A New Level For Martial Arts Action
Though marital arts action cinema is vast and varied, it is rare for one to elevate the genre and push it forward. There have been few recently – The Raid comes to mind, and while not technically “martial arts” I’d argue John Wick counts – that feel as if something new and special is happening. These films become the new benchmark of martial arts action, forcing comparisons with each new film that came out after it and influencing every facet of the genre. Enter The Furious, an electric, non-stop adrenaline rush of fisty cuffs that evokes the same feeling of witnessing something special and cements itself as a major step forward for the genre. Unrelenting, exhilarating, and exceptionally crafted, The Furious kicks the glass ceiling into oblivion and announces itself as the next great thing in martial arts cinema.
There’s not much going on by way of plot in The Furious, as what it’s about is secondary to what it’s doing. It loosely follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao) a mute tradesman who provides for his young daughter. When she is kidnapped by a large criminal trafficking organization, Wei goes on a rampage to find her. Of course, the police are no help, so he teams up with Navin (Joe Talsim), a journalist investigating the organization after his partner also disappeared. The further the unlikely duo go, the bigger and more dangerous the vast criminal organization becomes, and it will be a fight for survival as they search for their loved ones. The Furious also stars Brian Le, Jeeja Yanin, Joey Iwanaga, and Yayan Ruhian.
A Strange Brew of Competing Styles
No stranger to any of the things that make martial arts films great, Kenji Tanigaki injects his decades of experience as a director and stunt choreographer into what may be his magnum opus. Kenji doesn’t just know where to put the camera and how to frame every punch and kick, but also has a large stable of top notch martial artists he can call upon to mix and match styles. He smartly gathers fighters from all over the globe and clashes them in an alchemy of strange pairings. The Wu Shu guy takes on the Judo Guy, but the Silat Guy also takes on the Muay Thai Guy, and no two matches or fight sequences are ever the same. The Furious sees Kenji in his bag, pulling out his action figures and banging them around however he sees fit.
The way bodies move, the framing that allows for every choreographed movement to be captured, the limitless imagination of what fighting can be all levitate you from your seat and lock you into The Furious completely. I can’t remember the last time I felt out of breath just watching these guys fight each other, the sheer physicality and high level skill simply mesmerizing. The Furious is unrestrained martial arts action, limited only by what Kenji and his crew of artists can conjure up. The various styles are all given their moments to shine, another piece of the puzzle that elevates this one above the rest. No two fighters are the same, so no fight is ever the same either. This allows every single action sequence in The Furious to feel fresh and knew no matter how many battles we’ve already seen.
Exciting Action Makes Up For Lackluster Plot and Dialogue
The action is so exciting and expertly choreographed it doesn’t even matter that the dialogue is clunky and the plot is pretty much nonexistent. While everything looks incredible on screen, you simply can’t bring this many performers from that many countries together and not have horrendous English dubbing. Even by martial arts movie standards, The Furious sports some of the worst dubbing I’ve seen in a while. It’s noticeably bad, but excusable when you factor in the impossibility of trying to have a film in which 6 different countries all try to communicate with each other in their native tongue.
For some, this may be a non-starter and hard to overlook. But once we get to the final climax, which sees 5 of the best fighters battle it out with shifting alliances and a non stop assault for 30+ minutes, any gripes instantly melted away. That final sequence is genuinely some of the best, well choreographed fighting I’ve witnessed in recent memory. It is technically brilliant, the camera capturing every single moment of action and never tries to hide any shortcomings (there aren’t any) with quick cuts and shaky cam close ups. Every shot is wide, assuring that everything these men are putting their bodies through is seen by everyone and from as many different angles Kenji and his team can imagine.
An MVP In Brian Le
I have to give a special shoutout to Brian Le (Everything Everywhere All at Once), who’s movements are like a giant sumo monkey but done with such speed and grace you can’t believe a man that size can move like that. It is pure controlled chaos,The Furious highlighting his physical gifts and providing plenty of moments to show them off. The Furious works to highlight everyone, and gives each artist a chance to show off their skills.
Le feels special in this sense because unlike his smaller, more agile co-stars, he’s a brick wall, an immovable object that can also launch himself forward into someone like a missile. It leaves you wondering how in the world does he move like that, and every moment he has fighting becomes a miracle of martial arts inventiveness and physicality. I’m a fan of everyone in The Furious, but Le stood out and I hope he gets more opportunities to show what he can do.
Final Thoughts
The Furious is far from perfect. The dialogue is horrendous, the plot is nonexistent and downright silly, and the dubbing is borderline distracting. But none of that matters once the fists start swinging and the kicks start flying. The action IS the juice here, and The Furious delivers an action packed thrill ride like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. The martial arts genre needs more films like The Furious. The experimental propulsion that looks for new ways to present action and create new avenues for competing styles to collide onscreen. The Furious is as good as action gets, and we are sure to be talking about this one for years to come.
Keep it coming, Kenji.
For more Reviews, make sure to check back to That Hollywood Show.
Reviews