Kenji Tanigaki a veteran stunt coordinator who finally stepped into the director’s chair has brought the raw, unfiltered adrenaline of classic Hong Kong cinema straight back to the big screen. ‘The Furious’ is a kinetic, no-holds-barred assault on the senses that fully lives up to its name.
Operating in the same elite tier as 2018’s ‘The Night Comes for Us’, this film delivers a masterclass in cinematic brutality, taking a stripped-down narrative and transforming it into something you absolutely cannot look away from. Without a doubt, this is the best action movie I have seen so far this year.
The script, handled by a team of heavy hitters including Mak Tin-shu and Frank Hui, doesn’t waste time trying to be overly clever. It establishes a quick emotional anchor and immediately floors the gas pedal, racing from one explosive set piece to the next. Set somewhere in the sweaty, dangerous underbelly of Southeast Asia, the story locks onto Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a quiet handyman. The movie keeps his backstory close to the chest all we need to know is that he’s mute, his wife is dead, and his martial arts skills are absolutely lethal.
A Relentless, Blood-Soaked Hunt
Wang’s entire world revolves around his young daughter, Rainy (Yang Enyou). They share a quiet, heavy bond built on mutual grief, but Tanigaki doesn’t bog the film down with long emotional monologues. Instead, he focuses entirely on the film’s bread and butter: bone-snapping, blood-spraying action.
The fuse is lit when a ruthless human trafficking syndicate snatches Rainy right off the street. After the local police prove to be completely useless, Wang takes justice into his own hands. His warpath intersects with Navin (Joe Taslim), a rugged operative hunting for his missing wife (JeeJa Yanin), who went dark while investigating a string of child abductions. Once they realise they’re fighting the same monster, the two men team up to tear down a massive underground criminal empire. To do it, they use every weapon within arm’s reach, from blades, hammers, ladders, and even a damn bicycle.
Pure, Practical Masterclass
What makes ‘The Furious’ stand head and shoulders above modern action flicks is its commitment to practical martial arts. Tanigaki completely avoids the annoying, disorienting shaky cams and rapid-fire editing tricks that lazy directors use to hide bad choreography. Instead, the camera stays wide and holds its frame, letting you feel the full weight and brutal clarity of every single strike. Watching Xie Miao and Joe Taslim clear rooms together is pure poetry in motion.
The film also deserves credit for balancing a grim, heavy subject matter with unadulterated genre entertainment. It doesn’t shy away from the horrific reality of child trafficking, which gives the violence real stakes. You’ll easily lose count of how many times you react out loud to the sheer impact of these fights. By the time martial arts legends Yayan Ruhian and Brian Le step into the arena for the final 20 minutes, the movie hits a legendary level of intensity that will leave action junkies completely floored.
The Verdict
‘The Furious’ is a triumph of pure execution over narrative bloat. It has the balls to be exactly what it promises a relentless, unapologetic, and beautifully violent thriller driven by elite screen fighters at the absolute top of their game. If you have any appreciation for real action cinema, you need to see this immediately.
Rating: 8/10
