History has always been ingrained in cinema in some form – whether retellings of the past or merely works set within specific periods, there has always been a strong sense of urgency when it comes to exploring the past to some degree. Historical films take many different forms, but one that I have personally grown to appreciate is the sub-genre of period drama in which a director decides to set aside the history books (which most certainly sanitize the past to be far less brutal – hence why it is often viewed as a boring subject in school when in reality it can be engaging once we know the full story), and instead pursue a more truthful account of the past. Jalmari Helander, who has already established himself as a fantastic directorial voice, takes this approach in the form of Sisu, which tells the story of a tough-as-nails prospector in pastoral Finland who crosses paths with a group of Nazis, who are hubristic enough to believe that they are any match for someone whose entire life has been driven by mythology around his supposed indestructibility, which leads to a violent showdown across the snow-covered Lapland vistas, which serve as the stage for of the most violent films of the current century. While the specific subject itself is fictional, the overall milieu is not, with the director weaving together fact and fiction to create this enthralling and often quite provocative action drama that requires the audience to suspend some disbelief, but for the sake of surrendering to the outright madness that defines this film, which is as off-the-wall and deranged as it can be, while still maintaining a level of respectability, which is not an easy combination to achieve without some serious work being done, which is the case for this film, which dares to be different and is justly rewarded for taking such a bold risk.

There are ultimately two ways in which we can assess Sisu, which is not a particularly easy film to categorize, let alone begin to describe. On one hand, this is an overly violent film that plays like a humourless pastiche of a Quentin Tarantino film (just without the eccentric charm and renegade atmosphere), while on the other, you have an extremely stylish, well-constructed action drama that sees the potential to tell an interesting story, and is more than willing to take whatever risk was necessary to bring it to life. Regardless of where we find ourselves falling on the spectrum, it is difficult to deny the mastery behind this film. We have seen a steadily growing body of films that rely on limited dialogue, with films like Mad Max: Fury Road and All is Lost showing that the spoken word, while valuable, is not always entirely necessary, and that audiences are more than willing to sit through long stretches without any dialogue, granted what we see on screen is compelling. The story itself already warrants our attention – the character of Aatami Korpi, who is the embodiment of the term sisu (which the film defines as the untranslatable Finnish term meaning personal strength and resilience against all odds), is fashioned as salt-of-the-earth Rasputin, someone who may not necessarily be formally indestructible, but in the words of one of the characters simply “refuses to die”, which is an absurd concept, but one that objectively fits in the world of the film, which takes many liberties, both in terms of how it tells the story, as well as its use of the human body, which it views as almost elastic, capable of far more damage than anyone could ever actually find realistic. This is a lovably ludicrous film that portrays itself as some serious, insightful historical epic, when in reality it is not much more realistic than a work of pure speculation, relishing in its ability to be delightfully implausible, which is quite refreshing for a genre that often depends on realism to be taken seriously.

What many may not realize is that violence can be an art form all on its own. There have been countless examples of films that may be quite paltry in terms of storyline, but make up for it in terms of sheer ambition, which comes through in the form of the visual scope, which sometimes employs violence as its primary modus operandi in telling its story. At some point in the mid-1960s, Hollywood decided that it wasn’t going to continuously sanitize its industry by avoiding depictions of violence, but would rather take the opportunity to creatively explore a style of filmmaking that was rarely given the appreciation it deserved, which is precisely why we have filmmaking who are extremely dedicated to finding the artistic resonance beneath graphic depictions of violence. It should be said that Sisu is not a film for the faint of heart – it is almost entirely wall-to-wall violence, with the director taking every opportunity presented to him to showcase the excess and chaos that exists within the world he created. It may even border on outright maniacal the extent to which he goes to explore this story through the most brutal depiction of violence available to him. Whether or not this was the right choice is open for debate – some may think that this film is just too excessive and that Helander was only telling this story as a way for him to see just how far he can take the viewer before we become too repulsed, while others see it is a work of brilliance, a creative and daring action film that stands at the bleeding edge of the genre, provoking us until we react, which is a surefire signal that his work resonated, even if it is through loud jeers and exasperated horror at the sight of some of his stranger directorial choices. Ultimately, there isn’t any right way to look at this film and how it portrays violence, since this level of excess will always be an acquired taste.

One aspect of Sisu that is almost universally accepted is the performance given by Jorma Tommila, who leads the film as the protagonist, a salt-of-the-earth prospector who not only possesses superhuman strength but also the ability to survive even the most harrowing of ordeals. It takes a great actor to convince us that a character can not only survive several gunshots, an attempt at lynching and a vertical plane crash, but also that it is entirely easy to do, and that anyone is capable with the right mindset. There are a few moments in this film where we have to wonder whether it is trying to be a subtle comedy, or if it is taking itself extremely seriously (both of which are applicable) – but Tommila’s performance constantly reminds us of the dramatic core of this film. It is a challenging performance since it requires the actor to remain entirely silent, with the exception of the final scene, where he utters a single sentence that concludes the film. Sisu relies entirely on physical movement and expressivity to tell its story, and Tommila is perfectly adept at this style, using his body as his tool to construct this challenging character. It’s a very impressive performance that is a lot more nuanced than many of us may imagine based on a cursory glance, and while it often does veer towards the broadly implausible at many points, it doesn’t preclude it from being a genuinely great performance in all the ways that are not only necessary but encouraged. The rest of the cast are decent but are logically just playing second fiddle to Tommila, whose tour-de-force performance anchors the film and keeps it moving along at a steady pace.

Sisu is the very definition of escapist cinema in its purest form. I never advocate for cinema that is at all passive or expects the viewer to “turn off” since all art is valuable and should be appreciated as such. However, what is also true is the fact that some films require some level of abandoning logic, and simply enjoying it for what it is, which is certainly the case here. The director had the opportunity to layer this film with deeper meaning and profound complexity, but he instead chooses to take a common concept as the foundation, and then go in his direction, inviting the viewer to suspend disbelief and blindly accept the nonsensical logic that sometimes before this film. It is a wonderfully entertaining but also very disturbing film, and Helander frequently takes the opportunity to infuse it with even more potential controversy, with the violence being grotesque and graphic, but yet still so oddly beautiful in the context of the surrounding film, which appreciates the art of brutal cinema, even though slightly more control may have been appropriate to fully understand and embrace the film. Dark, twisted and extremely disturbing, but also majorly insightful to certain subjects, Sisu is a fascinating film, and one of the many clear examples of how action cinema is still capable of being exciting while still pushing boundaries, something of which this film makes exceptionally short work.