Sisu (film)

Sisu is a 2022 historical war film written and directed by Jalmari Helander and produced by Petri Jokiranta. The film stars Jorma Tommila, alongside Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willamo and Onni Tommila. It is set during the Lapland War between Finland and Nazi Germany towards the end of World War II, where a legendary Finnish Army commando-turned-gold prospector attempts to defend himself from being robbed and murdered by a Waffen-SS platoon led by an infamously brutal and corrupt officer. Originally, Helander was supposed to work on the science fiction comedy Jerry and Ms. Universe as his next project after Big Game, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed Helander's plan and he moved on to make Sisu. An international co-production between Finland and the United States, the film was shot in 2021 near the Nuorgam village in Utsjoki, Lapland with a budget of about €6 million ($6.5 million). According to Helander, the 1982 film First Blood and the real-life Finnish military sniper Simo Häyhä, who fought against the Red Army, served as inspirations for the film. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the film's worldwide distribution rights outside of the Nordic countries and Lionsgate acquired North American distribution rights to the film from Stage 6 Films. Sisu debuted in the Midnight Madness series at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2022. The film premiered in Finland on 27 January 2023. It was released in the United States on 28 April 2023 and received positive reviews from critics. A sequel, subtitled Road to Revenge, was released on 21 November 2025 to similar positive response.