What’s it about?

In the closing days of World War 2, a solitary prospector in Northern Finland has a run-in with retreating Nazis on a scorched earth retreat.

What’d we think?

Nazi Slaughter movies have been a staple of low-budget horror and action cinema for decades, and Sisu is a prime example of this cathartic little subgenre. It’s incredibly fun, completely over-the-top, and really well put together. We briskly set up our sympathetic protagonist – after a bunch of hard work, our prospector strikes it lucky, and heads into town with his horse, his cool dog, and sacks full of gold. There wouldn’t be much of a movie if the retreating Nazis just gave him a nod and drove past, so the movie turns neatly into a Messed With The Wrong Guy kinda action-adventure filled with some really creative action setpieces, wonderfully dark humour, and good old-fashioned Nazi killing.

It’s a great-looking movie, nailing the stunning opening scenes of the Lapland wilderness as well as the more dynamic action sequences, and even at a tight 90 minutes it’s short and to the point without ever feeling rushed. Sisu’s dark humour and the sheer brutality of the action make it a great movie to see with an audience, and it’s an easy movie to recommend