There’s enough fights and blood to satisfy martial arts fans.
“The Furious” is the latest in a series of “John Wick” inspired movies to know the right targets: movie-goers who love martial arts and carnage, as much as they love a good story and character development. In fact, it’s a Hong Kong action film that reminds us on how wisely entertaining the genre is. Yes, it can be silly with some of the dialogue, especially when it takes place in a city in Southeast Asia where most people speak English and a little Chinese, but I guess its all part of the silly fun that emerges with the violence.
We meet a mute fighter and handyman named Wang Wei (Xie Miao from “The New Legend of Shaolin” and “My Father is a Hero”), whose daughter Rainy (Yang Enyou) is visiting from China. Neither her nor the audience know about his past, and we can assume a fight injury led to his voice being gone. Just as she’s mad at him for not coming back home or at least letting her live with him, she gets kidnapped by child traffickers led by a gangster’s son-in-law Paklung (Joey Iwanaga). So it’s Daddy to the rescue, and just wait unit you see him fight and run. He might as well be some kind of supernatural being or machine if he’s able to run almost as fast as a truck, and getting back up after getting hit by one.
While he gets help from Navin (Joe Taslim, currently seen in “Mortal Kombat II”), a journalist bent on exposing the criminal empire to the public, the girl tries to collaborate with another abducted child-a limping boy-who had to set her up in the first place. And there are bad guys that have more class and style than how David Ayer has been using his villains in movies like “Suicide Squad,” “Beekeeper,” and “A Working Man.” We also have a giant (Brain Lee) who can take a hammer to the head like he’s Curly Howard on steroids, a bow wielder (Yayan Ruhian) who shoots his targets on the spot, and a cowboy-like middle man named Mr. Song (Sahajak Boonthanakit). At the very least, they aren’t here to try to look cool.
“The Furious” was directed by Kenji Tanigaki, who has been a long time fight and stunt coordinator for mostly the Hong Kong action cinema, and even a few American films like “Blade II” and “Snake Eyes.” This is only his third directing job, and he delivers on the entertainment that actually knows the meaning of the word. It doesn’t just say: “It’s an action movie,” it delivers on the product. And his background really helps reflect the choreography on the actors and fighters in this movie, and I don’t much about them.
Miao and Taslim both deliver the emotions and consistency within their fights, while Enyou is a young actress who thrives through the estranged daughter formula. And they all engage in energetic and daring chases, and strong and violent fights. We also have motorbikes, hammers, and even barbed wires used to help electrocute a henchmen as an interrogation method. And yet, they all have their vulnerabilities to try to tame the beasts within themselves.
You know this movie is going to take many chances to reparent the violence with energy and sometimes emotions. And you know it’s not going to be as easy as you expect. Wait until you see a bloody scene with the gangster’s son-in-law with what he has to and what poisons himself. And wait until you see how the good guys and bad guys come at each other with almost everything they have. All elements that help make the Hong Kong action cinema stand tall.
“The Furious” has the right title with the right talents and filmmakers, and it delivers a lot from start to finish.
