The Furious

Story: In a state in Southeast Asia, journalist Matia (Jeeja Yanin) investigates the disappearance of several children. She uncovers that this is large-scale child trafficking run by the gangster Paklung (Joey Iwanaga). During her investigation, though, she is caught by him and his henchman Tak (Yayan Ruhian) and vanishes. Consequently, her husband Navin (Joe Taslim) sets out to find her. At the same time, the mute Wang Wei (Miao Xie) makes a living as an on-call handyman, trying to provide a reasonably good life for his little daughter Rainy (Yang Enyou). One day, however, she is kidnapped by the exact same gang that Navin is now after. Wang witnesses this, leading to a fierce chase, but he is ultimately left in the dust. He goes to the police but receives little help there, partly because almost everyone is corrupt and in Paklung's pocket. So Wang ventures into the lion's den on his own. There he encounters Navin, blowing the latter's undercover operation with his sudden appearance. The two engage in a brawl, until they finally realize, they are actually on the same side. So they team up against the syndicate to get back their love ones.

Review: "The Furious" is a film I always had on my radar but kept putting off. Perhaps because I feared being disappointed again after all the hype surrounding the martial arts flick — something that has happened quite frequently as of late — or maybe I just wanted to save a little gem for later? Whatever the reason, fortunately, the latter turned out to be true in the end: it's a true gem. It has been several years since an action movie managed to thrill me this much, probably "The Raid", a comparison I am not the first to make, but it is a fitting one. "The Furious" is a film that essentially floors the gas pedal from the very first minute and, at best, briefly shifts down a gear, all while taking great care never to hit the brakes. Too much action can easily become mindless, though. But with this movie masters of their craft have gathered in front of and behind the camera, practically bombarding you with innovative strikes, kicks, and especially throws and grappling maneuvers — enough to easily fill three separate movies. In short: Action and especially martial arts fans have been waiting for a film like "The Furious" for years.

I already couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Jeeja Yanin (known from "Chocolate") in a cameo early on. It has been ages since I last saw her on screen, and she immediately showcases her action talents, setting the tone for what we can expect for the rest of the film. Fascinating action where — for lack of better words — the bodies of adversaries are used against other opponents. When facing multiple attackers, you should always make sure that only one stands directly in front of you while the other is obstructed by his buddy. That is the special appeal of the fights in "The Furious". Opponents are thrown at each other, knotted together (a bit of Jackie Chan shines through here) and climbed upon. Naturally, all of this could quickly veer into slapstick territory if it weren't executed so incredibly cleanly and brutally, and if every fighter and opponent didn't possess such tremendous presence. The tossed-around enemies have weight; they slam into the ground, bleed, yet still get back up through gritted teeth. All this while every single strike is viscerally felt.

It is impossible not to gush even more about the action. Alongside the heavy emphasis on ground combat — where counter is met with counter, leaving you exhausted just watching (seriously: a few minutes of wrestling and your energy levels are drained for good) — there are also plenty of traditional strikes. Although nothing here is truly traditional, strictly speaking. Every punch carries a distinct, powerful weight behind it, even the ones that miss by a hair. And attacks miss by a hair quite often here, always leaving you to wonder what would have happened had they landed. That is precisely what makes the fights so incredibly nerve-wracking and adrenaline-fueled. The combatants are practically glued to each other; the typical creation of distance is almost entirely absent here, which makes everything feel so menacing. I intentionally read very little about the film beforehand, but the style immediately felt familiar. Kenji Tanigaki sat in the director's chair here; while he didn't necessarily impress as a director with "Enter the Fat Dragon", he certainly did as a fight choreographer, not just for "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In", but for the entire series of the "Rurouni Kenshin" live-action adaptations, which in my opinion remains his best work.

No, that wasn't what I recognized, though. It was the signature style of Kensuke Sonomura, who handled the fight choreography here and instantly landed on my list of the best fight choreographers since his debut work "Hydra". He is also the main reason I watched all the "Baby Assassins" movies. His action boasts an incredibly fantastic rhythm and bristles with tenacity and grit. With "The Furious", he may have created his magnum opus. I don't want to give too much away, but if the action managed to blow you away earlier, the finale is a fireworks display of ingenuity that is second to none. Three factions fighting one another, all at the same time. The dynamic camera, the expertise of the actors/fighters, and the flawless choreography make any martial arts fan's heart leap with excitement over and over again. Furthermore, it certainly doesn't hurt that two heavyweights take on the leading roles: Xie Mao ("Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman") and Joe Taslim, who towards the end fights just as dirty as he did in "The Night Comes for Us".

But that's far from all. Yayan Ruhian — Mad Dog from "The Raid" — can be seen again in his signature role as a villain, and with Brian Le, the bad guys are given plenty of extra color. He has long been known from the YouTube channel Martial Club, where he and his brother Andy deliver brilliant parodies of martial arts classics, so those in the know are already well aware of the physical presence and body control he is blessed with. Here, playing an almost invincible bulldozer who can still move like a lightweight whenever he wants, he steals the show often enough. Everything you need in action cinema simply comes together here. Furthermore, every confrontation scores points with a great set and its own distinct character. One character's death even hit me much harder than I expected, even though we essentially learn almost nothing about the individuals themselves! This is because we get to know the people better during the fights and suffer alongside them. Since the story is completely negligible and obviously the biggest weakness, this serves as a wonderful counterbalance. I myself was very surprised that character dynamics, which are incredibly flat on paper, could gain so much depth through countless strikes and throws. "The Furious" knows exactly what it wants to be and walks its path without compromise. Any true action fan will gladly follow along. Pure adrenaline and an immense amount of fun guaranteed.

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