We’ve put it off long enough. The first one was a great action alternative to all the super-real spat of movies that came out after the Wick movies showed folks just how cool that could be. A man made invincible by rage, pushed over the line by everyone’s favorite villains the Nazis, and so many moments that came out of left field it couldn’t be not-entertaining if it tried (unless you really aren’t cool with violence). So of course, when I heard there was a sequel, I bought it day one it came out on streaming - and then promptly threw it on the back-burner while i waited to see if i could get the full force of pals together to watch it just as everyone got busy with work and life in general. Well tonight that wait is over, tonight we hit the Road to Revenge.

The story picks up after the war is over, with the soviets taking over a good old chunk of Finland and deposing plenty of it’s inhabitants. One such inhabitant is our lead - a man who in revenge for the killing of his family by the soviets went on to absolutely destroy over 300 of the red soldiers single handed. That, of course, doesn’t account of the extra twenty or so Nazis he took out in that last movie - but either way, he’s back to collect his house and all the memories it holds, so he can move it all to a new spot away from the red menace. Turns out, the soviets aren’t fond of this, with the military pulling out the man who killed his family to go and get rid of the legendary immortal man he created with his actions. Our lead just wants his house and some peace, but his road to a new home is going to end up paved in a lot of blood.

Our lead gets to do plenty of emoting this time around, thanks to that opening chapter with all the feels. Past that, we return to more familiar grounds of angry and pain. He’s just as silent a protagonist when it comes to lines however, so pretty much everything from him is body language - and he does a pretty darn good job of it. Everyone for the most part does a great job of playing things up with the body language and facial expressions - including people who you can barely see any of the head because they are armored up. Or lead foil plays calm and collected very well, and has some pretty decent lines to boot - although some of them might feel a bit less cool then they could have been. It’s heavily action for this one - there really isn’t the side-threads of the first with the femme fighters or anything, so don’t expect novels of performance in talking lines and you should be quite happy with what they do.

Characters are also sort of hindered - I guess - by how action focused the movie is. Our lead gets developed out pretty good thanks to him and the main bad’s history (even though it’s kind of almost Fifth Element in how their past didn’t directly cross), but pretty much everyone else that appears in the movie is a throwaway soldier - mostly for the bad guys. It’s honestly a lot more than expected, but also largely the folks coming in here are going to want the action the most, so it’s not necessarily. I will say, there’s plenty of characters who make some choices that don’t seem horrible now and then - even if the results might be horrible - but it’s pretty much just the main character that’s really getting anything.

Action is great. You’ll get some laughs from some of it, you’ll get some “ooh!” and “Ooow” to sprinkle all over. Much like the first, it’s a bit hyper-stylized at times, not being too unfamiliar to the world of realism but certainly not worried about amping it up to brutal levels. Some of it is gonna be a bit effects-y and not too deceiving to your eyes, but other times it nails that spot where it hurts a little to watch. It is mostly bloody-violent over something like a zombie movie, but that being said it is still brutal and very violent - so just kind of know what you are getting into. Admittedly, there isn’t necessarily something that’s as left-field stand out as the mine scene from the first movie, but it does spread out a whole lot of stabs, explosions, gunshots, planes, tricks, and even some trains. It’s a complete, wild, long-journey motor madness adventure with plenty of stages to keep the action hounds happy.

It’s also shot quite well to make it all feel good and nice while that action is happening as well. Sure, it might feel a little goofy with how crazy it gets at times - but if you are watching it in the right mindset it’s less offensive to reality and more pure enjoyment and laughing over whatever stunt just happened on the screen. The whole road-trip angle provides plenty of spots to see between the various roadways, woods, and places the vehicles travel. You get so used to the truck that by the time you get to the final level of a train, the walls close in and you start worrying - not really for the hero, but more so for all the other people in the train. Costumes are fitting - and outside of perhaps some motorcycle soldiers, nothing really seems at all like you wouldn’t believably see it floating around in that area at that time.

Audio is good. Balance is good, so everything you need to hear you hear. Sound delivery - since I don’t know if grunts and the likes are always considered as “lines” - is done well, and everyone sounds like they are doing what they should. Effect noise, explosions, guns, punches - all have suitable oomph to them. Music is there, largely doing the big swelling score action, especially at the front end when things are being all emotional. It’s not bad, and like most movies largely disappears from my head by the time credits roll. I’m pretty sure there hasn’t been a character that would more appropriately fit the DOOM music to be honest, so if they managed to get Mick Gordon if they ever did another one it would make perfect sense in my head. For the thinking person - if a man has the legend status for killing 300 of your soldiers, perhaps don’t mess with him. For the real thinking person, I’m sure there is something in there about home, family, and or community to some extent - but I wasn’t the person with qualifications to dig deep to begin with, let alone after I watched a truck yeet a plane.

It’s still fun, like I assumed it would be. If you don’t like violence it won’t be your jam, but if you enjoyed the first you’ll like this. It does have a bit more feeling to the main thanks to the start, and lets him do a bunch more with his own acting skills then just the action and rage - but if I’m being honest it also feels like a more condensed story this time. Not necessarily in content, but in time it runs. The action just keeps on going with such a good flow that the longest part ends up feeling like the beginning when it’s somewhat slower and emotional. Yep, this was a good time.

@IMDB

Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025)