Review of Sisu (2023) by Jamess — 29 May 2023

I believe Roger Ebert once said something along the lines of "a successful movie, in terms of storytelling, should be able to be played with the sound off ". Sisu is a brilliant example of that theory.

The chief protagonist never speaks, and there are entire scenes that rely mostly on image and performance. This film should do for Jalmari Helander (Rare Imports), as it eventually did for Tommy Wirkola, going from his early Dead Snow to the recent wildly entertaining Violent Night.

Sisu doesn't go for flashy camera moves, no drones or "oners" or even zooms, just beautiful cinematography and precise editing. Violent and over-the-top, but it's main character is almost more myth than man, and it makes his constant survival fit the story.

A lean, mean 90ish minutes, and thank goodness for that.