The Return of the Immortal

When “SISU” first came out in 2022, in my opinion it was not only the best action film that year, but one of the best films of that year period. The film had a great ending and I never imagined there would be a sequel. Lucky for us director Jalmari Helander has done the impossible and brought us a sequel that somehow manages to blow its predecessor away. Helander brings us an all-time banger full of bombastic sequences that Bugs Bunny must’ve conceived.

In the first film, the war in Finland against the Nazis is winding down. That’s where we meet Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tomilla), otherwise known as the immortal, whom in 90 minutes kills 300 Russian soldiers and hundreds of Nazis who are trying to steal his gold. It’s Incredible.

Starting Over

In “SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE” the war is over. The Soviets have taken over Finnish territory and have redrawn the borders leaving many without a place to call home. We pick up with Aatami driving back to his home and arriving to a dilapidated house full of memories of his family. The man literally takes the entire house apart, log by log, puts them in his truck and proceeds to drive with his trusted dog to the new Finnish territory to start over. Exactly, how bad ass is that?!

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His journey won’t be that easy as the Soviets are after him, led by Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang). Draganov is directly responsible for killing Aatami’s family and is brought out of prison to finish the job of killing the Immortal. This leads to a beautifully fast cross-country chase that plays out like a Wile E. Coyote/ Road Runner cartoon.

“SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE” plays out like a blood soaked action-filled silent film. In spectacular fashion, Aatami takes out scores of Red Army soldiers. These are some of the most inventive deaths I’ve seen in a film in years. He’s assaulted by planes, armor suited motorcyclists, and Molotov cocktails. Each stunt gets bigger and bigger and they’re so incredible you can’t help but laugh. This is where Helander shines as a director. I won’t spoil much but only Helander can create a truly jaw dropping sequence and punctuates it with a hilarious moment that even George Miller would be proud of. This is FURY ROAD on steroids.

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The Perfect Ending

Lang is a perfect counterpart to Tommila. He can play a villain like this with his eyes closed. A man who at one point explains how easy it is for him to kill women and children. Even going as far to explain how it felt to kill Aatami’s son. It’s dialogue like this that reminds you how truly great Lang is and how integral his type of character is to this kind of film.

It sets up for a breathtaking final showdown. Underneath it all this is a film about starting over. It’s about a man whose bruised bloody and battered that just wants to rebuild his life and move on with his trusted dog. Helander has topped himself here with truly one of the most breathtaking sequels I’ve seen in years. It’s hard to imagine there being a third film, this is perfect.

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