Sisu: Road to Revenge - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Sisu: Road to Revenge



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
2022’s Sisu was maybe not a PERFECT film, but it was a breathe of fresh air in a world where Hollywood had basically been lambasted upside the head with a veritable 2x4 in the form of Covid-19. Midst an entire 2 year period where everything was just “made for streaming” films with subpar plots, cheap marketing, and crummy effects, Sisu was what we all wanted. Something “fun”, with lots of action, light on plot, and a sense of raw authenticity that was antithetical to the formulaic flicks coming out the last few years. Fast forward 3 more years, and we finally get a sequel to the dark horse film. And just like most sequels, it’s bigger, bolder, and ups the ante on the almost cartoonish violence that the first film was so famous for.

The film picks up about a year after the events of the first ilm, with the legendary “immortal” Finnish commando returning home to Karelia in the USSR, where his wife and children were murdered 6 years ago. Tearing his home down to the last board, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) packs it up and heads back to Finland to rebuild his home once more. But as you already know, Aatami is not going to be me with zero resistance. If you remember the legend from the first film, Aatami’s wife and kids were murdered by Soviet soldiers, which caused him to come in and slaughter 300 Russian soldiers as punishment. And now that he’s done fighting the Nazis and returned to his old home, a lone Russian KGB officer (played by Richard Brake) unleashes Yeagor Dragunov (Stephen Lang), the man who was in charge of the murders (who was rotting in prison), in order to take care of Aatami once and for all.

And yeah, the film goes exactly how you would expect if you’ve seen the first film. Yeagor Dragonuv sets after Aatami with a squad of Russian soldiers, and Aatami gets shot, stabbed, beaten, and basically turned into a walking dead man….only to come out the other side slaughtering everyone that Dragonuv sends after him. Initially I was reticent on there being a sequel, as Sisu worked very well as an open and shut film that worked solely in its own universe. It was like John Wick. A near perfect action film that was so much fun that most of us didn’t want a sequel to sully its name. That being said, I’m won over after my viewing. The film goes bigger, crazier, and in many ways, follows the rote path of “one upmanship” that so many sequels fall into. But it somehow manages to be NEARLY as good as its predecessor in just about every aspect.

As I mentioned above, Road to Revenge amps up the volume a bit, and pulls some absolutely insane stunts that turn Aatami into a literal immortal freak of nature. I mean, we have Aatami LITERALLY flipping a tank to get over a border entry point, as well as takes on multiple airborne bombers in a beaten up road truck. But who cares, those nitpicks aside, Sisu: Road to Revenge is a fun flick that takes the premise of the first movie, and makes it a little more emotional and intimate. The first film was simply him wanting to kill a bunch of Nazis who are trying to take his gold. Here it’s personal. He’s gone back to his old home and wants to rebuild, and now has to take on the very man who murdered his family.

And while I loved the casting in the original film, adding Stephen Lang as the villain was a stroke of genius. Lang has made a career out of playing nasty, arrogant, military villains who mustache twirl and monologue about their superiority. As such, he plays off Jorma Tommila’s dead silence (the man never speaks. He only screams and grunts) perfectly, acting as a mirror image foil to Aatami’s terrifying silent killer persona.




Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language




Video:

Much like its predecessor, Road to Revenge features a stunning digital shoot that is shiny, glossy, and yet gritty at the same time. Fine details are abundant and copious, with 89 minutes of up close looks at Aatami’s cut up and destroyed body. There’s more obvious CGI in the film than the first one, with the tank flip and a few of the plane fights looking a bit fake. But other than that, this is still a wildly good practical effects driven film that makes great use of fake blood, attached prosthetic effects, and the general destruction of a LOOOOOOT of vehicles. Black levels are deep and inky, with only a few moments of what I would consider crush (and I really didn’t see any banding ant all).









Audio:

As per usual, Sony relegates the Atmos track to the 4K UHD steelbook, and relegates the poor ole Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. All jokes aside, this is not new for Sony, and Sony’s 5.1 mixes are stellar. And following historical precedent, Road to Revenge’s 5.1 track brings the pain. Virtually the entire film takes place in the outdoors, with tons of environmental effects coming through from literally EVERY angle. Whether they be planes screaming in for an attack run, explosions as Aatami mercilessly blows up his enemies, or the rumble of a tank as it rattles across the frozen terrain. Bass is powerful and deep, while dialog crisp and cleanly located in the front of the room. I did notice that the overall DB’s needed a couple of clicks on the receiver higher to get to reference level, but once there the mix more than capable.









Extras:

• Upping Ante
• Alternate Ending
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Now that Hollywood has gotten back on their feet (for the most part) and is pumping out more quality content, Sisu: Road to Revenge doesn’t stand out as shocking or as exciting as the original did due to the lack of content. But at the same time, it’s nice to see a sequel live up to the hype of its predecessor, and give us a good old fashioned ACTION movie without all the Marvel quipping and humor. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great as expected, with the only flaw in the entire packaging being the very mediocre extras (including the trailer, less than 14 minutes of extras). All in all, highly recommended for lovers of brutal action flicks.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jorma Tommila, Stephan Lang, Richard Brake
Directed by: Jalmari Helander
Written by: Jalmari Helander
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French (Canada) DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R
Runtime: 89 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 17th, 2026

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Jon Liu]

Thanks for the review. I thoroughly enjoyed the original, but had apprehension about the 2nd one. I’ve read mixed impressions, so I’ve waffled back and forth on getting it…

It sounds like I’d like it if I took it at face value.