ⒸCourtesy of Lionsgate
Action movie heroes hate human traffickers—and rightly so. They are the scum of the earth, whom nobody would defend. Notable examples include, Liam Neeson in Taken, Veronica Ngo in Furie, Jim Caviezel in Sound of Freedom, and Dolph Lundgren in Skin Trade, and in real-life as an advocate for victims. Now, Joe Taslim and Xie Maio, fan-favorite martial artists on the verge of superstardom, join the fight against trafficking in Kenji Tanigaki’s utterly relentless The Furious, which just opened in theaters.
For most of the film, we only know Wang Wei as young Rainy’s silent father. The mysterious Chinese handyman is mute, but he probably wouldn’t be the chatty type, regardless. Rainy is visiting him in Bangkok, but she wants him to return to China with her. Don’t worry about his backstory, because you won’t be getting much and it doesn’t really matter anyway.
Navin’s motivation is painfully clear. His wife, Matia, a muckraking journalist, tried to save a young boy from the trafficking network she had been investigating during the prologue. Navin trained her well, but she is still no match for an enforcer like Tak. Presuming the worst, Navin intends to avenge her by going undercover as a potential buyer, to expose the entire organization. 
ⒸCourtesy of Lionsgate
Ironically, that initially brings him into conflict with Wang, who goes full-scale vigilante when the same trafficking network abducts Rainy. Except for honest and earnest Sgt. Yadong, the local cops are either too corrupt or too lazy to help. Of course, once Navin and Wang start working together, they inflict enough damage on the syndicate to bring down heat on the gang’s corporate boss, Paklung, from his shadowy superiors, including his own father-in-law.
Somehow, it took four credited screenwriters to complete the script for The Furious. The results are serviceable, but unremarkable—and largely beside the point. The fight scenes are what matter most—and they are spectacular. This might be the most brutal martial arts movie since the Scott Adkins vehicle, Diablo, and most fist-pump-worthy action realized on-screen since Gareth Huw Evans’ The Raid: Redemption.
In a way, The Furious is like a who’s who of martial artists with a cult following. It starts with Thailand’s JeeJa Yanin (Chocolate, The Kick), portraying Matia, waging a good, but tragically ill-fated fight, much like Angela Mao Ying’s character did in the classic Enter the Dragon.
From there, Wang and Navin must face the hulking Brian Le (Bangkok Dog) as the seemingly invulnerable Ho, Sahajak Boonthanakat (Mayhem!) as his sleazebag surrogate father, Mr. Song, Yayan “Mad Dog” Ruhian (The Raid franchise), as the arrow-wielding assassin Tak, and Joey Iwanaga (Baby Assassins 2) unleashing sheer lunacy as the increasingly psychotic Paklung.
ⒸCourtesy of Lionsgate
The combination of distinctive fighting styles, exceptionally nasty but colorful villains, and inventive makeshift weapons makes The Furious a truly exhilarating and exhausting viewing experience. One thing is for sure, wooden pallets are built to last in Thailand.
Indeed, Tanigaki never lets the audience catch its breath, quickly segueing from an epic-scale rescue scene that looks partially inspired by John Woo’s Hard Boiled to a spectacularly violent showdown between Wang, Navim, and a rogues’ gallery of memorable bad guys. Tanigaki served with distinction as fight choreographer on films such as Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, but he turned to Japanese action specialist Kensuke Sonomura to choreograph the action for The Furious. He duly rose to the challenge and pulled out all the stops.
ⒸCourtesy of Lionsgate
Yet, it is the chops displayed by Xie and Taslim that make all the pain-defying spectacle possible. Even though Taslim is already well-known for The Raid: Redemption and the Mortal Kombat reboot series, he deserves to truly breakout as a star on the level of Uwais and Tony Jaa for his intense, standout performance as Navim.
Yes, The Furious is the real deal. It takes no prisoners and offers no quarter. The quality of Sonomura’s butt-kicking could very well land the film in a lot of martial arts connoisseurs’ top ten lists. It delivers—hard and fast, over and over. Very highly recommended for genre fans, The Furious is now playing in theaters.
Grade: A
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Here’s the trailer of the film.