My review for The Furious is going to be pretty short for a few reasons. First, I’m not that familiar with the culture or language of Hong Kong, or even China to that extent. I watch a lot of movies, but I don’t get too international. I think a lot of the depth of this film was lost on me. Second, I think that this movie was just meant to be a showcase of action and martial arts, which, compared to the stuff I watch, was fucking amazing. So. I’ll do what I can here.
The film The Furious is a product of Kenji Tanigaki, from the Hong Kong film industry. Not sure if that’s different from the general Chinese film industry. I can say though, that in researching Tanigaki, I realized that he worked on, what I consider, a hidden gem: Snake Eyes, a spinoff of the GI Joe movies. I liked that shit.
The Furious is a straightforward, narratively short film about a dad trying to save his daughter from the clutches of slavers, who then pairs up with an undercover cop. The film is brimming with really excellent martial arts action, which is given the weight it deserves through the film’s direction and editing. It’s just a nonstop, mostly uncut, barrage of fists and spins and kicks. There’s a fat dude who just tanks a fucking sledgehammer. There’s a 2 v 1 v 1 battle. We get a classic nightclub action set piece.
I think I’m gonna go find the other movies that Tanigaki has been a part of, because this movie was bonkers. I need another hit.
I’m really insecure about my review for this film because I don’t know what I missed, what I misunderstood, or what I’ve misread. What if this is the worst martial arts film that Tanigaki has ever made? What if there were a ton of racist overtones regarding Philipinos? Did the little girl dish out homophobic slurs against her captors? What if they used a fuckton of AI? I don’t know! I just liked that these guys were fighting cool!
I’m rating The Furious
YMMV
I watched The Furious on a totally reputable website that has contractually secured streaming rights.
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