The Furious Review: Brutal Action Thriller is One of the Year’s Best

Describing a movie as a “turn your brain off” movie is often a kind, gentle way to say that it’s not all that good, but there might be fun to be had. You can apply that phrase to The Furious, except that here, it’s the exception that proves the rule. You won’t strain any brain cells keeping up with the plot or trying to solve a mystery or predict the next big twist. But none of that matters when its main feature is one perfectly staged, innovative fight sequence after another. To put it simply, this movie rules.

What is The Furious about?

After his daughter Rainy (Yang Enyou) is kidnapped by human traffickers, mute handyman and single father Wei (Xie Miao) finds no help from the local police. He partners with journalist Navin (Joe Taslim), whose wife disappeared while investigating the same trafficking ring. Together, they must (literally) fight their way through a brutal criminal organization if they want any chance of seeing their loved ones again.

The Furious review

The story here is fairly basic and straightforward. But we all know nobody comes to a movie like The Furious for the plot. That being said, the plot is fine and gets you emotionally invested right from the start. After a stellar opening sequence – there’s a great fight sequence right off the bat, teasing the audience about what’s to come – the focus shifts to Wei and Rainy.

Rainy is enjoying the last days of summer break, wanting to spend as much time with her father as she can squeeze into these final few days. Not that you need much context to be moved by a loving father-daughter relationship, but The Furious is nonetheless still very effective at establishing how close the two are. That serves to make it all the more devastating when Rainy is kidnapped, kicking things into high gear and never letting up from this point on.

To their credit, director Kenji Tanigaki and screenwriter Mak Tin-shu had to have known they could have skated by on an even thinner plot, knowing the incredible action would be all audiences needed. Spending even just this short time giving us an extra glimpse into Wei and Rainy’s relationship adds an extra layer of emotion to the fight scenes, knowing full well what’s at stake for the both of them. As excellent as the fights are, being able to feel that anguish and desperation in every punch makes them even more effective.

Let’s get into those fights. No matter what else it might have going for it, The Furious wouldn’t work without them. Its entire success is predicated on the action. And it delivers, full stop. Tanigaki and action director Kensuke Sonomura and the entire stunt team nailed it. You’ll see inspirations from other famous martial arts movies, Old Boy and The Raid series to name just two. But the fight choreography is far from a copycat.

What Tanigaki and Sonomura created here is unlike anything else you’ve likely seen in other movies. The fights are so much more than simply kicks and punches. It’s like a dance, the way the characters meld and twist together, pile on top of each other, hopping and sliding around the room. Some of the non-fighting movements within each fight are equally impressive as the action itself, occasionally even more so. There are multiple sequences where you won’t believe what you’re seeing, even when no punch has been thrown, no kick landed, no weapon wielded. It’s astonishing.

Joe Taslim in The Furious/Lionsgate Films

The camera work during these sequences plays a major part too. It’s constantly whipping around, moving with the characters. It’s dynamic filmmaking at its best, making you feel like you’re in the room with them, watching this all happen. It gives all the stunts an even more lively feeling.

But even with how impressive all that is, perhaps the most impressive part is how distinct each new fight feels. Once Rainy is kidnapped, The Furious floors the gas pedal and never lets up. There’s never too much time from one fight to the next. Once again, this where tons of credit has to go to Tanigaki and Sonomura.

Every new set is incorporated into the fight. Whether it’s huge blocks of ice or a fighting cage or truck filled with garbage bags, everything has a place and a purpose. The fights and action are relentless and brutal. It would be easy to tire of them, or feel worn down by the savagery. But the creativity put into each scene keeps it feeling fresh, never wearing down in the excitement.

And just as The Furious wouldn’t work with the action. The action wouldn’t work without a top-level cast to match. Joe Taslim is likely the most recognizable face here, though fans of The Raid movies will no doubt recognize Yayan Ruhian as an expert archer, even if you don’t know him by name. Xie Miao brings a level of emotion to the story that helps anchor it against the otherwise wild happenings. And he’s as much of a martial arts superstar as everyone else on the call sheet.

And with that expertise brings various fighting styles as well. Tanigaki incorporated each performer’s individual martial arts background, giving every character a distinct look and feel. This decision pays off throughout the entire film, but especially in the climactic, multi-combatant finale. It’s not hyperbole to say The Furious features some of the best hand-to-hand combat ever put to screen.

Is The Furious worth watching?

Xie Miao in The Furious/Lionsgate Films

The Furious is a brutal, no-holds barred action thrill ride. For fans of the genre, this will be one of the best times you have at the movies this year. That makes the final verdict pretty straightforward. If two hours of martial arts experts relentlessly trying to beat each other to a bloody pulp sounds fun, then you’re in. This is the movie for you.

The Furious premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, and releases in theaters on June 12.

The Furious Review: Brutal Action Thriller is One of the Year’s Best