As I walked out of the screening of The Furious, which made its world premiere at TIFF, I felt…well, exhausted. I say that in a good way, as acclaimed action choreographer-turned-director Kenji Tanigaki has not only put together some incredible action scenes, but tied them in with a heart-wrenching story, making this an emotionally thrilling ride. Coming in at just shy of two hours, it’s incredible how much action Tanijaki managed to fit into this film, while still weaving it well into a potent story.
The story follows a desperate father, Wang Wei (Xie Miao), whose daughter (Yang Enyou) has been kidnapped by child traffickers. He teams up with journalist Navin (Joe Taslim), whose journalist wife (Jiji Yanin) has disappeared while investigating the same child traffickers. Both men are determined and angry, furious, you might say, and they start down a road that will take many twists and turns. They fight impossible odds against a massive crime syndicate in a setting described only as an unnamed Southeast Asian country.
From the opening scene to the very end, the film is a beautiful onslaught of chaos, fighting, and then more fighting. Director Tanigaki deftly weaves the action in and out of the story, which gives depth to both Wang and Navin as they head towards the inevitable showdown. Or, I should say, showdowns, as there were a few times when I thought a pinnacle fight scene was part of the end story, only to have it evolve into something bigger and bolder. Along the way, they encounter actor/fighters Joey Iwanaga, Brian Le, and Yayan Ruhian, all adding something significant to the mix.
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There were many great fight scenes, but a few that were utterly jaw-dropping, including a five-man fight sequence that reportedly took eighteen days to shoot. It was glorious in every way, with five different actors bringing different styles to the mix. It was almost like a massive scene straight out of the Wild West, except that a martial arts fight broke out instead of a gunfight. With a huge choreography background, director Tanigaki and team took the fight scenes to new levels, especially the five-man fight scene. At the same time, they invested enough time in characters for you to cheer them on or wish some excruciating death upon them.
Using the backdrop of child trafficking is no easy task, but it was a good choice. The universal loathing for people who deal in this criminal enterprise helped raise the stakes even more, especially when the two leads were so affected by this crime syndicate that peddled children. Speaking of children, a shout-out to child actor Yang Enyou, who proved to be not only adept at tugging the heartstrings but could make you laugh as well. It can’t be easy to be a child working on a film like this, story-wise and action-wise, as it could be extremely intimidating, but Enyou was up for the challenge.
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There is some great humor in the film, something that sometimes gets lost in the mix. Many of the characters had a chance to shine in this regard and did well. The outlandish action at times was tempered well by some fun, whether intentional or not, and the actors seem to enjoy it, taking those moments and running with them, almost like a slight reprieve from what must have been a sometimes taxing and exhausting film shoot.
Intense, funny, heartwrenching, The Furious was a fast-paced movie with many furious characters, all fighting towards their own personal goals, personally or professionally. Were some of the action scenes too long? Possibly. But that’s part of the joy of a film like this. When it’s this well shot, acted, choreographed, and directed, it only adds to the joy and satisfaction of seeing just one more punch landed, one more kick fly, and one more body hit the ground.
