If you’re an action fan, the phrase “fight choreography” probably means something to you. But it’s been a minute since I’ve seen a movie commit to the idea of fighting as dance as much as Kenji Tanigaki’s “The Furious.” The movement is like ballet, operatic, almost – just with more gore.
The Hong Kong action movie follows a tried and true set up. We meet Wei (Xie Miao), a handyman whose daughter Rainy (Yang Enyou) is kidnapped by a shadowy child trafficking ring, following him as he fights his way through a myriad of goons to get her back. “The Furious” does a better job at sketching out the emotional crux of Wei’s quest more than most, but the martial arts is really the calling card of the film, and it speaks for itself – acrobatic, gritty, and bonkers in equal measure.
With screenplay credits from Mak Tin-shu, Lei Zhilong, Shum Kwan-sin, and Frank Hui, “The Furious” follows Wei, but quickly sees him team up with Navin (Joe Taslim), who has been independently trying to infiltrate the trafficking ring ever since his journalist fiancée went missing while doing her own investigation. From there, the duo takes on copious amounts of gangsters while Rainy tries to rally the other children she’s been taken with to take control of their own fates.
Read Sammie’s full list on Rough Draft
