Sisu - a review!
Sisu. Noun; White knuckled grit and determination!I saw a trailer many months ago for a Finnish movie, where one man absolutely eviscerates a Nazi, but I never got to see it in the cinema.
Today, I bought the movie through Blockbuster, and gave it a look. What a movie!
The story of the movie is very simple: During the last desperate days of World War II, a solitary prospector, played by Jorma Tommila, crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word "sisu", this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. No matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back - even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path
The many ways he kills said Nazis are VERY creative. We're talking landmines to the head, stabbings, shootings and various other means of disposal.
Now, with a description like that, you'd probably guessed by now, that it's a pretty violent movie. Think Quentin Tarantino levels of violence, and you get the idea.
Lots of blood, but no guts. Well.. Some people meet their end at the bottom of a tank track, so some guts are on display, however they are very well camouflaged because the soldiers wear black clothes. A very clever way for the filmmaker to add graphic details without actually showing them.
As a movie, Sisu is VERY well shot. One shot in particular left me stunned. The acting is also pretty good, but the villain is a bit.. Well, wooden. But I suppose that nobody wants to play a truly brutal Nazi SS officer on movie.. Well, apart from Pilou Asbæk in Overlord. My lord, that was grim!
If you are looking for an extremely violent, but also decently funny movie, give Sisu a view. It's about two hours long, but it doesn't feel like it.
10/10 - highly recommended!
