With a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a sequel is already in the works.
Sisu, a hit 2022 action war movie that’s essentially John Wick vs Nazis, is being discovered for the first time by many via Netflix.
Set in late 1944 during the Lapland War in Finland, the film follows a solitary prospector (Jorma Tommila) who crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat.
When the soldiers decide to steal his gold, they quickly discover that the seemingly ordinary miner is actually a legendary ex-commando.
“And no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back — even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path,” the plot synopsis reads.
Released in cinemas in Ireland and the UK in May 2023, the Finnish flick was a hit both at the box office and with critics, scoring 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In particular, critics singled out its mean-and-lean storytelling, its inventively gory action set-pieces and its atmospheric Lapland setting for praise.
With a sequel already in the works, you can read a sample of some of the glowing write-ups for Sisu below:
Bloody Disgusting: “Sisu feels like a gritty actioner of yesteryear but with a modern sense of style. It’s a wild ride that begs to be seen with an energised crowd.”
Empire: “Serving up stone-cold multiplex mayhem, Sisu makes no bones about it — this is a film about one mad bastard killing a gazillion Nazis. It’s almost impossible not to love it.”
Globe and Mail: “If watching mass-murdering maniacs get absolutely destroyed on-screen is your thing – and it very much is mine – then Sisu is a perfectly depraved night out.”
Observer (UK): “Sometimes all you want is a grizzled Finnish gold prospector relentlessly slaughtering cartoon evil Nazis in a variety of inventive and messy ways.”
Ultimate Action Movie Club: “Part Rambo, part Wick, Sisu is the ultimate action saviour the modern genre needs.”
Vulture: “I kept imagining it as what might have happened had Sergio Leone been alive to direct Crank: High Voltage.”
@joedotie Gowan ‘In Bruges’ 🇮🇪😍 Ralph Fiennes chatted to JOE about working with Colin Farrell on ‘In Bruges’ 👏 He also explains the truth behind the viral ‘28 Years Later’ suspected Cillian Murphy zombie 👀 #ireland #irish #dublin #cillianmurphy #colinfarrell #brendanGleeson ♬ original sound – JOE.ie
Since being added to Netflix last week, Sisu has lingered around the top of the service’s most-watched movies chart, signifying that many are checking it out.
Further proof of this is the fact that the war flick has also placed second in JustWatch’s film streaming chart for the UK this week, just behind Netflix’s The Electric State.
How to watch Sisu
Sisu is streaming on Netflix in the UK and Ireland right now.