Sisu

This is the first movie I had the privilege of seeing in theaters before it was released to the general public. Quite frankly, I’m surprised I was invited. I haven’t been invited to anything since the incident at Susie Miller’s birthday party in the 3rd grade. In my defense, her brother really did look like a piñata. But enough about that, let’s talk about whether this movie was a hit.

Sisu is about a Finnish commando that tries to leave war behind him, but finds himself in a scenario where he has the opportunity to kill many Nazis…and he does not hold back. The movie is essentially 1.5 hours of creative violent kills directed at a Nazi unit by one man that doesn’t know how to quit. This plays into the film’s title, Sisu, which loosely translates to “stubborn determination or grit”.

The movie is well made and the simplicity of the film is to be admired. The story is broken into small chapters and it almost feels like you’re watching a book. And at an hour and a half, it’s a quick watch. If I had to file a complaint, it’s that the last 15 minutes or so gets a bit fantastical. This just felt off because everything leading up to that point was gritty and took itself seriously.

In the end, we’re giving this our “wait for streaming” rating mainly because of the over the top final act. But movie goers should be forewarned. The kills in this movie are raw and violent. For example, there’s a scene where the main character kills a bad guy then uses his throat to breathe underwater. I only point this out because it makes the incident at Susie’s birthday party not look so bad. When you’re standing next to the piñata and wearing a jacket with that much fringe, someone is going to confuse the two!! It’s bound to happen!!

🛶= wait for streaming