If you never caught 2022's Sisu, you're missing out on a recent gem. A pulpy, knowingly absurd action movie set during the Lapland War, it stars Jorma Tommila as a sort of Finnish John Wick called Aatami Korpi, who mows down countless Nazis in wincingly violent fashion after being wronged on the road. He's even accompanied by a loyal pup.
Aatami and his pooch are back in bigger, bloodier, barmier sequel Sisu: Road to Revenge, which adds Avatar's Stephen Lang to the mix as Red Army commander Igor Draganov, a merciless new nemesis for Aatami. Written and directed by Jalmari Helander (who has the Noah Centineo-starring First Blood prequel up next), it's a sequel that ups the ante in some surprising ways.
"At first I didn't want to do it because I was afraid that I can't do better," Helander tells GamesRadar+ with a chuckle. Part of the first film's charm is that Aatami's only motivation, other than survival, is to deposit a bag of gold at the bank. For Road to Revenge, Helander constructed a more emotional backstory for Aatami involving the relocation of his family home across the Finland-Russia border.
"The concept of a man dismantling his house and moving it somewhere else, trying to maintain home, is kind of very moving and quite pertinent," Lang tells GamesRadar+. "Compared to the bag of gold, it's so much bigger," adds Helander. "Yes, more emotional, and harder to move!"
Loading every component part onto the back of a truck, Road to Revenge's entire first half is a relentless vehicular chase movie that can't help but echo the likes of The Road Warrior, though Helander denies that George Miller's Ozploitation classic was a specific inspiration.
"Everybody keeps saying that Mad Max is so clearly visible on this one, and probably it is, but I haven't thought about it like that," Helander claims. "If I would have to say, it would be something like the Indiana Jones [and the Raiders of the Lost Ark] truck chase. The style is much more visible in Indiana Jones, old James Bond films and stuff like that. It's a mix of the things that I like."
Leading the pursuit for Aatami across Russian-occupied Finland, Draganov is as mean as they come. Initially planning to "go younger" with the character, Helander was drawn to 73-year-old Lang (Aatami actor Jorma Tommila is a sprightly 66 years old by comparison) as a dark reflection of Aatami. "I thought it was interesting that they have both lived the whole wartime and have had all those bad experiences," the director says.
Lang, who also returns as the villainous Quaritch in Avatar: Fire and Ash in a month, responded to the first film, but had one big question. "I remember saying to them, 'This is fantastic. [Jorma's] fantastic. But what do you need me for?' Because, in a sense, that would be the role that I would be playing. And Jalmari said, 'Well, this time we want two gnarly old fuckers fighting each other.' And I said, 'Okay, I can do that.'"
The result is an even more violent rampage of revenge, full of audacious set-pieces (wait till you see what they do with a tank), and with a villain worthy of Aatami's particular set of skills. But whether this is the end of the road for Aatami remains to be seen. "I think it is a good ending," says Helander. "I'm particularly proud of the last scene of the film. But, of course, you never say never. I have ideas, but I don't know. Let's see how this one goes."
Sisu: Road to Revenge is in theaters from 21 November. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies heading your way in 2025, and beyond.
