An Inside Talk With Sisu: Road to Revenge with Jalmari Helander & Jorma Tommila

The world of Sisu took fans by storm on Netflix; however, this was also a theatrical film that only grossed about $3.3 million domestically in Finland in January 2023. Surprisingly, the film did better internationally, grossing $14.3 million, including the United States and Canadian theatrical release in April 2023. The film also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.

Even though Netflix is where Sisu really got it’s traction, director Jalmari Helander is pushing for a theatrical release for the sequel film: Sisu: Road to Revenge. In my opinion, this Finnish John Wick-esque film deserves some cinematic love. CGMagazine chatted about the upcoming second film with Helander and lead actor Jorma Tommila. They both discussed what it was like working with a Hollywood actor like Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe, the Avatar films), inspirations behind this film, and video games.

(To Helander) You’ve mentioned that Sisu was inspired by the worlds of Rambo, James Bond, and Buster Keaton films. I even felt some Mad Max vibes from Sisu: Road to Revenge. What other influences went into this film, both as a revenge story and a historical fiction one?

Jalmari Helander: The easiest way to explain is that I wanted to have speed on this one. It’s something that I’ve always liked to have, like a lot of movement, which I haven’t had in any of our films yet. So I wanted to be on the move and basically do like a road movie. And I think one of the biggest inspirations is the Indiana Jones films.

They have the same kind of entertaining playfulness, but it was also important to me to tell a serious story about Aatami and him trying to get his house back. I think it’s a never-before-seen compilation of styles because it’s very serious and also really not serious, and how it works together. I think that’s interesting.

Yes. Visuals are very important. Now, I know you’re working on a passion project of yours—John Rambo. I was curious if revenge and those similar themes found in Sisu: Road to Revenge are a genre you’ve always been fascinated by?

Jalmari Helander: Yeah, I love films that are about somebody that you shouldn’t be f****** with. I always love that, and I think a lot of people do too. It’s an underdog story about someone who was just minding his own business, and bad guys are coming, and they get what they deserve.

And for you, Jorma, you’re an amazing actor—bringing so much physicality and visual acting. We’ve seen this from Rare Exports, Big Game, and the Sisu franchise. Where do you get your style of acting from? Any inspiration from other actors?

Jorma Tommila: The foundation of my acting career comes from the Helsinki Theatre Academy, where I studied from 1985 to 1989. At that time, the acting education emphasized physical expression and making the character’s mental state tangible. I’ve been inspired by a lot of great actors my entire life.

You’ve been in a few action films now. What about this genre keeps you coming back to action films like the Sisu films?

Jorma Tomilla: It’s not about the genre, it’s about working with the director Jalmari Helander. Whenever he asks me to join a project, I know that something unique is going to happen.

Makes sense. And for both of you, what was it like working with actors like Stephen Lang on this film?

Jalmari Helander: There was a lot of thinking, and I don’t even remember the process anymore. But when the idea of Stephen Lang came in, I immediately knew he was the perfect bad guy. I went to have a chat with him, and I instantly knew that he would be the right guy for me. He was so respectful of what I was trying to do, and he was a big fan of the first Sisu. So, it worked out really well.

Jorma Tommila: [Stephen Lang] is a consummate professional and a great, inspiring colleague.

Definitely. Knowing now that Sisu: Road to Revenge is one of the biggest budget Finnish films ever, having about an 11-million dollar budget, what does that mean to both of you and for Finnish cinema?

Jalmari Helander: I don’t know what it means for Finnish cinema, but I do know what it means to me, because that’s been my dream. No one else is doing action films in Finland. No one has done action films in Finland [because] it’s a really weird concept. Even when I started saying that I want to do action films, and I’m from Finland, and there were a lot of people who were laughing at me, saying, “That’s a very stupid idea,” and “maybe you should concentrate on something else.” So being here now feels f****** good.

Jorma Tommila: Well, at least a large budget increases the pressure to be successful at your job. [It means] a lot. Working with Jalmari and on his films are the most important works in my career. And I feel that in the films Sisu and Sisu 2, my art of acting come out naturally.

Lastly, as we cover plenty of gaming content too, there’s a lot of great Finnish game studios out there—such as Remedy Entertainment with the Alan Wake and Control games, and the Supercell mobile games like Brawl Stars and Clash Royale. Even Hideo Kojima praised Sisu when it came out! Would either of you be eager to work on a video game?

Jorma Tommila: I would be open to it.

Jalmari Helander: It’s hard for me to think about that, but sure, why not? I don’t know. I myself like games like The Last of Us or Uncharted. I don’t like open-world games. I like to be entertained [in a similar way as] a movie.

Oh, nice! Those are great story-driven, cinematic games for sure. Thank you both again for your time!