WARNING! This article contains minor SPOILERS for Sisu!Sisu revives one of the most nonsensically thrilling parts about Inglourious Basterds that hasn’t been seen on such a grand scale in the 14 years since. Taking revenge on Nazis has become an increasingly common theme in action movies and series, with the depictions of Nazi hunting becoming even gorier in the 21st century. Some of the most violent and iconic media representations of taking down Nazis include Amazon Prime’s Hunters, Green Room, and Quentin Tarantino’s revisionist history movie Inglourious Basterds (2009), the latter of which was nominated for Best Picture at the 2010 Oscars. Jalmari Helander’s Sisu now joins the violent Nazi killing subgenre that calls back to the brutalities of Tarantino’s feature.

The cast and characters of Sisu work to tell the story of Aatami Korpi, a Finnish gold miner in 1944 who battles a ruthless platoon of Nazis attempting to seize his considerable collection of gold. However, the Nazis soon discover that the man they stole from is a legendary veteran of the Winter War nicknamed “Koschei,” who is regarded for his ability to evade death. The one-man army stabs and destroys a hoard of Nazis in manners that are so absurdly gory they’re humorous, making for one of the most fun Nazi revenge experiences since 2009, when Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine led Inglourious Basterds’ title Nazi-killing team.

Sisu Is The Best Gory Nazi Revenge Story Since Inglourious Basterds

Nazis have become staple villains for many action movies, such as the Indiana Jones franchise using Nazis as Harrison Ford’s foes in three of the five films. As the rating system became more lenient, the overindulgent gore in Nazi-battling movies also increased, leading to the prime example of Inglourious Basterds’ characters scalping Nazis, setting Nazis on fire, and graphically depicting a Nazi-hunter gunning down Hitler. Various films have tried their hands at critically-acclaimed Nazi-killer thrillers in the 14 years after Inglourious Basterds. Still, none have been able to repeat the same well-crafted level of fun intrigue, captivating filmmaking, and satirically absurd gore until Sisu.

Sisu debuted with an impressive 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating widespread critical acclaim. This score is similar to 2009’s Inglourious Basterds, which today holds an 89% positive score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While Sisu’s minimized storytelling and character building may keep it from achieving the same Oscars recognition as Inglourious Basterds, Helander’s film is a well-crafted pastiche that gives action enthusiasts a taste of what has been missing in the Nazi-killing subgenre since Tarantino's alternate history film. With a dash of John Wick-style action and Inglourious Basterds’ 1944-set anti-Nazi zeal, Sisu’s fictional one-man World War II battle satisfyingly reinvigorates the art of graphically taking down history’s worst villains.

Sisu Also Brilliantly Borrows From A Beloved 2014 Action Movie

Inglourious Basterds isn’t the only hit action movie that Sisu revives, as the road chase battles, female hostages-turned-warriors, and minimal dialogue in favor of letting actions speak calls back to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Regarded as a quintessential action movie, Mad Max: Fury Road doubtlessly inspired – or shared similar influences for – the genre styles and battle set-up of Sisu, as the 2014 movie followed one man contending with a ruthless army in the middle of nowhere, and is later aided by the villain’s captive wives. Intentionally or not, the critically-acclaimed Nazi-killing movie Sisu thus combines some of the most notable aspects of Inglourious Basterds, Mad Max: Fury Road, and John Wick into one thrilling 91-minute package.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes