Not living in Toronto or Los Angeles, or even in Busan or Spain, or Boston as of late, has been perhaps the greatest setback for me with the buzz coming from screenings for the new action adventure, The Furious. Nevertheless, the excitement remains as the film continues to be celebrated as a triumph among critics and eventgoers, a fact laid clear and present by the first official trailer now online from Lionsgate.
Action impressario Kenji Tanigaki (Rurouni Kenshin franchise, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins) follows up his debut effort on 2020’s Enter The Fat Dragon, coming off of multiple wins in the last several years for his work on films like Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled-In, and the late Benny Chan’s Raging Fire. Tanigaki’s The Furious additionally played for the Secció Oficial Fantàstic of the 58th edition of Sitges in Spain, winning the Special Jury Prize.
After the daughter of Wang Wei (Xie Miao) is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself. His only ally is Navin (Joe Taslim) – a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers in this explosive martial arts showdown.
Produced by Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), The Furious boasts an international cast including Xie Miao (Eye For An Eye), Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat), Yayan Ruhian (Skylines), and Joey Iwanaga (Baby Assassins 2), along with Jeeja Yanin (Triple Threat), Brian Le (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), and Yang Enyou (Dead To Rights). The film also brings its daring set of action sequences from lauded action director Kensuke Sonomura (Baby Assassins franchise, “Song Of The Samurai”).
Tanigaki has positioned himself extremely well in this regard, with a production that pairs him with some of the most potent actors in the martial arts movie arena, on both sides of the lens no less. The trailer samples it all excellently, and I almost wish I didn’t preview it a week earlier just to spare myself the excitement and experience upon finally taking it all in and keep it fresh, but there’s no real damage done here. I want – no, I NEED this movie in my brain, like right now.
The Furious opens in theaters on May 29 from Lionsgate. IGN is debuting the exclusive Red Band trailer so check it out below and mind your viewing surroundings. Gosh, this is beautiful.
