Set during the final days of World War II, Sisu boasts an impressive roster of characters, played by a talented cast. Featuring one action set piece after another, Sisu brims with relentless gore as it follows the journey of an unforgiving former commando named Aatami, who stands tall in the face of danger and stops at nothing to serve justice to wrongdoers. Owing to his unrelenting grit and determination, he goes on a rampage against Nazis when they attempt to steal gold from him.
While Sisu's one-man death squad narrative may seem familiar, the movie is already being lauded by critics for its crowd-pleasing delivery of exactly what it promises. Given how it is Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander's third film after his critically acclaimed Big Game and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, its early critical acclaim is not surprising. However, other than Jalmari Helander's directorial forte, Sisu's success can also be attributed to its stunning cast and well-written character beats.
Jorma Tommila as Aatami Korpi
As Sisu's trailer reveals, Aatami Korpi lost his family and home during the world war, but a twist of fate helps him find a goldmine. The Nazis who cross paths with him assume he is a regular miner and try snagging his gold. However, to their dismay, he turns out to be a John Wick-esque veteran killer, determined to ruthlessly destroy each one of them. With this, he becomes the embodiment of the Finnish word "Sisu," which means something along the lines of "extreme determination and resilience." Finnish star Jorma Tommila, best known for his roles in Jalmari Helander's Big Game and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, plays the skilled Aatami Korpi in Sisu.
Aksel Hennie as SS Senior Storm Leader Bruno Helldorf
SS Senior Storm Leader Bruno Helldorf, as his rank suggests, leads the platoon of Nazis who run into Aatami. Although unsuspecting at first, they soon realize that there is more to Aatami than meets the eye. Actor Aksel Hennie, who has over 40 acting credits, portrays the Nazi leader, Bruno Helldorf, in Sisu. He is recognizable for his work in big-budget Hollywood flicks like Ridley Scott's space opera The Martian and Julius Onah's monster flick The Cloverfield Paradox, in which he plays Alex Vogel and Volkov, respectively.
Jack Doolan as Wolf
Alongside Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan plays another Nazi antagonist, Wolf, in Sisu, who faces Aatami's wrath when his platoon messes with the one-man army. Doolan is best known for portraying Horse Tommy in Amazon's sci-fi series The Boys and Tyler Boyce in the BBC sitcom The Green Green Grass. The actor has also starred in Ricky Gervais' Cemetery Junction and was also among the guest cast members of The Bill, Peep Show, and Spooks.
Supporting Cast & Characters
Mimosa Willamo as Aino: Mimiosa Wllamo's Aino is one of the war prisoners held captive by Bruno Helldorf and his Nazi platoon. She is a Finnish Jussi-awarded actress, who has acting credits in movies like Headfirst and Lake Bodom under her belt.
Onni Tommila as Schütze: Onni Tommila, who has previously starred in Jalmari Hellander's two other movies with his father, Jorma Tommila, takes on the role of Schütze in Sisu.
Arttu Kapulainen as Rower: Rower is another Nazi who is unfortunate enough to come face to face with Aatami. He is played by Arttu Kapulainen, who, before Sisu, appeared in The Unknown Soldier, Deadwind, Transport, and a few other Finnish TV shows.
This article was originally published at Screen Rant.
