The Wasteland Reviewer

Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025) Written Review

Are you ready for more Finnish fury on the big screen? Sisu was such an unexpected hit action film that took modern action motifs and injected them into a World War II setting. A single Finnish soldier shows how much of a warrior he is as he takes out countless Nazis over the course of 90 minutes. The first film was about gold and stopping the Nazis…but this time, it is personal. Jorma Tommila’s Aatami returns home to Finland as his family’s land has been absorbed into the Soviet Union and his whole family was mutilated and brutalized by an evil Soviet, Stephan Lang’s Yeagor Dragunov. Time to see how many more bodies Aatami adds to his kill list. 

Does director Jalmari Helander deliver the same wild action thrill ride he delivered with Sisu? Honestly…this film ups the ante to an insane degree. The things that happen in this film are completely ridiculous in the most fun way possible. This film leans much more into visual effects, and it leans into tanks, explosions, planes, missiles, and trains. The film is intense, gritty, and epic in feel despite most of it feeling completely fake with the special effects. There are plenty of thrilling, exciting, and brutal moments as Aatami is put through the meat grinder to get his revenge. The film has a serious tone that is so serious that Helander cannot help but wink at the audience the whole entire ride. The characters in the film are unflinching in their serious drive, but the audience is treated to a tongue-and-cheek absurdity (despite an insane amount of violence and blood along the way). But there are some truly moving moments thrown in that bookend this adventure, which is a welcome element to the overall journey. The score is bombastic, big, and full of manly chants…thank you, composers Juri Seppa and Tuomas Wainola. 

How about the story? There is some strong emotional resonance at the heart of this film (yes…truly). You feel for Aatami after we find out about his trauma at the hands of Dragunov. We are treated to a tragic experience of him returning to his home, tearing it down, and preparing to drive all the lumber onto Finnish territory. That is the story…and killing Dragunov. What happens along the way is a string of high energy, brutally entertaining, and thrilling checkpoint that continually gets more absurd and ridiculous as the film goes on. If you are not dialed into absurdity, you will be yelling at the screen about how unrealistic and nonsensical this whole experience is. The facts are…this film makes zero sense. Aatami should have been dead dozens of times in this 88-minute film. But the even greater truth is that it doesn’t matter because that is not the type of movie you are watching. Get on board Aatami’s lumber covered tank strapped with explosives or his train car fueled by a live missile…or get off this unhinged cinematic spectacle of violence, bravado, and mayhem.

Does the cast deliver in this onslaught of wild violence? Yes…that dog is so adorable and deserves an Oscar. But in all seriousness. Tommila is one of the most intense men to ever grace the silver screen. No words needed…this man can sell any emotion or scenario with just a stare. Whether his eyes are filled with tears, face drenched in blood and soot, or scarred with a dash of zero f***s to give, Tommila eats up every single close-up that Helander sends his way (and let’s just say…there are a lot). But not to be out done, Lang is THE perfect antagonist to this man with his no nonsense cruelty and menace that he brings to this performance. It is hard to say what he does more…say f***er or take off his evil villain glasses whiling glaring menacingly. But the answer doesn’t matter because he is pure rage and evil every single time. They even got Richard Brake (resident villainous character actor of today) to be the KGB Officer who let’s Dragunov off his leash. This cast is filled with enough testosterone to smother the whole country of Finland. 

So…is Sisu: Road to Revenge a satisfying sequel to the unexpected gem? That answer is a resounding YES. This is certainly not a film for everyone. Many will roll their eyes at the nonsensical shenanigans. Others will be repulsed by sheer violence and blood. But if you are ready for one of the most unhinged action movies you have ever seen, get ready. Hope on that train car, hold that Soviet missile nice and tight, and speed into one of the most unrelenting and unabashedly glorious action flicks of all time.