Do you like watching Nazis get their comeuppance? How about seeing a grizzled action hero who continuously surprises you with his sheer badassery? If you do, then Sisu is definitely worth your time.

Synopsis: Set during the Lapland War, prospector Atami (Jorma Tormmila) finally strikes gold. His excitement is short-lived however, as he comes across a regiment of fleeing Nazis who decide to take his gold for their own. The nazis excitement is also short-lived though, because Atami just happens to be a legendary “one man kill squad” who decides to slaughter them all for being total dicks.

First Things First: I was expecting Ataami to brutally kill Nazis in increasingly violent ways, but what I wasn’t expecting was how creative he was going to get. There’s a sequence in the trailer involving a landmine that I was sure was going to be the best part in the entire movie, but it’s barely in the top five!

Second Things Second: Jorma Tormmila does an excellent job portraying Atami, and the way the film builds him up as someone who embodies the Finnish word “sisu” (essentially perseverance and strength) is terrific. Whether it’s a tale being told about him or another feat of survivability, Atami constantly shocks you with how absurdly durable and determined he is, and it’s a genuine treat every time a scumbag soldier in Atami’s sights finds out how completely and utterly outmatched they are.

Not Gonna Lie: This is an extremely minor nitpick, but Sisu’s supporting characters feel like an afterthought. There’s a group of women who are initially held captive by the Nazis, and while they play a significant – albeit small – role in the story, the movie never really knows what to do with them. Sisu is a brisk 90 minutes, and while I often champion movies that can do everything it wants in such a short span of time, just one extra scene could’ve gone a long way here.

Favorite Line: I’m not gonna spoil it here, but it’s the very last one in the movie, and it is delivered perfectly.

Does the dog/pet/animal die?:

-SPOILERS-

Dog fans can rest easy, as none of the canine stars are harmed or killed. Horse lovers are in for a real, real rough time though…

-SPOILERS END HERE-

Final thoughts: If the trailer for Sisu caught your interest, then odds are you will have a good time with the full movie. Whenever it embraces the insanity of a semi senior citizen going BJ Blazkowicz on a group of despicable Nazi scum, it’s a total blast, and the few moments it doesn’t are nowhere near enough to make me think twice about a rewatch in the near future.