The original Sisu, written and directed by Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale), was a pleasant surprise for critics and audiences alike upon its 2022 debut. The story of legendary Finnish Army commando-turned-gold prospector Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) coming to blows with the last vestiges of Nazis occupying Finland played out like a European Rambo. Yet, it always felt a bit rough around the edges. Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025) reunites the talent behind the first movie, only to up the ante in every possible aspect. Thus, a gory, live-action Looney Tunes segment comes to life. Sisu: Road to Revenge fully leans into the ridiculousness for a rousing actioner that has personality to spare.
1946. Aatami Korpi, known for his infamous exploits in World War II as “The man who refuses to die,” crosses over into the Soviet Union with his loyal dog (a fluffy Bedlington Terrier) to return to his deceased family’s home. After he dismantles his old family house and loads it onto a truck to start a new life elsewhere, a nefarious force from Aatami’s past returns from the shadows. Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang), the Soviet Red Army commander who killed Aatami’s family, is released from prison for the express purpose of hunting the seemingly immortal commando down. Aatami will have to fight for his life one last time, and, more importantly, to preserve the last remnants of his family.
Jalmari Hedlander Learned the Right Lessons From the First Sisu
2022’s Sisu felt held back by an inert structure. The “chapter titles” were perfunctory, the pacing erred close to a total slog, and there was a distinct lack of momentum throughout. Sisu: Road to Revenge systematically corrects these issues one by one. The chapter titles aren’t vague; they’re mainly stylistic flourishes, similar to the first film. However, this time, writer-director Jalmari Hedlander weaponizes each chapter title card as a marker for the script’s most significant pivots. It could be an unbelievable action sequence, an emotional detour, or a key exposition scene; Sisu: Road to Revenge purposefully lays bare its narrative structure, leaving viewers hungry for its next chapter.
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At times, the first Sisu movie felt like long stretches of nothing, punctuated by brief moments of violence that never quite justified the wait. Sisu: Road to Revenge has no such problem. Once Draganov is on Korpi’s tail, the engine is at full steam ahead. Hedlander’s direction has improved tenfold since his last time behind the camera. Despite the glaring issues, one of the standout moments of the original sleeper hit was its visual personality. Cinematographer Kjell Lagerroos made the Finnish countryside take on the cadence of the Spaghetti Western or a Japanese Samurai tale: a wide expanse that’s as lonely as it is brimming with scoundrels who could make their move at any moment.
Sisu: Road to Revenge Goes Full Looney Tunes
Director of Photography Mika Orasmaa takes over on Sisu: Road to Revenge, evolving the aesthetic from the Ronin/Western influence into something closer to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The post-WWII landscape behind the Iron Curtain is depicted like a post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with all manner of scum. Backed by an epic score courtesy of a returning Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä, Sisu: Road to Revenge feels like it finally coalesces a distinct tone for the saga. That extends to the most crucial element of an action movie — the action set pieces themselves!
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As much as the two franchises get compared, Sisu: Road to Revenge is not trying to be John Wick. Filmmaker Jalmari Hedlander has no interest in the tight, technical choreography and gunplay of the various Wick copycats. Hedlander’s barbaric sequel is more of a child of the Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. A golden formula arises where the Soviets try in vain to kill a seemingly immortal man in increasingly absurd ways, only for Aatami to turn the tables in an even sillier manner.
A True Action Extravaganza
The action highlights in Sisu: Road to Revenge are too many to count. A motorbike chase gives Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga a run for its money, while set-ups like jumping a plane off well-positioned logs and a baffling (in the best possible way) tank maneuver lean heavily into a level of ridiculousness that wasn’t present in the first Sisu film. To see the perfect encapsulation of Sisu: Road to Revenge’s offbeat personality, look no further than its insane, bravura train sequence, which involves rockets and broken glass.
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Part of why Sisu: Road to Revenge works better than its predecessor is that the leads are much sharper. Stephen Lang chews the scenery. Although Igor Draganov shares shades of the comically evil Miles Quaritch from the Avatar franchise, he has a magnetic, icy-cool demeanor that suggests a more insidious, internalized menace. Flanked by genre icon Richard Brake (Barbarian) as his commanding KGB officer, Lang turns in the kind of committed mean bastard role one can only expect from him.
The Road to Revenge Is Paved With A Whole Mess of Fun
Jorma Tommila’s previous, rather nondescript performance grows into its own here. Aatami Korpi’s physicality is well-defined here as the ultimate bruiser, an unforgiving force of nature that decimates everything in its path. Yet, in his silent turn, Tommila communicates a damaged heart begging to be set free from the violence thrust upon him. Between Stephen Lang and Tommila, Sisu: Road to Revenge puts unstoppable force against an immovable object, and the results are explosive. Jalmari Hedlander’s screenplay knows this, putting the lion’s share of the film’s emotional weight on this conflict. It’s a move that pays off in spades.
Sisu: Road to Revenge is a whole mess of fun. Jalmari Hedlander’s follow-up to 2022’s surprise international hit learns the right lessons from its first go, upping the ante and establishing a niche for itself in the overcrowded action landscape. With enticingly cartoonish sequences and a fiery rivalry at the center, the Road to Revenge is one thrill-seeking audiences should take immediately. It seems that the upcoming Rambo prequel is in good hands with Hedlander at the helm.
Sisu: Road to Revenge hits theaters on November 21!
Release Date: November 21, 2025.
Directed by Jalmari Helander.
Written by Jalmari Helander.
Produced by Petri Jokiranta & Mike Goodridge.
Executive Producers: Gregory Ouanhon & Antonio Salas.
Main Cast: Jorma Tommila, Stephen Lang, Richard Brake, & Tommi Korpela.
Cinematographer: Mika Orasmaa.
Composers: Juri Seppä & Tuomas Wäinölä.
Editor: Juho Virolainen.
Production Companies: Stage 6 Films, Subzero Film Entertainment, & Good Chaos.
Distributors: Screen Gems & Sony Pictures Releasing.
Runtime: 89 minutes.
Rated R.
