SISU (streaming May 16th 2023)

[Heavy Metal Spike]

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To repeat a comment from one of my old workmates after raiding Brad Pitt's washing line . . . I'll keep this brief.

Like a WWII cross between the original Rambo movie, John Wick, and Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. Gloriously OTT and SO OBVIOUSLY not out of Hollywood.

Trust me. Watch it. You won't be disappointed. Best new film I've watched this year (so far).

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[Ant]

What he said. It's a riot!

[Tim Fortuna]

It's on my list. Thanks for the reminder.

[Buc Wheat]

what's it streaming on?

[Heavy Metal Spike]

what's it streaming on?

Amazon (PRIME) was where I spotted it - it's probably available elsewhere though.

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[Buc Wheat]

Found it on Starz and watched it yesterday! Enjoyed it, but can you explain how the
hell that damn dog found him at the end???!

[bucketfoot-al]

Hmmm ... if it was a US film I would assume it was pure unadulterated dreck like that similar Tarantino nonsense with Mr. Pitt ... but this being a Finnish film ... and now that I've read what the title actually stands for ... I'm genuinely intrigued!

"SISU" - "Sisu is a Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by Finns to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a single-word literal equivalent in English."

Just saw the trailer - it definitely looks "OTT" in an insanely delicious way ... historically though ... I am bothered a bit by the fact that the Finns were ALLIED with the Nazis in WW2. The movie would have far more historical cache with me if it was the (more historically accurate) RUSSIANS that were the villains who become the object of his "SISU", given the brutality of the unprovoked Russian invasion known as the 1939-1940 "Winter War". Ah, yes - but they are still next door - and the Nazis are not. Better not to provoke them. Obviously. Carry on.

P.S. There is a Serbian word that "is generally considered not to have a single-word literal equivalent in English", too. "INAT". But a discussion of that strength/curse of the Serbian national character cannot be had in a paragraph, unlike "SISU".... its a lot more complicated ... (just Google it if interested ... and 2 hours of reading later you still won't quite understand it) ... it takes a special kind of courage/insanity to continuously spit in the face of superior might regardless of the predictable consequences ... whether its the Turk - for 4 centuries (!), the Kaiser and the Emperor in 1914, or Hitler in 1941 ... not saying its a productive way to live life ... cause its really not ... anyway ... I've got nothing more ...

[bucketfoot-al]

The problem is that this is definitely NOT the kind of movie I can watch with my wife ...

[Buc Wheat]

Just saw the trailer - it definitely looks "OTT" in an insanely delicious way ... historically though ... I am bothered a bit by the fact that the Finns were ALLIED with the Nazis in WW2. The movie would have far more historical cache with me if it was the (more historically accurate) RUSSIANS that were the villains who become the object of his "SISU", given the brutality of the unprovoked Russian invasion known as the 1939-1940 "Winter War". Ah, yes - but they are still next door - and the Nazis are not. Better not to provoke them. Obviously. Carry on.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing as I watched this.

After living in Norway for 3 yrs, my next door neighbor (in his 80's) told me stories of how the Gestapo's house was at the top of
our street and how, still today, they hated how the Finns let the Nazi's walk right thru them.

[bucketfoot-al]

Just saw the trailer - it definitely looks "OTT" in an insanely delicious way ... historically though ... I am bothered a bit by the fact that the Finns were ALLIED with the Nazis in WW2. The movie would have far more historical cache with me if it was the (more historically accurate) RUSSIANS that were the villains who become the object of his "SISU", given the brutality of the unprovoked Russian invasion known as the 1939-1940 "Winter War". Ah, yes - but they are still next door - and the Nazis are not. Better not to provoke them. Obviously. Carry on.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing as I watched this.

After living in Norway for 3 yrs, my next door neighbor (in his 80's) told me stories of how the Gestapo's house was at the top of
our street and how, still today, they hated how the Finns let the Nazi's walk right thru them.

Yup, since Norway was occupied for 5 years, I can understand where he was coming from. As far as the Finns go, deciding to end their advance at the pre-Winter War boundary lines between Finland and the Soviet Union - as well as to decline to join in the attack on Leningrad, and Field Marshall Mannerheim declining Hitler's in-person offer to take overall command of the Northern group attacking Leningrad, saved Finnish independence post-war.

His reference to "Finns letting the Nazis walk right through them". That sounds like a reference to Finland's 1944 decision to allow retreating Eastern Front Wehrmacht troops to withdraw across its territory. They could hardly do anything else - given that the Germans had been their allies and were still supplying them with weapons, with the new Russian threat looming. They basically went neutral at that point, and not advancing past the original borders allowed them to keep their moral authority post-war - and their independence.

People today are ignorant of the fact that Stalin was every bit as responsible for starting WW2 as was Hitler, and had every bit as much innocent blood on his hands. Hitler could not have attacked Poland without Russian agreement. Stalin then invaded the Eastern half of Poland, "liquidating" hundreds of thousands of Polish officers and intellectuals, then invaded Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with the same NKVD massacres following close on the Red Army's heels, and also invaded and annexed the Bessarabia region of Romania. All while Hitler was tearing his way through Central and Western Europe.

Operation Barbarossa allowed Stalin to get Western aid and claim the high moral ground that he did not deserve.

He and Hitler were two-of-a-kind.

[belrog999]

Bought the blu ray when it was released. Awesome movie!!
Steve