The Furious – Review

Hong Kong action cinema, once a dominant force in delivering high-octane cinematic fights on film, is in desperate need of a kick in the face, and The Furious is here to deliver the raw brutality that has been missing in the industry.

It’s based on a familiar premise, where a man’s daughter has been kidnapped, and the elder man sets out on a rampage to locate her, fighting corruption and widespread criminal activities with his own “very particular set of skills”. Comparing it to the similarly themed 2008 action-thriller Taken seems unfair, though, as that latter has filmmakers make audiences believe that an elderly Liam Neeson can dish out devastating blows. Here, Xie Miao (The New Legend of Shaolin, God of Gamblers Returns) and Joe Taslim (The Raid, Mortal Kombat II) show that you can never be too old to take a well-worn trope and turn it into a deadly display of stunts unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

Director Kenji Tanigaki, who served as the stunt coordinator in 2005’s SPL: Sha Po Lang and 2007’s Flash Point, and action director in 2021’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, dials up the close combat action he’s so familiar with, delivering an English-language Hong Kong endeavour shot in Thailand. If Chinese actor and martial artist Xie Miao looks familiar, that’s because audiences might know him as the child actor who has acted alongside Jet Li and Chow Yun Fatt in the mid ‘90s.

And rounding out the pan-Asian cast of Indonesian, Thai, and Chinese faces is Indonesian actor and martial arts star Taslim, which means this movie combines the best action talents from the region, explaining how The Furious can deliver a visceral, pulse-pounding ballet of action choreography that’s also equally inventive and brutal. Every action set has been painstakingly and intricately crafted by Tanigaki, and executed perfectly by his two leading stars and a supporting cast of who’s who’s in the Asian action cinema, from actors, action choreographers, and martial artists, including Brian Le, of the American Le Brothers and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) fame, and Indonesian martial arts star Yayan Ruhian (The Raid), a long time cinematic collaborator of Taslim.

Given the heavy focus on the fighting and choreography, it’s obvious that the team had to sacrifice other elements, and once audiences strip away the adrenaline, it exposes the hollowness beneath, which, for a genre outing as such, is only to be expected.

The threadbare story follows Wang Wei (Xie), a mute handyman – a nifty workaround for the language barrier – who reluctantly teams up with Navin (Taslim), the husband of missing investigative journalist Matia (Jeeja Yanin, Chocolate), during his quest to rescue his daughter, Rainy (Yang Enyou, Lighting Up the Stars), kidnapped by the same child-trafficking syndicate that Matia was investigating. 

Occasionally, The Furious waddles into thematic waters that relate to the real world, such as corruption and family bonds, both positive and destructive. The latter is, of course, primarily focused on Wei and Rainy’s dynamics, held together by easy, natural on-screen chemistry between the respective stars. Xie may not have any dialogue lines, but he radiates physical presence with deft action chops and emotional expression, while Yang slips effortlessly into the role of a fiery, kind-hearted teenage girl. Wei and Navin also enjoy some nice buddy-cop moments as they get to know each other better along the way, with the smooth-talking latter softening Wei’s anger-coloured edges. 

Don’t mistake that for weakness, however. A three-time Southeast Asian Games medallist with experience in taekwondo, pencak silat, and wushu, Taslim is a whirlwind of danger in close quarters, employing more fluidity than Xie’s precise fighting style. The distinction in individual flair extends to the other characters, including Le’s sluggish but hard-swinging brutality, Joey Iwanaga’s (Dancing Karate Kid) nimble and whip-fast attacks, and Yuhian’s mix of archery and bare-knuckled brawling, making up for their one-dimensional and flat characterisation. And don’t get us started on the bland English-language dialogue, meant to hide the film’s setting in a specific country in Southeast Asia. 

But when all three, alongside the lead pair, end up in a five-way showdown, The Furious ramps its over-the-top energy up to unapologetic levels – not that there was any effort to hide it from the beginning. Most of the key players, including Matia, are somehow highly proficient at fighting and taking hits, whether it’s a journalist, the scion of a rich family, or an electrician, and punches that would leave one for dead are shrugged off without batting an eyelid. Surviving a flurry of punches to the face after a heavy sledgehammer blow to the stomach? No biggie. 

That’s where the fun is, though. Realistic injuries have no place here, and in a thrilling execution evocative of Gareth Evans’ The Raid, which led to the action-genre resurgence back in 2011, and the best of Hong Kong action cinema, palpable kineticism can be found in every second of fighting sequences. The hard-hitting impact that follows close-combat manoeuvres can almost be felt in the flesh, and there’s no holding back on the bone-crunching violence. Stabbing, dismemberment, and biting are all fair game, too.

 It certainly helps that The Furious embraces practical effects. The organic and raw energy lends credence to the film, complemented by astute camerawork and quick-cut editing. Creativity is also harnessed with finesse, especially in the latter half of its 113-minute runtime, featuring fight scenes that involve ladders, bicycles, and even a machete-handstand combo. The relentless, tight choreography may be a little overwhelming for some, especially towards the end, as there’s hardly any room to breathe, but otherwise, it proves effective at holding attention. 

The non-action elements, in contrast, run lean. While again, nobody expects an action-thriller to break new narrative ground, there are several flaws to highlight, including awkward dialogue, difficult-to-ignore overdubbing, lacklustre CGI, and occasional jokes that don’t work as intended. Niche story beats aside, the conclusion to the final showdown can come across as too convenient and unsatisfying.

Ultimately, the charm of The Furious lies in its straightforward presentation. What audiences see is what they get, with a refreshing tang that accompanies the tingle of leftover adrenaline after leaving the theatre. Despite cobbling creative talents from different cultures, it offers proof that action is a universal language and that sometimes, the most important thing is just to have some smashing fun.

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.