The best part about Sisu was its no-nonsense approach. A thrilling action movie that didn’t indulge in unnecessary subplots, resulting in an adrenaline-inducing, gory, punchy affair. The sequel, Road to Revenge, maintains the same approach. This time, the indestructible protagonist, Aatami Korpi, takes on the Red Army. Aatami had killed three hundred Soviet soldiers in the Winter War single-handedly to seek revenge for the death of his family, and he had become a legend. Two years after his gold discovery, Sisu embarked on a journey to his family house in Karelia. He used to live there with his wife and two sons, before they were brutally murdered by Soviet soldiers. Since, in 1944, Finland had given up Karelia to the Soviet Union as part of the peace treaty, Aatami decided to travel home, dismantle the house he’d built, and rebuild it somewhere safe. But soon after Aatami crossed the border, the KGB found out about his movements, and they intended on killing the man and destroying the myth that was built around him.
Spoiler Alert
How did Draganov capture Aatami?
Aatami’s family was brutally murdered by Igor Draganov; their bodies were dismembered with a shovel, and they were later fed to the homeless and stray dogs. Igor was held in a prison in Siberia, and he was released under the condition that he destroy Aatami since his stories had affected the reputation of the Soviet Army. Aatami was already in Karelia; he’d dismantled his house, loaded the logs onto his truck, and was determined to rebuild the house again. Taking down the house that held countless fond memories for Aatami wasn’t an easy affair. He was in tears when he stepped inside the house; clearly, his family was all that ever mattered to him, and now that they were gone, he had nothing left to lose.
Aatami was heading to Finland when his path was blocked by a Soviet Army van. He figured that they would cause trouble, and the moment he noticed the Molotov cocktail in the hand of one of the soldiers, he knew he had to act immediately. Aatami cleverly managed to take down all the soldiers, but he spared Igor, because he didn’t wish to cause harm to someone who didn’t try to actively shoot him down. Aatami had no idea that the man he spared was the one who’d ruthlessly killed his family. Igor now had a fair idea of the man he was dealing with. He realized that taking down Aatami wouldn’t be an easy task, but he was ready for the challenge. Igor instructed soldiers on motorcycles and even pilots to take down Aatami. He was being attacked from all sides. Just as he was done killing the motorcyclists, he had to now find a solution to protect himself from the airplanes. Repeated shots were fired, and he ended up taking shelter in a barn. He figured there was no way he could protect himself there, so he chose to hit the road again. But navigating the road with airplanes constantly targeting him wasn’t easy, and he ended up driving his truck into a lake. Aatami was almost about to drown, but then he released the logs and used them as a makeshift raft to float on the water. As he was sailing by, he stumbled upon an abandoned tank. Aatami loaded the logs onto the tank and used dynamite, land mines, and fuel to somehow catapult his way into the Soviet camp, but unfortunately his plan didn’t pan out the way he’d intended. The tank was destroyed due to the impact, and Aatami was left terribly injured. He had no choice left but to surrender. But before stepping out of the tank, he had pushed a sharp knife blade into his leg. As expected, Aatami was repeatedly tortured. He was hung from the ceiling of a train wagon like fresh meat, and a hot iron was used to repeatedly strike him.
He was bleeding from his whole body when Igor stepped in. He’d realized Aatami had extreme tolerance for physical torture, but the one thing that completely destroyed him was the murder of his family. So, Igor intentionally spat out exactly how brutally he’d killed Aatami’s wife and sons. He added his elder son, Otava, was feisty and brave, and he remembered the little boy because he had attempted to attack Igor in the eye out of nowhere. He’d tried to put up a fight to protect his mother and younger sibling until his dying breath. Igor looked Aatami in his eyes and promised to put out the fire in him. He believed Aatami was a byproduct of his actions, and he promised to end the legend around him, turn him into a piece of flesh without any memory, and use the logs of his house for railroad ties. Igor didn’t realize that everything he’d said added fuel to the fire in Aatami.
As soon as Igor left, Aatami gathered all his strength and fury to free himself from the iron clasp, and he succeeded. The soldiers stationed outside the wagon where Aatami was locked up heard a loud thud. They were frightened when they saw through the small window that Aatami had freed himself. One of them decided to step in and check, and well, you can already guess what happened to the soldier. Aatami was unstoppable. The soldier (who had gone in to check on Aatami) had assumed that he didn’t have any weapon, but he had no idea what he was dealing with. Aatami had pulled the knife blade out of his flesh and held it close while walking from one wagon to another. He tried to move silently because he didn’t want to create chaos before he reached his target: Igor.
Did Aatami seek revenge?
Aatami tried his best to be quiet, but there were a few slip-ups. A couple of soldiers had stepped out to relieve themselves, and Aatami had no choice but to kill them. Undoubtedly, he could have killed all the soldiers on the train with ease, but he was an honorable man, and he didn’t want to spill blood for the sake of it.
In the sequel, there were a few moments of dry humor, such as when Aatami was walking on top of the train and suddenly a thick pipe flew in his direction and ended up falling into one of the wagons that was full of Soviet soldiers. They tried to shoot him down, but we’re talking about an invincible man fuelled by the rage of revenge; there is no way one can stop him! Aatami grabbed hold of two machine guns and fired repeatedly until the wagon went completely silent. Igor was in the wagon next to the one Aatami was in. He heard the gunshots and immediately realized that it must be him. He’d figured that the legend around him was indeed true, and the only way to escape his fate was to unscrew the coupling. Aatami watched Igor’s wagon take off, and while he was frustrated at first, he soon noticed a ballistic missile right beside him. He immediately decided to use it as a quick-fix booster to catch up with Igor.
Now, Igor figured there was no way he could stop Aatami, but he also had his eyes on the money he was promised by his KGB handler. So, immediately after disjoining the coupling, he shot the KGB agents he was dining with. His handler offered him the money he was promised, hoping that would be enough for Igor to let go of him, but Igor chose to kill him nonetheless. Just when Igor thought he had made the best out of the situation, Aatami came flying in (thanks to the missile!). Aatami used his bare hands to repeatedly pummel Igor, but then again, he was wounded and not in his physically best form. Igor overpowered him and struck him repeatedly.
During Sisu: Road to Revenge’s ending, Igor grabbed hold of a shovel and used it to strike Aatami. He intentionally did so, since he’d used a shovel to get rid of Aatami’s family as well. Now, the missile was still screwed to the base, although it was already ignited. Igor didn’t realize that Aatami had a plan; he assumed it was over for “the man who refuses to die.” In the end, when Igor asked Aatami if he had any last words, he simply spat out a screw from his mouth. Igor finally connected the dots, and by the time he realized that Igor had released the missile, it was already too late to escape. Igor made an attempt to run, and for a second, the missile stopped right in front of his face, and he briefly thought that maybe it wasn’t his day to die yet, but he was proved wrong. The missile ultimately consumed Igor, and the wagon exploded, creating ripples in the surrounding area.
What does the final scene suggest?
Aatami, the indestructible, finally returned home to Finland. He was in a bloody state, but he still managed to carry the logs to the border. When he handed his passport to the border soldiers, they saluted him as soon as they read his name. Aatami was a national hero, and he’d finally returned to the place where he could spend the rest of his life in peace.
In Sisu: Road to Revenge’s ending, we learn that Aatami had started with his dream project of rebuilding his house. He didn’t have his family by his side, but at least the house would signify that they were finally in a safe place and their souls could rest in peace. Also, even after everything that the duo has been through, Aatami’s fuzzy poodle managed to survive, and he continued to be the brave man’s only true companion. Aatami was busy building the house when a group of men approached him. He instinctively assumed that they had arrived to cause him harm, but when one of the men stated that they wanted to help him build his house, he was moved to tears. He had spent such a brutal and merciless existence that the sudden kindness and genuine respect surprised him. Perhaps, in that moment, Aatami felt relieved knowing that there was some good left in the world, and although he didn’t have his sons around to help him with building the house, the men in the community showed up and supported him. While he had always preferred living by himself, the final scene suggests that sometimes even a legendary man like Aatami Korpi would appreciate some help and the support of his community.
