The Furious is a 2026 Hong Kong action film directed by Kenji Tanigaki, starring Xie Miao and Joe Taslim. The film follows a father who battles a criminal trafficking network to rescue his kidnapped daughter. It premiered at TIFF in September 2025 and released in Hong Kong on June 12, 2026.
Critics called The Furious ‘the summer’s wildest ride’ and ‘an action junkie’s dream.’ The film delivers Wushu, Pencak Silat, Muay Thai, and MMA-rooted combat through an elite pan-Asian cast. The choreography earns unanimous praise. The narrative keeps its focus tight. Lionsgate holds North American distribution rights with theatrical release underway.
Audience reactions matched the critic consensus from day one. The Furious rewards a theater visit over a streaming wait. This review covers the plot, cast, fight choreography, critical scores, and where to buy tickets. Read on to find out whether The Furious earns a spot on your must-see list.
What Is The Furious?
The Furious is a 2026 Hong Kong action film directed by Kenji Tanigaki. It stars Xie Miao and Joe Taslim in a story about a father fighting a criminal empire to rescue his kidnapped daughter. It had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025.
Here’s the thing: The Furious carries the Chinese title ‘Fire Covers the Eyes’ (火遮眼). The film was produced as an international co-production shot primarily in Bangkok, Thailand. Lionsgate acquired North American distribution rights following the TIFF debut in October 2025.
The film runs 1 hour 53 minutes and carries an R rating. It was theatrically released in Hong Kong on June 12, 2026. Critics immediately called it one of the finest action films of the year.
Film Details:
| Detail | Info |
| Director | Kenji Tanigaki |
| Runtime | 1 hr 53 min |
| Rating | R |
| Hong Kong Release | June 12, 2026 |
| TIFF Premiere | September 6, 2025 |
| Distributor (North America) | Lionsgate |
Who Directed The Furious?
Kenji Tanigaki is a Japanese stunt coordinator turned director with deep roots in Hong Kong action cinema. Tanigaki built his reputation choreographing fight sequences for major productions before stepping behind the camera. His background in practical stunt work directly shaped the physical authenticity of The Furious.
In fact, Tanigaki intentionally designed The Furious as an international action film accessible to global audiences. The dialogue is primarily in English, and the cast was assembled from across Asia to reflect that pan-regional ambition. That’s exactly what convinced Lionsgate to see its commercial potential for Western markets.
Who Stars in The Furious?
Xie Miao plays Wang Wei, the father at the center of the film’s driving conflict. Xie Miao is a veteran Chinese martial artist and actor with decades of training in traditional Wushu. His physical ability provides the film’s most technically demanding sequences.
Joe Taslim plays Navin, a relentless investigative journalist who becomes Wang Wei’s unlikely ally. Taslim is an Indonesian actor and former national judo champion best known for The Raid and Mortal Kombat. The supporting cast includes Brian Le, Yayan Ruhian, Jeeja Yanin, and Joey Iwanaga.
Main Cast:
- Xie Miao as Wang Wei (the father)
- Joe Taslim as Navin (investigative journalist)
- Yayan Ruhian (villain / antagonist)
- Jeeja Yanin (supporting fighter)
- Brian Le (supporting role)
- Joey Iwanaga (supporting role)
What Is The Furious About?
The Furious follows Wang Wei, an ordinary man whose daughter is kidnapped by a criminal trafficking network. When corrupt local police refuse to help, Wei takes matters into his own hands and launches a one-man campaign against the criminals. Journalist Navin, whose wife has mysteriously disappeared, becomes his sole ally.
To be clear: the story is deliberately lean in narrative complexity. Critics described the plot as proof that ‘there is beauty in simplicity.’ The film keeps its emotional stakes focused on a father’s fury and a journalist’s quiet grief, letting the action carry the full emotional weight.
Child trafficking drives the central conflict, giving the violence a moral urgency. The criminal empire Wang Wei targets is well-resourced and ruthless. The film escalates steadily, building toward a final confrontation that delivers on every promise the opening scenes make.
How Does The Furious Compare to Taken and The Raid?
The Furious draws direct comparisons to Taken for its father-rescuing-daughter premise and to The Raid for its relentless martial arts intensity. Critics and audiences widely used the phrase ‘Taken meets The Raid’ as the shorthand description. Both comparisons are accurate but incomplete. The Furious exceeds the latter Taken sequels in craft.
The Raid comparison is more precise in terms of physical filmmaking. Both films feature Indonesian martial arts talent, specifically Yayan Ruhian, who appeared in The Raid. The Furious matches The Raid’s density of combat while adding a pan-Asian cast and a more internationally staged visual style.
Here’s what most people miss: it’s the tone that sets The Furious apart. Wei’s fury is paternal and instinctual. Navin’s motivation runs colder and more calculated. That contrast creates a dynamic neither Taken nor The Raid fully explored.
Comparison Overview:
| Film | Premise | Fight Style |
| The Furious (2026) | Father rescues kidnapped daughter | Wushu, Silat, Muay Thai, MMA |
| Taken (2008) | Father rescues kidnapped daughter | Boran / tactical combat |
| The Raid (2011) | Police raid criminal tower block | Pencak Silat |
What Do Critics Say About The Furious?
The Furious received critical acclaim across major publications upon its June 2026 release. Variety called it ‘stunningly choreographed’ despite dopey dialogue. The A.V. Club described it as ‘an action junkie’s dream’ built on ‘blistering tempo, unmatched fluidity, and virtuosic movement.’ The Daily Beast declared it ‘the summer’s wildest ride.’
ScreenAnarchy wrote that ‘the action world has been served notice,’ praising the film’s international ambition and its ability to function as a film anyone anywhere can enjoy. Hollywood Reporter covered the film’s brutal first trailer in March 2026 and continued its positive coverage through release. Vulture called it ‘an action nerd’s dream.’
Bottom line: the consensus centers on physical execution. Critics acknowledge the dialogue and dubbing as weak spots, but the universal position holds that choreography and action staging at this level make those issues irrelevant. The Rotten Tomatoes trajectory reflected that consensus from day one.
Critical Quotes:
- Variety: ‘Stunningly choreographed martial arts spectacular’
- The A.V. Club: ‘An elemental, balletic beatdown — an action junkie’s dream’
- The Daily Beast: ‘The summer’s wildest ride’
- ScreenAnarchy: ‘The action world has been served notice’
- Vulture: ‘An action nerd’s dream’
Is The Furious Getting Good Reviews?
Yes. The Furious is receiving exceptional reviews for its action direction and fight choreography. Critics across Variety, Vulture, The A.V. Club, The Daily Beast, and ScreenAnarchy all praised the film’s physical filmmaking. Negative observations are limited to dialogue and dubbing quality.
The film debuted at TIFF in September 2025 and built word-of-mouth momentum for nine months before wide release. That festival runway allowed critics to preview the film and prime audiences for its theatrical arrival. The resulting enthusiasm carried directly into opening weekend coverage.
What Do Audiences Think of The Furious?
Audiences responded to The Furious with the same enthusiasm critics brought to their reviews. Viewer commentary consistently described it as the kind of action movie that makes theaters feel worth attending. The emotional simplicity of the story allowed the action to land with full impact.
So, common audience reactions echoed the ‘Taken meets The Raid’ comparison. Many viewers described The Furious as delivering the most satisfying action experience they had seen in years. The fight sequences generated audible crowd responses — gasps, cheers — that action films rarely achieve.
What Are the Best Action Sequences in The Furious?
The Furious delivers a continuous escalation of combat sequences built around traditional martial arts and practical stunt work. The film prioritizes tactile, grounded fight choreography over wire work or digital enhancement. Each confrontation builds on the physical and emotional toll of the last, creating a cumulative effect critics called extraordinary.
Wang Wei’s fights carry the energy of genuine desperation. Worth noting: Xie Miao’s Wushu background translates into speed and precision the camera captures without embellishment. The staging emphasizes consequence. Hits register. Injuries accumulate. The film refuses to let its hero emerge from each sequence unmarked.
And it gets better. The confrontations involving Yayan Ruhian carry a different quality entirely. His presence signals danger in a way audiences who saw The Raid recognize immediately. Joey Iwanaga and Brian Le add further variety to the film’s physical vocabulary. Jeeja Yanin brings her own Muay Thai-rooted style to the final act.
Martial Arts Styles Featured:
- Wushu (Xie Miao)
- Pencak Silat (Yayan Ruhian)
- Muay Thai (Jeeja Yanin)
- MMA-influenced grappling (various)
- Judo-based technique (Joe Taslim)
How Good Is the Fight Choreography in The Furious?
The fight choreography in The Furious achieves a rare balance between technical perfection and visceral grit. Critics noted that it’s ‘scrappy enough to give it grit’ while remaining precisely constructed. The fights look dangerous because Tanigaki designed them to feel like real altercations with actual stakes, not demonstrations of athletic skill.
The choreography draws from multiple martial arts traditions across the cast. Wushu, Pencak Silat, Muay Thai, and MMA-influenced grappling all appear in different sequences. That variety prevents the action from becoming repetitive across the film’s 113-minute runtime. Each major combatant moves in a completely distinct physical language.
Does The Furious Have Any Weaknesses?
The Furious has acknowledged weaknesses in its dialogue writing and post-production ADR work. ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), the process of re-recording lines in a sound booth for sync with the final cut, shows visible seams in multiple scenes. The spoken dialogue itself lacks the sophistication of the film’s action design.
The good news? The narrative simplicity that critics praised as intentional only reads as thin if you walk in expecting a thriller. Viewers seeking dramatic complexity alongside the action will find the story underdeveloped. But the film commits entirely to action as its primary mode of communication, and it does that better than almost anything else in theaters right now.
Pros:
- Exceptional fight choreography across multiple martial arts styles
- Strong emotional core built on paternal and journalistic motivation
- Diverse pan-Asian cast of elite martial artists
- Practical stunt work with minimal digital enhancement
- Escalating tension across the full 113-minute runtime
Cons:
- Weak dialogue and flat expository scenes
- Visible ADR seams in several scenes
- Thin narrative for viewers seeking thriller complexity
Is the Dialogue a Problem in The Furious?
No. The Furious demonstrates that weak dialogue doesn’t undermine a film built on exceptional physical filmmaking. Variety described the dopey dialogue and dubbing issues directly in its positive review, treating them as minor costs against overwhelming choreographic achievement. The critical consensus holds that the action justifies full attention.
The dialogue weakness is most visible in expository scenes between action sequences. Characters explain motivation and plot in functional but flat language. The film’s best communicative moments are entirely physical. Tanigaki chose to let the action carry the emotional argument. And that choice paid off completely.
How Does The Furious Compare to Other 2026 Action Films?
The Furious stands as the premier action film of 2026 by critical consensus through its June release date. ScreenAnarchy declared that ‘the action world has been served notice.’ Critics positioned it above other 2026 releases in physical filmmaking craft and martial arts execution. No comparable release matched it in this category.
And here is the best part: The Furious’s Hong Kong production context sets it apart from Hollywood action. American studio action in 2026 continued relying on digital effects and franchise continuation. The Furious offered a counterpoint through practical stunt work, diverse martial arts casting, and a self-contained story with no sequel obligations baked in.
Is The Furious Better Than Fast and Furious?
Yes. The Furious delivers superior action craft compared to recent Fast and Furious franchise entries by nearly every measurable standard. The choreography is more technically ambitious, the stunt work is more grounded in physical reality, and the combat carries consequences that the franchise long abandoned in favor of spectacle. The name similarity ends at the marketing level.
Think of it this way: Fast and Furious operates in a heightened fantasy register where physics and mortality are optional. The Furious operates where every injury matters and every fight carries genuine risk. That contrast reflects fundamentally different theories of what action cinema should achieve.
Where Can You Watch The Furious?
The Furious is currently playing in theaters following its Hong Kong release on June 12, 2026. Lionsgate holds North American distribution rights and scheduled theatrical rollout in the US market. Fandango and other ticketing platforms carry showtimes and advance ticket sales for current engagements. The film runs 1 hour 53 minutes.
The film premiered at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025. The long festival-to-release runway sustained critical attention and built audience anticipation. Physical format and streaming release dates hadn’t been confirmed publicly as of the June 2026 theatrical window.
Where to Buy Tickets:
- Fandango (fandango.com)
- AMC Theatres app
- Regal Cinemas app
- Local theater box office
Is The Furious Available on Streaming?
No. The Furious is not yet available on any streaming platform as of its June 2026 theatrical release. Lionsgate typically maintains theatrical exclusivity windows of 45 to 90 days before digital rental and streaming rights become active. No official streaming release date had been announced through the film’s opening period.
Here’s why this matters: viewers who want the full experience should prioritize a theatrical viewing. The fight choreography and sound design reward a large screen and loud audio environment. Streaming compression and small-screen presentation reduce the physical impact that critics identified as the film’s central achievement.
Should You Watch The Furious This Weekend at Eat Proteins?
Yes. The Furious is exactly the kind of film that reminds you why action movies exist. It delivers at the highest level of craft currently in theaters. Critics gave it that rare unanimous endorsement where even the negatives become irrelevant. At Eat Proteins, our experts know what peak physical performance looks like — and this film puts it on screen for 113 minutes straight.
You don’t need to be a martial arts fan to appreciate what Tanigaki built here. The film’s emotional core — a father’s fury, a journalist’s grief — gives the action human stakes. Xie Miao and the assembled cast translate that emotion into movement. The result is a film that hits on instinct and lands with full force.
Our coaches at Eat Proteins know what it takes to show up and push through when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Wang Wei embodies that same drive. You’ll leave the theater ready to work harder. Buy your tickets through Fandango or your local theater app. Don’t wait for streaming. See it now.