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LIONSGATE

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Jalmari Helander
Cast:
Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan
Writing Credits:
Jalmari Helander

Synopsis:
When an ex-soldier who discovers gold in the Lapland wilderness tries to take the loot into the city, Nazi soldiers led by a brutal SS officer battle him.

Box Office:
Budget
$6 million.
Opening Weekend
$3,330,891 on 1006 screens.
Domestic Gross
$7,265,622.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English Descriptive Audio
Spanish Dolby 5.1
French Dolby 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 91 min.
Price: $39.99
Release Date: 7/11/2023

Bonus:
• “Indestructible” Featurette
• “Pushing the Boundaries of Reality” Featurette
• DVD Copy


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

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-Panasonic DMP-BDT220P Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Sisu [Blu-Ray] (2022)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 16, 2023)

Not too many Finnish movies reach large American audiences, and on the surface, that proves accurate for 2022’s Sisu. With a US gross of a little more than $7 million, it didn’t exactly set box office records.

On the other hand, how many other Finnish films have done even that much business, or gotten fairly wide releases? Sisu found more of an American crowd than usual for Finnish flicks, and it obtained a good niche audience of viewers who dig violent genre tales.

Set in war-torn Finland circa 1944, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) lives a solitary life accompanied only by his dog and his horse. He devotes his days to the search for gold in remote areas, and he eventually discovers a valuable deposit.

As Korpi heads back to town, he encounters a Waffen SS platoon. With the war essentially lost, the Germans adopt a “scorched earth” approach that includes the abduction of Finnish women.

When another squad of soldiers pesters him, Korpi murders the lot, a feat that attracts the attention of SS platoon commander Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie). This leads to many violent confrontations between the Nazis and this one determined – and skilled – man.

Imagine if Quentin Tarantino made a movie that lacked snappy dialogue and you’d have Sisu. Actually, not every Tarantino movie comes with his brisk and clever patter, but nonetheless, that remains a signature trait of his work, one that doesn’t become a factor in Sisu.

Outside of the dialogue, Sisu gives off a very Tarantino vibe, as it feels like an overt callback to genre fare of the 1970s. It comes with a neo-Western feel and goes for the kind of over the top violence Tarantino can embrace.

Speaking of which, Sisu also evokes similarities with the John Wick franchise. Wick and Korpi share clear similarities, as both other legendary killers who just want to be left alone but who get lured back into their violent ways due to the provocation of others.

Heck, both demonstrate intense loyalty to their dogs as well! Sisu never feels like an overt attempt to pilfer from the Wick series, but they do come across like siblings.

That definitely applies to the amount of abuse their protagonists take. Neither Sisu nor the Wick movies resides in anything we’d view as the real world.

Both Wick and Korpi suffer from wounds and injuries that would fell normal men a dozen times over, but they keep on tickin’ nonetheless. Even if we can accept the notion of super-assassins who can take down huge, well-armed masses of opponents – which we can’t logically – the movies snap reality due to the ways their characters survive literally impossible odds.

But that’s what makes movies like Sisu fun, right? A more reality-based version of this story would end in 10 minutes.

Despite – or maybe because of – the ludicrous nature of Sisu, it delivers a pretty entertaining adventure. At a mere 91 minutes, the filmmakers know better than to overstay their welcome.

This makes Sisu a tight affair that lacks flab. It cranks along at a brisk pace and doesn’t waste the viewer’s time with unnecessary drama.

We get to know basics about Korpi and this seems sufficient. We learn just enough to understand the character and his mission, so added details would feel superfluous.

It helps that Tommila plays Korpi as a wholly convincing badass. He brings just the right sense of menace, skill and determination to the part.

As such, we almost buy the insanity on display. No actor could make the story truly believable, but Tommila helps sell the material.

I wouldn’t call Sisu an action classic, as it feels a little too derivative to earn that status. Nonetheless, it works as a violent fantasy.


The Disc Grades: Picture A-/ Audio B+/ Bonus C

Sisu appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with a fine presentation.

Sharpness worked well. Little to no softness emerged here, as the film remained accurate and tight from start to finish.

No issues with moiré effects or jaggies manifested, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws remained absent.

Sisu opted for a standard teal and orange palette, so don’t expect creativity there. Nonetheless, the disc replicated the hues as desired and looked positive within those confines.

Blacks appeared deep and taut, while low-light shots brought appealing clarity and delineation. Expect a solid image here.

With all its violence, Sisu delivered a pretty engaging Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. That said, don’t expect wall-to-wall material.

A fair amount of the film stayed with a quiet tone, and action beats punctuated this vibe. As such, the movie alternated loud shenanigans with stretches of soft, environmental information.

This suited the tale and succeeded in its goals. When allowed to kick to life, the mix brought an engrossing soundscape that placed the viewer firmly in the warfare.

Audio quality satisfied, with music that appeared rich and full. Speech seemed natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.

Effects appeared bold and accurate, and they failed to suffer from distortion or roughness. The soundtrack added to the movie’s impact.

Two featurettes appear, and Indestructible runs 24 minutes, 26 seconds. It provides remarks from writer/director Jalmari Helander, producer Petri Jokiranta, director of photography Kjell Lagerroos, and actors Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan and Onni Tommila.

“Indestructible” looks at the film’s path to the screen and story/characters, cast and performances, locations, action and stunts. This turns into a reasonably informative production overview.

Pushing the Boundaries of Reality goes for 10 minutes, 49 seconds. It features Helander, Jokiranta, and visual effects supervisor Jussi Lehtiniemi.

Here we get info about the effects work done for Sisu. It gives us a useful summary.

A second disc provides a DVD copy of Sisu. It includes the same extras as the Blu-ray.

A mix of Tarantino and John Wick, Sisu provides a violent effort with just enough cleverness to succeed. The movie ladles out the gore but still keeps matters fresh and turns into an engaging fable. The Blu-ray boasts solid picture and audio along with two featurettes. Sisu may not turn into a classic, but it still delivers a rocking action affair.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3.5 Stars Number of Votes: 2
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