As the chilling new red-band trailer makes abundantly clear, the upcoming Scandinavian thriller Sisu pulls no punches. Centered around the grizzled leading man played by Aksel Hennie, this neon-drenched tale promises two hours of visceral close-quarters brutality and uniquely Finnish stubbornness in the face of extreme adversity.
Finland‘s Fighting Spirit
Sisu translates directly from Finnish as "guts" or "inner strength", but contains a deeper cultural meaning of extraordinary perseverance and determination when backed into a corner. It represents the essence of a national attitude to never give up or back down regardless of the severity of the opposition. This spirit of sisu seems hardwired into the DNA of Finns, shaped by their history of struggle holding off far mightier enemies like Russia seeking to conquer their bitter northern land throughout the centuries.
As director Jalmari Helander states, Sisu the movie aims to tap directly into this tradition of overcoming seemingly impossible odds that defines the national psyche:
"Sisu is a very Finnish word. It stands for the philosophy that no matter how bad and hard times one faces, you just have to pull yourself together and survive. You just don’t give up, no matter what.”
Meet the New Northman
So does Aksel Hennie‘s nameless leading character, simply dubbed as "The Finn" in what constitutes as a taciturn moniker befitting this solemn-eyed, weather-beaten bruiser. We first meet The Finn wrapped in bandages and scar tissue, suggesting a lifetime‘s worth of damage accrued battling insurmountable waves of enemies. This weary veteran trying to live a quiet retired existence finds himself dragged violently back into Helsinki‘s ruthless criminal underworld pits when the Russian mafia target people under his protection.
What plays out is two hours of our Nordic hero channelling generations of sisu to carve a one-man path of vengeance through whatever small army is foolish enough to stand in his way.
"If you can still draw breath, it means you haven‘t f***ing lost,” he snarls with a Warrior poet‘s conviction. Size, numbers, weapons don’t matter when animated by the ancestral Finnish spirit of refusing to yield even in the face of suicidal odds.
Backing him is veteran Jorma Tommila channeling his own rugged stoicism as another old warrior reluctantly forced back into the fight as a mentor figure guiding his compatriot on this bloody road towards retribution.
Brutal Ballet
Judging by the trailer‘s primarily rain and blood-slicked palette, Sisu pulls no punches establishing a grimily grounded tone before erupting into percussively vicious bursts of screen violence. The red-band rating feels well-earned, with the action proudly skewering into the R-rated range as limbs shatter and bodies fly limp through sugar glass. Fans of The Raid films will feel right at home with how hard and merciless the combat looks.
Channelling John Wick‘s fluid intensity along with The Raid‘s brutal unflinching spectacle, the action appears hard-hitting yet elegantly rendered as fighters unleash crushing strikes and deadly slashes. Helander proves himself a master of visually communicative, geography-driven action staging and coherent editing here based on his previous films Rare Exports and Big Game. Every punch lands with visceral crunch, camera pushed right into the shattered noses and dislocated joints – this is hand-to-hand combat as muay Thai dancers would choreograph a blood ballet.
Hennie moves with startling speed and precision for his stout build, feet and fists machine-gunning knees, elbows and faces of anyone unlucky enough to be marked for death by the mafia. One particularly wince-inducing scene depicts The Finn ambushed in an alley by three hulking assassins. His raw perseverance and veteran toughness are put on full sisu display as he uses the narrow confines to systematically demolish the goons. Brick walls, dumpsters and even a rusty pipe add to his arsenal – the Finn turning his surroundings into weapons (and graves) as he conquers overwhelming odds through grit and ingenious toughness.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Confirmed On-Screen Kills from Trailer | 14 |
| Estimated Total Body Count | 80-100 |
| Cups of Coffee Consumed | At least a potful |
| Times Knuckles Are Cracked Ominously | Too many to count |
Stats provided by Sisu Action Analysts (2023)
Make no mistake, Sisu has its tongue firmly planted in bloodied cheeks – there is a darkly comedic edge to its stoically gruff Northern machismo posturing that screams cult midnight movie potential. Yet while the violence is hyper-stylised, it carries obvious emotional weight judging by Hennie‘s thousand-mile stare each time a foe falls permanently still by his hand. The fact that the creative team is Finnish adds an authenticity of national voice – who better to pay tribute to Finland‘s cinema of blood-soaked perseverance than her native sons?
Steeped in Heritage
Truly this film feels steeped in Finnish heritage, from the icy stoicism of lead actor Hennie channelling ancestors who defended Finnish turf in minus 30 environments to iconic Citroen cars streaking neon-flecked streets as throwback homages to Helsinki crime cinema of the 1970s. Rocking a weathered but lived-in realism belying its slick action craft, Sisu appears less John Wick copycat than a Skandinavian cousin wearing its hardscrabble Nordic heart firmly on its torn, bloody sleeve.
Hands (or rather fists) down this red-band trailer signals Sisu will likely deliver 2023‘s most intensely orchestrated vision of underdog resilience against savage odds. Backed by long-take tracking shots, thunderously synthy 82-inspired score, and what promises to beAN ALL CAPS tour-de-force showing by Aksel Hennie, Finland may have uncovered its answer to Liam Neeson meets The Raid spectacle.
Mark my words, Sisu won‘t just raise pulses but also the profiles of director Jalmari Helander and lead actor Hennie as Scandinavia‘s next iconic action movie luminaries. If nothing else, it should serve further notice to Hollywood not to sleep on Northern Europe‘s emergence as a vital region blazing uniquely thrilling genre cinema. One could even call it a display of "sisu spirit" against the American studio system‘s creative monopoly. But I‘ll leave final say to The Finn himself, who defiantly dares all potential viewers:
"If you can still draw breath, it means you haven‘t f***ing lost…At least not yet."