Overview
A relentless ex-soldier battles against brutal German forces in a quest for gold and survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- visceral
- relentless
- grimly comic
- action movie night
- adrenaline binge
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film lean, visually assured, and highly entertaining as an exaggerated action spectacle, while acknowledging its intentionally nonsensical premise and extreme violence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Lapland War setting is used for extravagant combat, Nazi pursuit, and cathartic retaliation rather than realist war drama.
Aatami survives repeated attacks while his reputation and survival instinct acquire an almost mythological force.
The barren Lapland wilderness and controlled storytelling contrast with bones snapping, bodies flying apart, and explosive bloodshed.
Finnish mythology and the concept of sisu inform the hero's exceptional persistence within a World War II action narrative.
Films like Sisu, and why
John Wick
Shares lean survival action, extreme violence, relentless pursuit, and a nearly unstoppable protagonist.
Inglourious Basterds
Shares stylized World War II revenge fantasy, maximalist bloodshed, and pulp spectacle.
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Shares solitary survival combat, mythic toughness, and heightened action built around an apparently indestructible veteran.
The Revenant
Shares austere frontier landscapes, sparse dialogue, brutal revenge, and visual influence from classic westerns.
Movie Details
- Director
- Jalmari Helander
- Release Date
- 2022-09-09
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (2988)
Cast
- Jorma Tommila
- Aksel Hennie
- Jack Doolan
- Mimosa Willamo
- Onni Tommila
- Tatu Sinisalo
- Wilhelm Enckell
- Vincent Willestrand
- Arttu Kapulainen
- Elina Saarela
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sisu about?
- A near-mythic Finnish prospector wages a brutally inventive one-man war against retreating Nazi soldiers across the Lapland wilderness.
- What is Sisu like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sisu as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Sisu violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sisu as graphic.
- What did critics think of Sisu?
- Critics broadly found the film lean, visually assured, and highly entertaining as an exaggerated action spectacle, while acknowledging its intentionally nonsensical premise and extreme violence.
- Which films are like Sisu?
- Films with a similar feel include John Wick, Inglourious Basterds, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and The Revenant.
- How long is Sisu?
- Sisu runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sisu?
- In United States, Sisu streams on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
