Sisu Review – Delivers What It Promises
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
If you are an action fan, there’s very little reason for you to not watch the World War II movie “Sisu,” which is about one mean old man taking down a whole bunch of nasty Nazis. I remember watching its trailer and hoping to see the film with my dad because he is a huge action fan. However, I ended up watching it with my brothers, which turned out to be more fun because we could all exclaim, “What the fuck?” loudly each time something ridiculous happened. Like how the hero does not even limp after being shot in the leg, or how he flings active mines like they are frisbees.
But if you’ve seen the trailer for the film, the full length delivers just what the teaser promises – an exaggerated action drama about one invincible man against evil Nazis. Jorma Tommila plays the legendary/near-immortal protagonist called Aatami in this fictional historical drama directed and written by Jalmari Helander. What makes “Sisu” grittier is the fact that the protagonist is no saint; he is a notorious retired army man infamous for being a “one-man death squad,” and in “Sisu,” he sets out to sell a lot of gold he finds after mining some land. It’s one greedy badass man versus greedy retreating Nazis.
The cinematography in “Sisu” makes it look like a Hollywood Western from the 1960s, especially due to the scorched terrain in which it is shot and the big, bold, golden-orange font used to demarcate each chapter in the 90-minute film. But the lumbering battle tanks and back-to-back violent, bloodied scenes will keep reminding you it’s war time. Despite the crisp runtime, the makers use a lot of dramatic, slow flourishes in between critical scenes that will test viewers’ patience. While stories with a strong focus on a single theme work best, this script could’ve benefited from at least one small sub-plot or perhaps a few more dialogues, or maybe just some sort of complications, because the whole “one man against dozens of armed soldiers” gets dragged out.
The climax is so exaggerated that it’s comical, and some things make no sense at all. The creators just decided to go all out with the idea of “logic can go to hell” and made an entertaining film for action enthusiasts. If you are a fan of Indian superstar Rajinikanth, this one is definitely a must-watch. Even though Aatami cannot stop bullets with his teeth, he comes close.
It’s a 7 on 10 from me.
