Over the last decade and change, international markets have asserted dominance over the action genre. The Raid: Redemption, RRR, and The Night Comes for Us blew away American audiences accustomed to watching bulky, neckless meatheads lumbering around or aimless, bullet-spraying shoot-outs. Where do you think John Wick learned his slickest moves? Filmmakers like Kenji Tanigaki find poetry in ruthless motion, which he does once again in his latest release, The Furious. Not an ounce of exhilaration is squandered in this Hong Kong import, which dares any other actioner this year to be as battered, berserk, and certifiably badass.
The movie boasts a melting pot of international phenoms who’ve been lighting up the modern action landscape. Tanigaki is a decorated Japanese stuntman and director with a dazzling résumé of achievements; he’s a ringleader with no fear. Actors Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian bring an Indonesian flavor of butt-whoopin’ and set the bar for their castmates. Star Xie Miao won multiple Chinese wushu tournaments as a child star, and co-leads with lionhearted courage. Then there’s Orange County’s Brian Le and Thailand’s Jeeja Yanin, all of whom bring their unique fighting styles into Tanigaki’s full-throttle tale of bloodshed and vengeance.
Miao stars as mute everyman Wang Wei whose daughter, Rainy (Yang Enyou), is abducted by a crime empire’s underlings. Taslim plays Navin, a journalist investigating the same syndicate in connection with another missing person. Together, they form an unlikely duo hell-bent on derailing a criminal family’s operations from the inside by breaking every last henchman’s bones. The men won’t stop until Wang Wei’s child is safe and Navin has answers, because dying isn’t an option, no matter how many high-octane brawls they have to endure.
Sometimes, these violence-first marathons skimp on the storytelling, but that’s not entirely the case with The Furious. Rainy’s kidnapped for a devastatingly dark reason, which quadruples the stakes should Wang Wei and Navin fail — we’re talking about the nastiest of the nasty here, with the type of bad guys who might as well sprout devil horns. It’s impossible for Tanigaki not to take the material deathly seriously, but dialogue doesn’t always meet the moment and sometimes comes off a bit underbaked and hokey; questionable ADR doesn’t help. Tanigaki drags Wang Wei and Navin straight into hell, but despite four credited writers, pesky story developments can be noticeably (but not detrimentally) thin.
Tanigaki doesn’t cheat his audience out of anything that a title like The Furious promises. His stunt choreography is a flurry of blink-and-you’ll-miss movesets that land intricately punishing blows, a testament to how much he trusts all of his performers. Miao and Taslim display astonishing balance as they control their bodies, pivoting on kick angles or transitioning holds with a millisecond’s notice. They’re hardly the sole standouts; Le’s turtle-shaped warrior throws his weight around like a wrecking ball, grounding and pounding on all fours while Ruhian wields assassin-like bow skills and inflicts a thousand knife cuts before his foe even attempts to block. A magnificent cast of fighters flows harmoniously through sequences with the fluidity of a professional ballet, never taking a break or letting momentum wane.
The Furious functions like a Streets of Rage beat-’em-up, with environments that are interactive and levels that build in intensity. Tanigaki finds ways to keep the onslaught of pain fresh and thrilling, from beer-bottle barrages to MMA octagons to bicycle duels; he even lets the kids have a little fun (or at least their stunt doubles). Miao and Enyou nail their father-daughter dynamic, especially when Rainy can aid Wang Wei in combat like a pint-sized sidekick. It’s a hilarious juxtaposition as Taslim double-teams baddies like the boss he is, while Wang Wei plays both protector and instructor as Rainy has to lend a helping blow or two. When dangers throw a zig, the characters appropriately zag — and we, the watchers, benefit.
It’s no stretch to believe The Furious confidently boasts what could be the year’s best action chops. There’s a bit of Kill energy here, in that just when you think Tanigaki’s flick can’t get any more furious, it gets furious…er. Whatever chart-topping highs exist in the first two acts are obliterated by an outstanding third act that lets the masters go to work. I don’t think I ever stopped smiling through the back half, especially Tanigaki’s knocked-out-of-the-park finale. There are just no diminishing returns here when it comes to choreographing an endless parade of bloody-knuckled justice.
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