Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025) Movie ft. Stephen, Richard, and Jorma
Sisu: Road to Revenge returns to theaters as the follow-up to 2022’s surprise success Sisu, featuring the wordless warrior Aatami Korpi once again. Finnish director Jalmari Helander brings back Jorma Tommila in the main role, joined by Stephen Lang and Richard Brake. The movie opened on November 21, 2025, carrying an R rating and lasting 89 minutes.
Set in 1946, Aatami returns to Soviet-controlled Karelia to take apart his childhood home where his family was killed. He plans to transport it back to Finland and rebuild it in their memory. The Red Army discovers his presence and frees Igor Draganov, the officer who murdered his family, from a Siberian prison to eliminate him.
A Straightforward Revenge Tale
The story keeps things uncomplicated. Aatami hauls his dismantled house across hostile territory while enemies pursue him relentlessly. Helander channels the spirit of 1980s and 1990s action films, giving fans of that period something familiar yet fresh.
The pacing never lets up. Chase sequences across Soviet lands involve trucks, bikes, and trains that reminded me of Mad Max: Fury Road. The narrative follows a predictable path, but the inventive action makes up for the familiar structure.
Tommila’s Wordless Performance Dominates
Jorma Tommila proves you don’t need dialogue to command the screen. His character remains silent throughout, expressing everything through movement and looks. This choice amplifies the character’s mystique and makes him feel unstoppable.
Stephen Lang brings ferocity to the Soviet commander role. His exaggerated Russian accent might raise eyebrows, but it fits the film’s heightened reality. Their confrontation on a speeding train becomes the movie’s highlight, delivering the payoff viewers expect.
Action Scenes That Innovate
The fight choreography deserves recognition. Helander’s team crafted creative ways to dispatch enemies that feel both brutal and imaginative. Watching Aatami use ordinary objects as weapons keeps each sequence unpredictable.
Cinematographer Mika Orasmaa captures everything with clarity. The landscapes look harsh yet beautiful, while action stays easy to follow. The camera doesn’t resort to shaky movements that obscure what’s happening, which I appreciated.
Flaws That Weigh It Down
The violence crosses into overkill territory at times. Some graphic moments feel added for shock value rather than serving the story. The continuous brutality might wear on viewers, particularly those who found the original’s violence more measured.
The middle section becomes repetitive. Aatami overcomes one deadly situation, then immediately faces another nearly identical scenario. This loop dulls the impact after a while, making me wish Helander had explored different types of conflict.
Response From Critics And Viewers
Critics embraced the film warmly. Rotten Tomatoes shows 96% approval from 54 reviewers. Metacritic recorded 76 out of 100, reflecting positive reception. Film Threat gave perfect marks, while RogerEbert.com and TheWrap awarded 3.5 out of 4 stars each.
Regular moviegoers responded enthusiastically. IMDb lists 7.4 out of 10 from over 2,200 votes. Fans celebrated how the sequel expanded on the original’s foundation. Several viewers suggested Tommila’s performance merits award consideration despite having no dialogue.
Closing Assessment
Sisu: Road to Revenge offers unrelenting action packaged in a basic revenge framework. Tommila’s physical acting stands out, and the technical work from photography to stunts impresses throughout. Lang provides a strong antagonist, making their final battle satisfying.
The extreme violence and repeated scenarios won’t appeal to everyone though. Emotional depth takes a backseat to spectacle here. The film succeeds as a throwback to classic action cinema with superhuman stunts and lone-wolf heroics.
Rating: 4 out of 5
