The best action movie of the year? Our META movie review of The Furious

Forget rapid-fire cuts and over-the-top CGI: this movie really packs a punch! "The Furious" is another martial arts film from Hong Kong that has already turned heads at prestigious film festivals like Sitges and Toronto. But what does this action flick actually have to offer, and what do international critics have to say about it? We'll reveal all that in our KinoCheck META review.

The Story

Let's not kid ourselves: you're not tuning in to this movie for deep dialogue or Oscar-worthy plot twists. Anyone looking for a complex, twist-filled story is definitely in the wrong movie. This opinion is also reflected in the vast majority of international reviews. Or, to put it in the words of William Bibbani from The Wrap:

"The plot is simplicity, and thank goodness, because no one goes to a fight movie for the plot."

Just this much: "The Furious" tells the story of Wang Mei (Xie Miao), whose daughter is abducted by a child trafficking ring. He then teams up with journalist Navon (Joe Taslim) to fight his way through the Hong Kong underworld. For Jake Cole of Slant, however, the thin plot carries significantly more weight. He also had issues with the dialogue.

"At times, the threadbare plot threatens to weigh down the rare moments where things slow down to reset, with dialogue that occasionally sounds like it went through several rounds of translation and emerged awkwardly cadenced and blunt."

Brutal fights in the style of The Raid

For most critics, one thing is clear: as soon as the fights begin, "The Furious" reveals its true strength. The action is brutal, masterfully filmed, and incredibly well choreographed. Every punch, kick, or blow with a weapon lands perfectly and delivers the occasional "Ouch" moment. The whole thing is then accompanied by a thumping soundtrack that builds plenty of tension. The film takes itself 100 percent seriously. There's no room here for meta-jokes or self-deprecating moments.

Creative set pieces and compelling performances

The creative set pieces, which provide visual variety, are also particularly noteworthy. In our opinion, two sequences stand out in particular: First, an atmospherically dense and uncompromising fight in a cold storage room, where the environment is skillfully integrated into the choreography. Second, a spectacularly staged confrontation in an MMA ring, where a hammer takes down hordes of opponents.

Don't expect Oscar-worthy acting. Nevertheless, the actors are generally quite convincing and handle the enormous physical strain well. Joe Taslim, in particular, impressed us – many of you probably know him from "The Raid", "The Night Comes for Us", or the "Mortal Kombat" films. Giovanni Lago from Next Best Pictures, on the other hand, was thrilled by actor Brian Lee, who plays a particularly tenacious adversary who makes life hell for our heroes.

"In particular, Brian Lee's bald, bulldozing henchman is the personification of this, turning into what is essentially the live-action Tasmanian Devil. He's a muscly tornado of vehemence."

Weaknesses in believability

But where there is light, there is unfortunately also shadow. As fun as the fights are, a certain repetitiveness creeps in over the course of the film, which is also due to its 113-minute runtime. Less would have been more here. At some point, you've simply had your fill of the action, and the fights start to feel drawn-out, especially toward the end. Consistency and believability also increasingly fall by the wayside. When characters go down countless times, take massive hits, and yet keep getting back up, the sense of a real threat is lost. At times, the characters seem more like they're from a video game.

Conclusion

Critics have given the film mostly positive reviews – mainly due to the well-executed fight sequences. We agree: "The Furious" is a spectacular action film with impressive fights. Unfortunately, the lack of consistency in the fight scenes and the runtime detract from the overall impression. For us, it's not the best action movie of the year, but it's definitely worth watching. Want to form your own opinion? "The Furious" hits theaters on June 12, 2026.