PLOT: Set in 1946, two years after the first film, the war is over but the fallout remains. Large portions of Finland have been claimed by Russia, with the Red Army ruling the border with an iron fist. Here we find Korpi (Jorma Tommila), attempting to return home, only to discover his land now lies on the Soviet side. While tragic for him, it turns out to be far worse for them. As Korpi wanders the ruins of his home, we learn more about his past: his family was brutally murdered by deranged Soviet commander Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang). Their deaths sparked Korpi’s bloody warpath, and now his grief fuels his vengeance. We watch him wander the dusty and haunted remains of his home, finding a photo of a family long lost. On the wall, he traces the notches where he measured the height of his son as he grew. In a sobering touch, he dismantles his house plank by plank, intent on carrying the wood back across the border to rebuild, a moving symbol of both loss and hope in his quest to find some much needed inner peace.
Meanwhile, Draganov languishes in a Serbian prison until his old general (played with trademark menace by Richard Brake) informs him that the monster he created has returned. Released like a rabid dog from his chain, Draganov sets out to finally destroy Korpi once and for all. The stage is set for a bloody game of cat and mouse.
REVIEW: The man who just won’t die is back. In the first Sisu, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) was there to do one thing and one thing only: killing Nazis. And boy, did the film deliver. Villains were blown up, crushed, stabbed, and ripped apart in wildly inventive ways, each kill earning thunderous cheers from the audience I saw it with. Now, the so-called Koschei (The Immortal) returns in Sisu: Road to Revenge. This time, his sights are set on the Red Army, and a figure from his past who is long overdue for a brutal death. But does the sequel (which we caught at BeyondFest in LA) live up to its blood-soaked predecessor?
Like a Finnish Terminator by way of Charlie Chaplin, Tommila commands the screen without uttering a word. His raw physicality and tightly wound emotion tell us everything we need to know. Korpi is an anchor, tethering us to the real emotion and stakes while everything around him becomes increasingly insane. There is never a wink, or a break in his portrayal that betrays the reality of his world. Korpi is an unstoppable machine, yet behind the facade we occasionally glimpse real humanity. Without giving too much away, there is a moment where he allows his walls to come down a bit that had the audience genuinely touched. It s not something we get to see from this character much, so when it finally occurs, it lands with unexpected poignancy.
On the other side of the battlefield, the film benefits from the welcome addition of two genre heavyweights. Stephen Lang once again proves why he’s a go-to villain, donning a Soviet uniform and gleefully chewing the scenery as the menacing Igor Draganov. It’s clear he’s having fun with the role, leaning into the madness and letting loose. His Russian accent occasionally veers into the cartoonish, more “Boris and Natasha” than cold-blooded commander, but it oddly works, especially since he’s handed most of the film’s one-liners and darkly comedic beats. Alongside him, Richard Brake steps in as a Red Army general, delivering his trademark menace and gravitas. While typecasting can be a double-edged sword, his presence instantly signals to the audience exactly what kind of danger this character embodies, giving the role immediate weight.
But let’s get to what you’re really wondering: what about the kills? I am happy to report that Road to Revenge delivers the carnage with gleeful abandon. This movie knows exactly what it is and why you are here. Sequels often stumble when trying to up the ante, but this one leans confidently into its cartoonishly violent tone. Think macabre Looney Tunes without the winks. And we are talking full tilt bonkers. From improvised weaponry to human explosions, the film stages one wild crowd-pleasing moment after another. A few of these moments made it to the trailer, which is honestly a bit of a shame, as they play so much better as a surprise. One crowd-pleasing set piece in particular defies gravity in a way that would make Wicked jealous. While none quite top my personal favorite kill from the first, the “human snorkel” moment, there are plenty of kills fans will be buzzing about on the way out.
The direction by Jalmari Helander is steady and assured, delivering an intense yet carefully guided thrill ride. The film’s visual language, particularly in its quieter moments, often feels like a Sergio Leone western, a fitting choice given the stoic, silent hero that Tommila embodies. Helander stages action sequences with precision, some clearly nodding to his contemporaries. Much of the film unfolds as a high-octane chase, with one standout sequence playing like an homage to Mad Max: Fury Road, as a pack of heavily armored motorcyclists pursues Aatami down a hostile road. One shot even feels like a direct visual reference to Fury Road. There are also winks to other action greats, including a “John McClane moment” that Sisu cleverly one-ups. Altogether, the two Sisu films feel like throwbacks to gritty 1970s cinema, part western, part pulp, where the heroes were silent, the villains were heightened, and eventually reduced to little more than a puddle.
But the real triumph of Helander’s direction is that we never lose sight of the film’s core, even amid the chaos. His ability to make us care so deeply about a simple pile of wood is a testament to his skill in emotional storytelling. Every hard knock the planks take, every swerve of the truck, we feel it right along with Korpi. Unlike the stash of gold in the first movie, this splintering MacGuffin carries far more emotional weight.
Road to Revenge is a feast of carnage, grit, and dark humor, elevated by Tommila’s stoic performance and Helander’s confident direction. It’s best experienced big, loud, and with a crowd ready to cheer. Brutal, ridiculous, and oddly moving, this sequel proves the legend of Koschei the Immortal has plenty of blood left to spill.
