‘Sisu 2: Road to Revenge’ (2025)

The immediate follow-up to ‘Sisu’ (2023), ‘Sisu 2: Road to Revenge’ finds Aatami (Jorma Tommila) in the aftermath of WWII. Travelling into Soviet controlled territory of Karelia, land that was ceded to the Soviet Union as part of the Moscow Armistice peace treaty, Aatami crosses the border to dismantle his house, to rebuild it somewhere safe in honour of his family, who were brutally murdered during the war.

When the Red Army discover Aatami has entered Soviet territory, KGB agents release Yeagor Dragunov (Stephen Lang), the man who brutally murdered Aatami’s family, from a prison in Siberia. Promising Yeagor a pardon, the KGB agents ask him to kill Aatami for his mass slaughter of Soviet troops in the Winter War.

Divided into self-contained chapters, the film opens on Aatami making his way home. Slow and reflective, Aatami makes it past abandoned and destroyed homesteads, displaying the dismal results of the war-scorched land that so many were forced to flee from.

Reaching his home, Aatami examines what remains of his family’s last moments before they had to face the oncoming forces. Heartbreaking and unexpectedly introspective, Tommila conveys the unbearable weight of loss. With his family gone and seemingly nothing left, the man soldiers on as he is determined to honour his kin, despite the unimaginable grief and anguish.

In spite of the emotionally overwhelming return home, returning writer and director of the feature Jalmari Helander quickly moves on to what the original film delivered, - brutal action and exceptional ingenuity in terms of lateral thinking on Aatami’s behalf when it comes to escaping impossible situations. The one man army that is Aatami has packed up his house and trucks back to Finland. Encountering a road check, the film eases into the action with the man disarming and gunning down a small group of Red Army soldiers.

Conveniently packaged into self contained action sequences, each subsequent chapter of the film finds ways to surpass the preceding one in terms of suspense, delivery, amazing stunts and brutal takedowns. Ranging from agents on motorcycles to fighter pilots targeting Aatami and his truck, the man forges ahead until the truck is forced off a cliff, with Aatami seemingly finally defeated.

Unsurprisingly however, Aatami survives, washes up on the shore and chances upon an abandoned tank. What follows can only be fully appreciated when seen. Essentially strapping the logs of his home and explosives he had found with the tank, Aatami drives and flips the tank over the border to evade the Red Army soldiers and Yeagor. Escaping to Finland in an explosive manner, Aatami is still captured and dragged back to Soviet soil to be tortured on a train to Siberia.

With the final showdown taking place on a train, the film may resemble the Indian action thriller ‘Kill’ (2023) in passing, but also manages to forge its own brutal vibe and deliver tension and action in abundance. With the ultimate climax involving Yaegor, the moving train and a live missile, ‘Sisu 2’ surpasses its predecessor and goes out with a memorable bang.

Finding room for emotional closure as well, Aatami finds land to rebuild his family home. Approached by a group of local men, at first apprehensive, Aatami accepts their aid when offered help to rebuild. Beautifully simple, Tommila steals the scene as the man’s fear from the strangers melts away and he finally starts to let his guard down. Bursting into tears, the man can start to rebuild.

Delivering on all fronts action wise, the film scores high marks for its ingenuity. Every time Aatami faces an inescapable situation, the ‘no way out’ sentiment does not seem to register with the character, with Aatami clawing, beating and shooting his way out. Accompanied with a heartfelt prologue and epilogue, the story is excellently bookmarked, allowing the viewers to ease into the story, shoot up to 11 and then ease back down after having experienced the gore fest. Effective, efficient and with no unnecessary filler, ‘Sisu 2’ has earned its place in the action film pantheon.

Score: 4/4