Sisu (15)
Directed by Jalmari Helander 
★★★★

SET in Lapland in 1944, a lone prospector wages war on evil Nazis who steal his gold in this relentless and violent but surprisingly satisfying revenge thriller by writer-director Jalmari Helander. 

There is nothing as cathartic as seeing Nazi soldiers, led by a brutal SS officer (a bone-chilling Aksel Hennie), being killed in the most elaborate and painful ways possible. More so as they have a truckful of female prisoners whom they beat up and rape. 

Legendary ex-commando Aatami (a phenomenal Jorma Tommila), hailed as a one-man death squad after killing over 300 Russian soldiers, is unrelenting in getting his gold back and protecting his cute dog from the Germans. Even if it means murdering every single one of them. 

Sisu is set against the backdrop of the Lapland war between Finland and Nazi Germany towards the end of World War II in which the Germans adopted a scorched-earth policy, laying waste to the northern half of the country. 

A cross between Rambo and John Wick with Nazis, this Robert Rodriguez-style Finnish spaghetti western, which is divided into five chapters, is a bloodbath but amazing fun. 

You need a strong stomach to watch it. Despite its bleak and dark tone it doesn’t take itself too seriously as Aatami keeps coming back from deadly scenarios which become ever more outlandish as his nemesis Bruno (Hennie) refuses to back down. 

Just like its title, Sisu is one white-knuckle ride. 

Out in cinemas on Friday.

Master Gardener (15)
Directed by Paul Schrader 
★★

THIS is the third film in Paul Schrader’s trilogy about lonely men facing existential crisis who are hiding behind their day jobs. Whether as a minister in First Reformed, a card player in The Card Counter or a horticulturalist in Master Gardener. 

This drama follows the meticulous Narvel (Joel Edgerton) who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to the whims of its owner, a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver).

When she asks him to train her troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) this turns his tranquil life into a storm-fest and puts his past and his present onto collision course. It also results in a disturbing love triangle. 

Written and directed by Schrader, the film explores age, race and gender in an off-kilter way which leaves the viewer feeling uncomfortable.

Narvel is tormented by his past life as a white supremacist gun for hire who finds redemption through gardening. 

Despite the powerhouse performances from the three fantastic leads, it is hard to care for any of their characters in this ultra-slow, bleak and depressing drama. It needed less gardening metaphors and more flowering passion and action.
 

Out in cinemas on Friday.

Hypnotic (15)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez 
★★

BEN AFFLECK plays a detective who is consumed by the mysterious abduction of his young daughter in a local park under his watch, in Robert Rodriguez’s new thriller which tries to persuade you that it is cleverer and more ingenious that it really is. 

More than 20 years in the making and inspired by Hitchcock’s classic 1958 Vertigo, this too contains many twists and turns.

It is very slick and stylish and has a fascinating and promising premise, but once co-writer-director Rodriguez provides the big reveal, it does not prove to be as trailblazing as it thinks. In fact the mind-blowing Inception did the same with more panache and intrigue. 

Affleck, who gives a solid performance as the troubled cop, is joined by Alice Braga as a gifted psychic who helps him investigate a series of reality-bending bank robberies.

She informs him they are the work of a hypnotic — someone who can influence other people’s minds and perception. 

By the end you will be wondering if this is just a bad hypnotic construct. 

Out in cinemas on Friday.

The Little Mermaid (PG) 
Directed by Rob Marshall 
★★★

UNLIKE Disney’s previous live-action remakes, which were mostly misses, The Little Mermaid proves more of a hit due to Halle Bailey’s captivating and belting performance as Ariel. 

This is a faithful adaptation of the original animated version including its upbeat ending unlike Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairytale which ends on a darker note.

It centres again on a young woman or mermaid giving up her voice for a man, aka the rather wet Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), which is unacceptable messaging in 2023. 

However it does feature a very inclusive cast and of course the first black Ariel (with red locks) which is to be applauded.

The underwater scenes are visually arresting and Melissa McCarthy is deliciously evil as the sea witch Ursula, while Javier Bardem is wonderfully regal as King Triton (although the starkly different ethnicities of his daughters does pose more questions than it answers). 

The young target audience at my screening clapped rapturously after each big musical number so it’s hard to argue with that. 

Out in cinemas on Friday.