Movie Review: Sisu: Road to Revenge

01/07/2026 by Corrye Van Caeseele-Cook

Plot: Two years after the events of the original film, Finland has ceded a portion of its country to the Soviet Union in the wake of WWII. Determined to reclaim his original home and bring it back over the border to rebuild it, former Finnish Army commando Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) travels into Soviet territory. However, when the Red Army discovers that Korpi has ridden into Soviet lands, they dispatch Yeagor Draganov to clean up the problem. A vicious former KGB agent, Draganov also happens to be the very man responsible for killing Korpi’s family during the Lapland War. The result is a collision course of death and destruction where Draganov and the entire Red Army learns the wrath of the man they call Koshchei (The Immortal) and what it truly means to have sisu.

Review: Back when Entertainment Weekly used to be a physical publication (remember those kids?) there was a brief period of time where author Stephen King wrote a weekly article cleverly titled “The Pop of King.” It was always on the very last page of the issue and, as the title implies, it dealt with the pop culture topics of the time. I distinctly remember an interesting piece King wrote about the difference between hype and buzz. The former comes with its own baggage and tends to be propped up and perpetuated by marketing companies. (Think of the recent Avengers: Doomsday leaked trailers.) Buzz however springs from more of a grass roots origin where word of mouth is key. There’s a groundswell where multiple people you know or respect say, “You gotta see this movie/listen to this album/read this book.”

A little over two and a half years ago, the buzziest movie I heard about coming out of TIFF was a Finnish WWII action film called Sisu. When it hit America in April of 2023 I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see it in theaters. The buzz grew exponentially (especially by my friends) and by the time I watched it on home video I was locked in. I was delighted to discover that Sisu was everything I hoped it would be and more. A riotous, kick-ass carnage of cinema that ended up making my top 10 of the year.

Yet as much as I loved the movie, I never considered it a franchise film. Hell I didn’t even think it required a sequel. Imagine my surprise when about a month before it premiered, I discovered that Sisu was getting the sequel treatment with both Jalamari Helander back in the director’s chair and Jorma Tommila wreaking havoc once more as Aatami Korpi. Moreover, Stephen Lang was going to play the heavy as a psychopathic ex-KGB agent. As the saying goes, “Don’t tempt me with a good time.” But the real question of course was would Sisu: Road to Revenge live up to its predecessor or prove to be a misguided stab at a sequel?

I’m ecstatic to report that no only is Sisu: Road to Revenge a worthy successor, it’s just as good as the original. A white knuckle, action packed road trip from Hell, Sisu: Road to Revenge is 89 minutes of rip roaring, adrenaline soaked action that’s the cinematic equivalent of mainlining John McClane’s testosterone. Chocked full of glorious action set pieces and filmed with a dirty, gritty, grindhouse surrealism so visceral you can feel the mud on your cheeks, Sisu: Road to Revenge was some one of the most fun movie experiences of 2025 personally.

What I respect about the director/actor combination of Herlander (who also wrote the script) and Tommila is their willingness to just go for it. They know exactly the type of movie that they are making. You’re not showing up expecting to see Saving Private Ryan or Hell even Inglourious Basterds. You’re there to watch Aatami “The Immortal” Korpi reap carnage and decimate his enemies in excessive and creative ways. Utilizing dynamite to catapult a tank over a Soviet Union checkpoint? You bet. Using logs and a truck to stop a bomber plane? Check. Hiding a knife blade inside your body for later use? Absolutely. Taking out a train full of Soviet soldiers while double fisting machine guns? Why the Hell not! It doesn’t matter that it’s unrealistic because it’s awesome!

Stunt coordinator Roman Neso Laupmaa and fight choreographer Lauren Okadigbo do a phenomal job with Sisu: Road to Revenge. You can feel every cut, every bullet wound, and every explosion. It pairs beautifully with Mika Orasmaa’s scintillating cinematography and Juri Seppa and Tuomas Wainola’s pulse pounding score. If not for these individuals, Sisu: Road to Revenge wouldn’t come to close to being this exciting and compulsively watchable.

As straightforward as these movies tend to be, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the sequel possesses more emotional impact than the first. The original mentions the family Korpi lost only briefly, with the focus more on preserving his gold and devastating the Nazis in his road. The sequel finds Korpi trying to find peace by dismantling his old home and bringing it back over the border from Soviet territory. Despite the fact that Tommila doesn’t speak a single word in this film, you know how much this act means to him. I was particularly touched by the sequence where Korpi wanders through his old home finding pictures of his family and the remains of his previous life. There’s another scene towards the end of the film that also emphasizes how much his journey has meant to others that made me tear up. I never thought that would have happened in this kind of film. Tommila’s performance is nothing short of brilliant and I connected with his character even moreso this time around.

Stephen Lang also proves to be a welcome addition. You absolutely love to hate Draganov. A vicious and unrepentant psychopath, he proves a great foil for Korpi. His decidedly dark humor also made for some moments of levity. Yet he’s vicious, violent, and completely without remorse. In fact just the opposite, he’s proud of his cruel actions and boasts of them. There’s a moment later in the film between Draganov and Korpi where he describes what he did to Korpi’s family. It’s one of the coldest most evil scenes I’ve seen in quite some time and you just cannot wait for Draganov to get his just desserts.

If you’re looking for more carnage, chaos, and catharsis, believe me, Sisu: Road to Revenge has you covered.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See