe somebody needs his skills again but let's see." So, keep those eyes peeled in the future.
Sisu releases in UK cinemas on May 26. For more action films that will get your adrenaline pumping, check out our list of the best action movies to watch.
