Writer-director Jalmari Helander brings gold, glory, and plenty of gore to Susi, a film which tells the story of Aatami (Jorma Tommila), a legendary former Finnish soldier, who first finds gold then finds ways to protect his treasure, no matter the odds. What transpires is ridiculously over-the-top, but it intrigues and engages viewers throughout its 91-minute run time to come through enough to be entertaining, despite some preposterous outcomes. Nearing the end of the Second World War, the Germans know they are facing defeat while destroying whatever they encounter while traversing Finnish Lapland. Deep inside this wilderness is Aatami, a hard-working miner, who is a man of few words yet has a famous past. When he stumbles upon a significant amount of gold, he knows there's a fortune waiting for him in a Helsinki bank, if he can make it there. To do so, he must achieve the impossible, out-battle and outwit a whole regiment of Nazis under the command of SS Obersturmführer (Lieutenant) Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie). The mission starts out with Nazi soldiers laughing at the seemingly incompetent and naïve aging man. It doesn't take long for them to realize he is much more than he seems; he may even be immortal. The movie is split up into several chapters, letting the audience know what to expect next. This turns out to be fine, as long as one understands that it's not a film to take seriously, and the predictability level is quite high. The first two chapters are crucial as they garner interest in the story itself and catapult it into action. For a while, all viewers see is Aatami living and working in the wilderness. No words are uttered, but none are needed as anyone paying attention can appreciate his work ethic and begin to root for him. Starting with the minefield chapter, though, almost everything that follows is exaggerated or overblown. This doesn't make anything less fascinating, but it does add eyerolls and headshaking with a few moments in the final third laughably absurd. For moviegoers who can just shut their logic off and take in the folklore and excitement (and don't mind the blood and violence that can make spectators squirm), it is quite highly entertaining; for others who like to connect the dots and need a certain amount of reason or historical accuracy, it can be a distraction. But then again, the latter is not what this film is about; it's about an alternative reality showcasing a one-man wrecking crew with white-knuckle courage overcoming all odds and blowing up anything in his way, and even doing so with some help by some female captives he frees and to whom he somehow communicates an operation without saying a word but only gestures. Unrealistic, it is but boring, it is not. The soundtrack and cinematography also play an important role, helping to balance out a minimal script. These components help tell the story and do so well. Guttural, low-pitch sounds play across the scorched landscape, adding to the atmosphere. The camera work is on point, capturing intense and interesting angles to accurately convey the story in the absence of dialog. Ultimately, it bumps it up enough to make Sisu a nugget worth discovering; that is, if one can get past the excessive.
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