PLOT: Set in 1946, two years after the primary movie, the conflict is over however the fallout stays. Massive parts of Finland have been claimed by Russia, with the Pink Military ruling the border with an iron fist. Right here we discover Korpi (Jorma Tommila), making an attempt to return house, solely to find his land now lies on the Soviet aspect. Whereas tragic for him, it seems to be far worse for them. As Korpi wanders the ruins of his house, we study extra about his previous: his household 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 stays of his house, discovering a photograph of a household lengthy misplaced. On the wall, he traces the notches the place he measured the peak of his son as he grew. In a sobering contact, he dismantles his home plank by plank, intent on carrying the wooden again throughout the border to rebuild, a transferring image of each loss and hope in his quest to search out some a lot wanted internal peace.
In the meantime, Draganov languishes in a Serbian jail till his previous normal (performed with trademark menace by Richard Brake) informs him that the monster he created has returned. Launched like a rabid canine from his chain, Draganov units out to lastly destroy Korpi as soon as and for all. The stage is ready for a bloody sport of cat and mouse.
REVIEW: The person who simply received’t die is again. Within the first Sisu, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) was there to do one factor and one factor solely: killing Nazis. And boy, did the movie ship. Villains had been blown up, crushed, stabbed, and ripped aside in wildly ingenious methods, every kill incomes thunderous cheers from the viewers I noticed it with. Now, the so-called Koschei (The Immortal) returns in Sisu: Highway to Revenge. This time, his sights are set on the Pink Military, and a determine from his previous who’s lengthy overdue for a brutal demise. However does the sequel (which we caught at BeyondFest in LA) reside as much as its blood-soaked predecessor?
Like a Finnish Terminator by means of Charlie Chaplin, Tommila instructions the display with out uttering a phrase. His uncooked physicality and tightly wound emotion inform us all the things we have to know. Korpi is an anchor, tethering us to the true emotion and stakes whereas all the things round him turns into more and more insane. There’s by no means a wink, or a break in his portrayal that betrays the truth of his world. Korpi is an unstoppable machine, but behind the facade we sometimes glimpse actual humanity. With out giving an excessive amount of away, there’s a second the place he permits his partitions to come back down a bit that had the viewers genuinely touched. It s not one thing we get to see from this character a lot, so when it lastly happens, it lands with surprising poignancy.
On the opposite aspect of the battlefield, the movie advantages from the welcome addition of two style heavyweights. Stephen Lang as soon as once more proves why he’s a go-to villain, donning a Soviet uniform and gleefully chewing the surroundings because the menacing Igor Draganov. It’s clear he’s having enjoyable with the position, leaning into the insanity and letting free. His Russian accent sometimes veers into the cartoonish, extra “Boris and Natasha” than cold-blooded commander, nevertheless it oddly works, particularly since he’s handed a lot of the movie’s one-liners and darkly comedic beats. Alongside him, Richard Brake steps in as a Pink Military normal, delivering his trademark menace and gravitas. Whereas typecasting could be a double-edged sword, his presence immediately alerts to the viewers precisely what sort of hazard this character embodies, giving the position speedy weight.
However let’s get to what you’re actually questioning: what in regards to the kills? I’m joyful to report that Highway to Revenge delivers the carnage with gleeful abandon. This film is aware of precisely what it’s and why you’re right here. Sequels typically stumble when attempting to up the ante, however this one leans confidently into its cartoonishly violent tone. Assume macabre Looney Tunes with out the winks. And we’re speaking full tilt bonkers. From improvised weaponry to human explosions, the movie levels one wild crowd-pleasing second after one other. A couple of of those moments made it to the trailer, which is actually a little bit of a disgrace, as they play so a lot better as a shock. One crowd-pleasing set piece particularly defies gravity in a manner that might make Depraved jealous. Whereas none fairly high my private favourite kill from the primary, the “human snorkel” second, there are many kills followers can be buzzing about on the best way out.
The route by Jalmari Helander is regular and guaranteed, delivering an intense but fastidiously guided thrill journey. The movie’s visible language, significantly in its quieter moments, typically looks like a Sergio Leone western, a becoming alternative given the stoic, silent hero that Tommila embodies. Helander levels motion sequences with precision, some clearly nodding to his contemporaries. A lot of the movie unfolds as a high-octane chase, with one standout sequence taking part in like an homage to Mad Max: Fury Highway, as a pack of closely armored motorcyclists pursues Aatami down a hostile street. One shot even looks like a direct visible reference to Fury Highway. There are additionally winks to different motion greats, together with a “John McClane moment” that Sisu cleverly one-ups. Altogether, the 2 Sisu movies really feel like throwbacks to gritty Nineteen Seventies cinema, half western, half pulp, the place the heroes had been silent, the villains had been heightened, and finally decreased to little greater than a puddle.
However the true triumph of Helander’s route is that we by no means lose sight of the movie’s core, even amid the chaos. His skill to make us care so deeply a couple of easy pile of wooden is a testomony to his ability in emotional storytelling. Each exhausting knock the planks take, each swerve of the truck, we really feel it proper together with Korpi. Not like the stash of gold within the first film, this splintering MacGuffin carries way more emotional weight.
Highway to Revenge is a feast of carnage, grit, and darkish humor, elevated by Tommila’s stoic efficiency and Helander’s assured route. It’s greatest skilled massive, loud, and with a crowd able to cheer. Brutal, ridiculous, and oddly transferring, this sequel proves the legend of Koschei the Immortal has loads of blood left to spill.
