After the success of the John Wick franchise, many films have tried to imitate its particular brand of hard-hitting action dispensed by a taciturn protagonist, but few have managed to match Keanu Reeves‘ iconic hitman. But there’s one movie that came in John Wick’s wake that was an unqualified success: 2022’s Sisu, a relentlessly fun WWII-set revenge flick from Finland. The first film received instant acclaim for its exuberant action set pieces and the stoic performance of star Jorma Tommila.
Very soon, fans will have the chance to dive back into Sisu‘s bloody world with the highly anticipated sequel Sisu: Road to Revenge, opening on November 21 in the US (or October 22 in Finland, for the diehards who might want to book a flight). Not much has been shared about the upcoming film, but if director Jalmari Helander can recapture the first movie’s intoxicating mix of over-the-top action, grim humor, and righteous fury, expect another violent good time.
What To Expect From ‘Sisu: Road to Revenge’
Based on the limited plot description that has been shared, Sisu: Road to Revenge will find Tommila’s former Finnish Army commando, Aatami Korpi, facing off against the USSR’s Red Army after laying waste to a Nazi battalion in the first film. After narrowly avoiding death by a plane crash at the end of Sisu, Korpi cashes in his gold, uttering his only line in the movie: “Bills. Big ones, please. Won’t be so damn heavy to carry.” Road to Revenge is set to pick up with Korpi as he takes his earnings and returns to his family home after the war, where he dismantles it with the goal of rebuilding it somewhere more peaceful.
But the Finnish Army’s most lethal operative can’t get away so easily, as the Red Army commander responsible for the death of his family returns to finish the job. Will Korpi be able to fight back the Russians and find the peace he deserves? It remains to be seen, but it’s guaranteed he’ll be leaving a lot of bodies in his wake.
One of the chief pleasures of the first film came from watching Korpi fight, shoot, blast, and stab his way through a cast of comically broad Nazi villains, led by the psychopathic commander Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie). Nazis are a pretty safe target for this kind of historical action film, as a group that’s pretty universally agreed to be villainous (at least, under normal circumstances), so it will be interesting to see if the sequel takes a different approach with a different antagonist.
One exciting aspect of the sequel that has already been announced is the casting of actors Stephen Lang and Richard Brake, two character actors who have built careers out of playing heavies. While Brake’s role hasn’t been disclosed (though the glimpse of him in the trailer appears to show him playing another Soviet officer), Lang is set to play the Red Army commander who killed Korpi’s family, which promises a very exciting showdown between two exceedingly grizzled tough guys (not to mention some enjoyably dodgy Russian accents).
Why ‘Road to Revenge’ Is a Likely Success
Returning to the well for a sequel is always a dicey proposition, but Road to Revenge has a lot going for it already. Sisu is a very narratively straightforward film, following Korpi as he battles the Nazis and tries to hold onto his gold. As long as Road to Revenge doesn’t overcomplicate its plot, there’s no reason to think it won’t deliver the same thrills as its predecessor. As fun as they are, the John Wick films became increasingly bogged down by their mythology and world-building as they progressed, which is not an issue that the Sisu films are likely to encounter.
It has also been reported that Road to Revenge has a budget of over $12 million, nearly double that of the first film, so the action set pieces are likely to be even bigger. Between Sisu and his earlier film, the dark Christmas fairy tale Rare Exports, Helander is a filmmaker who knows how to make use of his budget, and it’s very exciting to think about what he could do with his biggest one yet. The trailer certainly promises as much, showing Korpi fighting his way through a train, battling multiple fighter planes, and featuring one very intriguing shot of a very large bomb.
Sisu was the kind of movie that most action fans dream of: a lean, hyper-violent, self-aware, and wildly entertaining revenge tale anchored by a nearly unkillable lead character. At first, it was mostly discussed among cinephiles — a kind of popcorn flick for the arthouse crowd — but now the secret’s out, and reviews so far have been stellar. Road to Revenge has a lot to live up to, but as long as it delivers more of Korpi decimating history’s most villainous goons in increasingly absurd ways, it’s likely to be exactly what it needs to be: a bloody blast. Sisu: Road to Revenge is set to release in US theaters on November 21.
- Release Date
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October 22, 2025
- Runtime
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88 minutes
- Director
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Jalmari Helander
- Writers
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Jalmari Helander
- Producers
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Petri Jokiranta
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Jaakko Hutchings
Soviet Soldier
