“Sisu: Road to Revenge” is the second chapter in the saga of Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila), the Finnish badass who brutally killed a TON of Nazis who tried to steal his gold in 2022’s “Sisu.” In the sequel, Aatami, a man of few words, dismantles his family home after the Red Army moves the borders of his country. His plan? Drive the materials to a new homeland and rebuild. But given all the blood on his hands from the first movie, a Soviet Red Army leader (Richard Brake) hires the violent officer who killed Aatami’s family (Stephen Lang) to eliminate the patriarch next. Variety spoke with Jalmari Helander, the films’ Finnish writer and director, after its Fantastic Fest world premiere to break down why he wrote a sequel, the hazards of having blood-filled setpieces and potential sequel plans.
What inspired you to make a sequel?
Sony wanted me to do a sequel, and I had an idea for it, but then I decided that it wasn’t good enough. Then my producer, Petri [Jokiranta], made me think harder because he said, “But we kind of promised that he can do it.” So one day I got the idea of him going to get his home back, which I thought was a really good idea. It was good enough that I will have the balls to actually try to do a better film than “Sisu,” because, of course, I needed to do that, or think at least that I will do that.
How do you come up with the ideas of these set pieces, with planes and trucks and tanks all used as vehicles of destruction?
I’m doing something other than trying to have ideas like that. I always remember the best ones. I remember where I was when I had the weird idea of Aatami sucking oxygen out of Nazi lungs. It’s funny when it happens, when it suddenly comes.
How did Stephen Lang end up as the villain?
It was Sony’s idea to ask him, because I was thinking someone younger. But when I heard that idea, it felt so obvious that “Yes, it has to be Stephen Lang.” And there’s some kind of similarity in Steven and in Jorma, how they are, and it worked beautifully.
Richard Brake also joins the film. What was it collaborating with him?
It was really cool. He was really into it, and he really liked the first “Sisu.” He was really happy to come for the second one. They were really nice guys, and I don’t even have to lie when I say that. Everyone is always saying, “Yeah, we had the best crew and the actors were wonderful.” Usually they are not, probably, but this time they were really nice.
When it comes to taking a ton of damage without dying, how do you kind of find that line between man and superhero for Aatami?
I’m not sure. I think I’m crossing the line constantly, but that’s what I try to do. I’m trying to find where the limit is. And sometimes I cross it and take a step back, but it doesn’t happen very often nowadays. It’s like hiding the knife in your leg. [Editor’s note: In one scene, Aatami opens up a wound on his leg, in which he had hidden a long knife under his skin.] My original idea is was that he was hiding more things. He actually had a pistol in his stomach.
What are some of the movies that inspired you for this film?
Indiana Jones for sure, and some old Bond films also. It has a similar kind of fun action in it. Those probably are the biggest influences.
Why do you think that it’s so satisfying for people to watch Nazis and members of the Soviet Red Army get blown up?
I think that people love to see when bad guys get their ass kicked in a proper way. We live in a world where it seems like that’s not happening, and movies are a good place to do things that make people happy.
There’s so much blood in this movie. Was it hard to keep continuity when doing second takes?
If we’re doing something like the shootout in the train, it’s a one-take wonder because there are so many squibs going on and it’s really expensive and time-consuming. Having all that set up takes more than one day. I’m just hoping for the best when it goes off, because you don’t reset it like that.
How are you able to be so economical with your storytelling and still get across Aatami’s pain and anguish?
I know that I need to do my work really well with the emotional stuff in the beginning to set the story up so that you really feel for Aatami and you are interested in his actions, and you want him to get that house, and you hope for best things for him. If I can manage to do that in the beginning, then I have permission to blow everything up and have some fun with it.
This movie ends with a rare moment of relief for Aatami. Was that always the goal?
Yeah, it was one of the things I invented very early on, how I want this to end. There’s something really cool with the last scene of the film.
Do you have ideas for what a third adventure could look like, potentially?
I have ideas, but I’m not sure if that’s going to happen ever, but you never know.
Have you thought about Aatami’s life as a younger man? Maybe a prequel?
I’ve thought it through, how was his life before, especially when I was making the second one: His family and the war and what the war did to him and all that.
Watch the “Sisu: Road to Revenge” trailer below.