‘Snag’
In “Snag,” in a Mexican border town, an Australian man (Ben Milliken, director and star), works for a female drug kingpin (Ana Ortiz), and then falls in love with the boss’s daughter, Valentina (Sofia Castro). Snag’s out of his element as the sole Caucasian among the Mexicans, but the gringo’s fighting skills, ability to take a vicious beating, and Bruce Willis type attitude are quite helpful in these surroundings.Snag hates being called the “gringo,” because he’s not American, and feels a deep and abiding need to keep reminding everyone about this. Because people often ask, “Who is this gringo?” Which is what you’ll also be asking. He’s also often referred to as a drug mule, but he doesn’t care for this description either. Snag’s very mysterious, and we never find out how an Australian got involved with a Mexican drug cartel.
Should You Watch It?
You should not watch it. Milliken, a former boxer with Australian acting credits and bit parts in American TV and films, directed and starred in this vehicle to get himself noticed in Hollywood, which is an admirable and very difficult thing to do, and is the way show business is primarily conducted these days.Milliken’s made a wannabe Quentin Tarantino flick—and why not? Just don’t waste your money on it. “Snag’s” got a tiny bit of charm, and Milliken’s got a charismatic face and likable personality; he should eventually achieve stardom down the road, in a higher-budget film, with a competent director.
There are some funny running gags, but “Snag” basically just a show business tool; this is Milliken handing in today’s version of a headshot and resume. Let the Hollywood movers and shakers figure out how they can make money off Milliken, and then go see the resulting movie.
‘Sisu’
R | 1h 31m | Action, War, Drama, Comedy | April 28, 2023Finnish director Jalmari Helander has made Tarantino-like mash-up of “Inglourious Basterds” and “John Wick.” It’s real basic. And real good. If you like this kind of thing.
We’re quickly introduced to the hero of “Sisu,” Aatami (Jorma Tommila), a grizzled, Finnish ex-commando who’s out in the gorgeous, muted, multicolored wilderness of the Finnish outback, prospecting for gold.
Like Keanu Reeves’s legendary hitman, this old coot has left his violent past behind. Both are widowers, men of few words who lead solitary existences, and who have cute dogs. Aatami and Wick are both vengeful former soldiers. You do not mess with these types of one-man death-squads or it’ll be the last thing you do.
The Nazis
As Nazi warplanes cruise overhead in deafening formation and flickering orange explosions light up the horizon, Aatami just keeps digging and sloshing earth in his prospecting pan. When he eventually strikes the mother-load, it’s an emotional experience; a whole new life becomes possible. Definitely not something he’ll lightly let go of.
A shot of Aatami’s body as he bathes in the freezing river, featuring acres of scar tissue, gives the audience to understand that the term “battle-scarred combat veteran” doesn’t quite do the situation justice, which is a Tarantino type of overstatement. We note a gold wedding band. Audio flashbacks of distressed voices and screams emphasize the man’s loss and the ruthlessness to come.
The nasty Nazi troops are beating a scorched-earth retreat from the remote reaches of Lapland in 1944, looting, raping, and hanging local inhabitants from telephone poles. They barely take notice of aforementioned old coot riding in the opposite direction on a horse.
Revenge Fantasy
As mentioned, this is basically a Third Reich revenge-fest straight out of the Tarantino playbook, albeit reduced and condensed to an almost exclusively physical narrative essence that’s as elemental and at least as violent as a Saturday morning Loony Toon episode.
Director Helander has a natural flair for intense action and violent action viewed through a blackly comedic lens, that manages to fly within fairly outrageous story conceits. This results in a showcase of gleefully satisfying violence and quite thrilling action, set to an action score that mixes Nordic and Scandinavian folk music with a metal edge.
“Sisu’s” the ultimate metal movie, Helander nails his “bullet ballets” with an hysterical deadpan delicacy. Supporting players like Nazi Obersturmführer Helldorf (Aksel Hennie) bring an admirable challenge, and the action is quite compelling.
One would have to say that “Sisu” is in very “bad taste,” but also very funny in a high testosterone capacity, often astoundingly well-crafted, and in its way more emotionally satisfying than one imagines other, more serious cinematic dissertations on man’s inhumanity will be in the coming year.
