Sisu (2023)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Crack To The Egg, May 7, 2023.

  1. Crack To The Egg

    Crack To The Egg Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    In late 1944, during the Lapland War, prospector Aatami Korpi lives alone with only his horse and his faithful dog, in the remote wilderness of Lapland. Aatami spends his days panning and mining in search of gold. After uncovering a rich deposit, he collects a hefty amount of gold nuggets and mounts his horse, heading for the nearest town with his dog in tow. Along the way he encounters Nazi solders who plan to steal his gold, execute him and his dog. That’s the first 10 minutes.

    What follows is a Finish action film where the protagonist doesn’t speak, but demonstrates Sisu (a Finnish word). Sisu is extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity, and courage that is presented typically in situations where success is unlikely.

    Part First Blood, part John Wick, part Indiana Jones, Sisu doesn’t waste time, clocking in at a just perfect 90 minutes. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy the trailer (which is also well done).

     
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  2. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    I second a recommendation for Sisu.

    Please see this before it leaves your multiplex.
     
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  3. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    This was fun. Reminded me a lot of of the Rambo movie from 2008. That is, lots of violence and gore, albeit it has a little more humor here. I never understood how/why Stallone hit on a winning formula with Rambo (2008) and then went backwards for the last movie..... but I digress.

    SISU has a fun story, even if it goes over-the-top in the final sequences. Loved the setting, loved the (relatively) small cast.
     
  4. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    It's absolutely ridiculous - ie, it doesn't exist in the real world - but it's entertaining.

    Feels like Tarantino to me - without the snappy dialogue, but otherwise seemed strongly influenced by QT.
     
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  5. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    It was the same director who did Rare Exports, a truly twisted Christmas story.

     
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  6. user931

    user931 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Arkansas
    Cool I am gonna to add this to my list to watch.
     
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  7. jbmcb

    jbmcb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Troy, MI, USA
    My wife and I watched it on a whim a few years ago. Holy cow that's a weird movie. It really shifts tone from dark and creepy to totally bonkers, to simultaneously horrifying and slapstick, but it all works somehow. Now I'm even more interested in seeing Sisu.
     
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  8. clashcityrocker

    clashcityrocker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great White North
    Saw this last night after hearing about it in the past few weeks and checking out the trailer so I knew what I was getting myself into. Alas, I was completely underwhelmed by this film. I'm a massive fan of the Mad max series/Grindhouse,Splatter, WWII films, Tarantino etc. and while this film pays homage/rips off all these genres it ends up as fulfilling as a Slurpee ® in winter (which some people might like haha). It is a cheaply made (most of the budget is in the CGI) cartoon which celebrates the guts and determination of an one-man army. Firstly the premise of him just innocently searching for gold as WWII rages is um, okay but then he finds it like Daffy Duck (I'm rich, I'm rich) and it looks like what a 10-year-old thinks a vein of gold would look like. So really it's about a dude who after fending off the Russian army as some "immortal" who just wants to strike it rich. But hold on there are Nazis who want the gold too so hell breaks loose and every fascist has to die a gruesome death because well, they are Nazis. It's a shallow cartoon pastiche of violent revenge fantasies as projected by some Tarantino hack. As an intentional comedy I could laugh all my way through the film. It would get 5 stars if it was reviewed on Farm Report with Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurok ("those Nazies blow'd up good!) I love over-the-top nonsense but I found this cheap and insulting. All the indie nerds will herald it as some post-modern classic so all the power to them. For others if you love flying limbs you have found your masterpiece!
     
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  9. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Yeah, I think you were expecting something else. This IS a cartoonish movie with wafer thin characterization and plot. It IS a cheaply made film. But that is why it's fun. Trying to dig deeper into it will only bring disappointment. Better to watch the limbs fly and cheer!
     
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  10. Crack To The Egg

    Crack To The Egg Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    I don’t think you really like grindhouse movies based on your criticisms, but it’s fashionable to say you do.
     
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  11. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I don't know if it's "fashionable" or not. I've been watching (and collecting) Grindhouse movies since the 70's. They have a vibe I really like. Sisu is a thoroughly modern film though. I think it's just that it glories in a bit of gore. It's not trying to tell much of a story, and if realism is your thing.... well you should avoid it. It's your classic popcorn movie.
     
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  12. clashcityrocker

    clashcityrocker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great White North
    okay gatekeeper ya got me. I will throw away all my Sid Haig movies, my Laura Gemser collection, about 30 giallo movies etc. I definitely I'm out of my league here haha. I just thought it was not very good. Now me dropping the SCTV reference was super cool which probably went over your head lol
     
  13. Crack To The Egg

    Crack To The Egg Forum Resident Thread Starter

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  14. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    I see this is available for home video now, so hopefully more people will be able to see it.

    Just to clarify, the movie goes out of its way to let you know that these aren't ordinary German soldiers, but a bunch of rapists led by an SS officer - therefore, richly deserving everything that they get.

    (And there are films with sympathetic German military, like the sailors aboard Das Boot.)
     
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  15. Burnout

    Burnout Deadbeat

    Location:
    Cheung Chau
    Is this also available as subbed?
     
  16. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    All the Germans speak English. The only thing said in Finnish are by the captured Finn women. And the hero only says couple of lines in Finnish. More than 90% of it is English.
     
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  17. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Pretty good. Was expecting better from the trailer. It’s quasi Quentin Tarantino styled with huge chapter lettering. Finish actors playing Germans looked Scandinavian also spoke scandi / English accent. Definitely a dvd purchase if you can’t make it to the cinema.
    The great Norwegian actor Aksel Henni plays the German commander, actor so effective in Headhunters(2011).
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2023
  18. FVDnz

    FVDnz Forum Resident

    Movie was a lotta fun. Wasn't expecting to laugh as much it was warranted. Definitely going into my Top 10 for sure! :)
     
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  19. Bruce Racket

    Bruce Racket Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Watched it over the weekend and really enjoyed it. A completely over the top outlandish action movie. That's all it is and it does it very well.
    The director made another movie called Rare Exports that is required Christmas viewing.
     
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  20. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    From what I've read, this is more related to John Wick than anything about Tarantino, Saw, Mad Max or the other comparisons above. Given how much I love the Wick movies--I'm not the type to love mindless violence, so it's surprising I enjoy those so much--I ordered Sisu (4k steelbook from Best Buy). I figured I'll enjoy seeing a bunch of nazis being murdered in creative ways (although I didn't like the corresponding Tarantino movie). Will check back in once I see it Sisu with other comments.

    I did see Wick 4 and enjoyed it immensely, hard to justify or explain but I just roll with it. If the violence in Sisu is remotely as entertaining, I'm sure I'll like it. Unknown actors is always a plus.

    I get it. I laugh frequently at the John Wick violence. There's a whole art to it, a sort of genre unto itself. Kind of sick considering the mindless violence but there is definitely some sort of humor to it.
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2023
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  21. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    A Killer. Hugely entertaining if you like vengeance movies. Summarized- the Nazis, who are losing the war and know it, steal a Finnish miner's gold- he's got a back story - an unstoppable warrior. What follows, with chapter cards, has a Tarantino-esque quality that eventually goes over the top, but it's good fun if you like "pay-back" with a tad of violence and splatter. Streamed for rental on Amazon Prime.
     
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  22. Omnio

    Omnio _ _ _ ____ ____ _ _ _

    Location:
    El Lay
    I happen to know an Army Ranger guy who has seen a lot (Mogadishu, Bosnia, etc.) and he stopped watching it after 10 mins. He said it was way too far from reality. I suggested him to watch it in the first place b/c I actually liked the movie.
     
  23. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    I liked it as a cartoon type of production more in the vein of 300. I enjoyed it more than Tarantino's films. The unstoppable old gold-prospector character worked for me, and it's never boring to see nazis die in novel ways. I liked the set locations, photography, effects. But I can definitely see why others don't like it.
     
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  24. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    Oh yeah, you picked all the reasons why my lady and I just loved this film and we stay away from movies like Saw, but this is what I call a great revenge film with quality production values. I bought a digital copy of it and we plan to watch it again very soon.
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2023
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