Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025) [Movie Review]: An uproarious, unrelenting road opera of pure action

Sisu: Road to Revenge picks up the mythology of Aatami Korpi and turns it into a relentless, chaptered chase movie. Jalmari Helander returns as writer-director and doubles down on the elements that made the original a cult favourite: mythic physicality, inventive kills and an almost silent, indestructible protagonist. The film is structured as a series of titled set pieces — a decided nod to serial-era cinema — and runs lean (about 88 minutes) while escalating its stakes from foot soldiers to motorcycles, planes and improvised tanks.

Story & screenplay

Simple premise, escalating inventiveness

The screenplay is gloriously uncomplicated: Korpi is moving the salvaged pieces of his old life across a hostile landscape when a vengeful Red Army officer, Igor Draganov, is dispatched to hunt him. What follows is less about plot twists and more about momentum. Helander trades subtlety for kinetic clarity; the narrative functions as a scaffold for action. Because the film knows exactly what it is — an old-school revenge-chase executed with modern imagination — it rarely gets bogged down in exposition. The trade-off: character depth gives way to myth-making, but that’s largely the point.

Performances

Physicality and presence over dialogue

Jorma Tommila continues to define the role by force of presence rather than verbosity; his Korpi is a silent storm, a man of bruises and barely contained grief. Opposite him, Stephen Lang’s Igor Draganov almost steals the film with a monstrous, theatrically menacing turn — the kind of performance that elevates a stock villain into a memorable antagonist. Richard Brake brings relish to the chaos, adding colour to the film’s rogue gallery. These are performances built on posture and commitment: when the actors lean into the absurdity, the movie rewards them.

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Direction & technical craft

Helander’s choreography is the movie’s compass

Helander and cinematographer Mika Orasmaa collaborate on set pieces that read like slapstick at highway speed. The visual language borrows from Looney Tunes and silent-era physical comedy, then straps explosives to it. Editing is taut for most of the ride; Helander times punches, crashes and pratfalls with a comic precision that keeps the viewer breathless. The movie frequently asks you to suspend physics — and you will, because Helander stages each impossible stunt with such confidence that it becomes its own aesthetic.

Action choreography & set pieces

Escalation as exhilaration

From an early “Motor Mayhem” sequence to an audacious plane-versus-vehicle encounter, the film stacks gimmick on gimmick until the thrills feel inevitable and earned. Each chapter raises the creative bar: masked bikers, aerial interdiction, inventive use of Korpi’s lumber-laden cargo — all executed with surprising ingenuity. The kills are inventive and often cartoonishly brutal, but that tonal commitment keeps the violence stylised rather than gratuitous.

What works and what doesn’t

Pure entertainment with occasional shortcuts

Where the film soars is in its refusal to dilute spectacle with needless complexity. It’s a compact, gleeful exercise in escalation that respects the audience’s appetite for spectacle. Where it stumbles is emotional layering: the sequel leans into myth at the expense of interiority, and viewers seeking subtle character work may find themselves wanting. But if you go to this movie for a tightly wound action carnival, you’ll leave satisfied.

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Final verdict

A fun, furious follow-up that knows its mission

Sisu: Road to Revenge is an unapologetic action sequel that improves on its antecedent by amplifying scale, humour and inventive choreography. With committed leads, bold set pieces and Helander’s singular directorial voice, it’s a visceral, often hilarious homage to the art of physical cinema. It may not be quietly profound, but as a pure, escalating revenge ride, it more than earns its three-and-a-half stars. Board the vehicle, hang on — it’s worth the trip.

Overall Rating: ★★★⯪☆ (3.5/5)