Most critics take Sisu on its own terms and enjoy it there: a Finnish gold miner against a Nazi platoon, told in comic-book chapters with a spaghetti-western spine, and dispatched with escalating, inventive gore. The praise clusters on two things. One is the violence itself, which reviewers repeatedly find imaginative rather than merely plentiful, likened more than once to a live-action cartoon. The other is Jorma Tommila, whose stony, near-silent lead performance is credited with holding the mayhem together. Jalmari Helander’s confidence and pacing draw approval too. The reservations are consistent but mild: the premise is one note, the killing grows repetitive, and several reviews call it fun that will not linger. The spread is narrow, most landing between good and very good. The clear dissenter is The New York Times, which finds the carnage tame and short on wit, a view almost nobody else shares. IndieWire and Time Out sit in the middle, enjoying the set pieces while noting filler between them.
E
Empire
24 May 2023 · Alex Godfrey
85*
The critic praises the film as relentlessly entertaining pulpy fun with gnarly, inventive violence that knows exactly what it is. Jorma Tommila's charismatic, granite-faced lead performance as the one-man army is singled out as the standout element that makes the mayhem irresistible.
The critic describes it as a hugely entertaining and goofy action epic that is hilariously gruesome and completely preposterous. It singles out the comic-book chapters and spaghetti-western heart for making it absurdly enjoyable popcorn gore.
Helander’s comeback is an outrageously entertaining Finnish fantasy of WWII payback, a gleefully over-the-top one-joke movie that sustains the joke with esprit. It resembles a live-action Road Runner cartoon with graphic gore, a bad-taste feel-good exercise.
The critic calls Sisu a deserving cult hit that succeeds through increasingly creative and ambitious ideas for dispatching Nazis, turning a standard killfest into something with emotional depth about survival and sisu itself. It is singled out for its gonzo stylization, visual poetry, and blend of the elemental and ethereal.
16 September 2022 · festival review · Brian Tallerico
70*
It works on its own B-movie terms as a robust old-fashioned action movie with comic-book level violence done with craftsmanship. The film gets a bit repetitive and lacks much beyond its gore but has a refreshing lack of pretension.
The critic finds the film a fun, gory riff on Fury Road that pits a grizzled Finnish man against Nazis in a one-note premise executed with some killer set pieces but also filler. It is praised for its outrageous violence and Helander's ambition but noted as overextended at times.
The review calls it a fun but throwaway Tarantino-derivative action-thriller whose violent thrills outstrip its surprises and waning stakes. It singles out the inventive grindhouse violence and chapter structure for praise.
The film is a blandly gratuitous World War II action movie where a seemingly invincible former commando goes on a rampage. It is brisk and bloody but the mayhem lacks wit or imagination, making the Nazi-killing feel pretty tame.
Gleefully gory movie translates Finnish stoicism into stone-faced comedy as a lone gold miner takes on retreating Nazis. Energy unflagging with inventive carnage, though fleeting moments of breath are memorable.
The review calls it a dark and ultra-violent survival chiller with outlandish gory action that makes up for its lack of nuance. It singles out the escalating extreme violence and Western framing in the Lapland setting.
The critic finds the film a satisfyingly grisly but surprisingly solemn WW2 action story rooted in Finland’s history. It praises the brisk set pieces, brutal economy and Tommila’s stony gravitas as the protagonist.
Cheerfully entertaining action film follows a granite-faced Finnish gold miner as he kills Nazis in wildly silly and extravagant ways. The film offers super fun entertainment that feels tongue-in-cheek but is unlikely to linger long in the mind.
Slam-dunks its basic remit of one man versus an entire Nazi platoon with satisfying craft, virtuosic VFX and make-up, and inventive gore. Not spiritually enriching but effective meathead karma.
The critic highlights the director's absolute confidence, perfect pacing, and the gruffly charismatic lead performance that makes even the most unlikely action believable, calling it one of the best films of the year so far.
The critic enjoys the bloody, Looney Tunes-esque gory action and black humor as a Finnish prospector takes revenge on Nazis in Lapland, praising its Spaghetti Western influences and entertaining excess.
The critic calls the film a gleefully bonkers and ridiculous action movie that revels in its absurdity, with Helander delivering over-the-top violence against Nazis in inventive ways. The lead performance grounds the mayhem as an unstoppable force of determination.
The critic finds the film delivers exactly the schlocky, over-the-top fun of watching Nazis get blown up in a lean, Midnight Madness-style package at TIFF.
The critic finds the film a polished but shallow action exercise that works best as energetic genre thrills for festival crowds. Cinematography and editing are singled out for keeping the brisk, violent set pieces moving.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
