Martial arts stars Xie Miao (My Father is A Hero, Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman), Joe Taslim (The Raid, The Night Comes for Us), Jeeja Yanin (Chocolate, Triple Threat) and Yayan Ruhian (The Raid, Beyond Skyline) team up for the Edko/XYZ Films English-language Hong Kong actioner, The Furious, which hits theaters on Friday!
After the daughter of Wang Wei (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 (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.
Out of all the aforementioned names, lead star Xie Miao is most likely the one most are unfamiliar with. For fans of Hong Kong action cinema, Miao is remembered for his co-starring turns as a child martial arts prodigy in the Jet Li outings The New Legend of Shaolin and My Father is a Hero during the mid-1990’s. While he largely stayed off the radar in the succeeding years, he made a comeback in 2008 with the Tsui Siu-Ming directed Champions, a rousing tale set during the 1936 Olympics that was made off the back of Beijing hosting the event during the same year.
Since then, Miao has appeared onscreen regularly, and in the mid-2010’s found his calling as one of the go-to leading men (probably only rivalled by Fan Siu-Wong) for kung-fu web movies. In the 2020’s alone he’s already headlined 15 of them, and is one of the few actors who can claim to have played the iconic characters of Ip Man, Sun Wukong, and Na Zha (and all within just a few months of each other!).
The Furious marks Miao’s most mainstream film and will presumably be his most viewed to date, possibly opening up the star to more Hollywood projects, as seen with his co-star Joe Taslim, whose breakout role in The Raid led him to star in 2021’s Mortal Kombat, 2013’s Fast & Furious 6, and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
Miao’s co-star, Joe Taslim, broke out in the 2011 Indonesian hit The Raid and has since appeared in Fast & Furious 6 and as Sub-Zero in the Mortal Kombat franchise. A decorated judoka with training in taekwondo, wushu, boxing, and pencak silat, he’s known for performing his own stunts and is one of Asia’s most fearless action stars.
The Furious is helmed by noted action director Tanigaki Kenji (Raging Fire, Enter the Fat Dragon), who also handles martial arts choreography along with Kensuke Sonomura (Ghost Killer, Hyrdra) and Naohiro Kawamoto (Baby Assassins: Nice Days, One Percent Warrior). Producing is Edko Film’s Bill Kong, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Fearless.
Additional stars include Brian Le (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Yang Enyu (Lighting Up the Stars), Sahajak Boonthanakit (Asian Connection), Joey Iwanaga (Baby Assassins 2), Winai Wiangyangkung (Monkey Man) and Enyou Yang (Eye for An Eye 2).
🔥 Footnote: This already looks better than every John Wick movie combined. Welcome back, Hong Kong!
The Furious hits theaters on June 12, courtesy of Lionsgate. Until then, watch the Newest clip, followed by previous Trailers and clips below:
I hope this lives up to the hype. I guess Phillip Ng and Andy On’s Without Remorse has some big competition.
Oh, I’d say so!
I won’t call it a renaissance, but we are in an era where more people who care about action cinema are putting in a great effort.
Even though too many producers want CGI to replace real action choreography, there’s enough film makers out there who prove that screen fighting and learning choreography is not a lost art.
Totally agree. The geeks are finally taking over. CGI may be the norm, but we get enough of the old-school stuff that I’m happy.
Yeah, with that cast and with Kenji in the director’s chair…this should rock.
No Jeeja Yanin in this film, sadly..
Do you know something we don’t?
LP…… you can’t just come in and out, give us hard info, then disappear. That’s a dick move if you ask me. You must be from the Philippines.
Saw the screening 2 weeks ago. Amazing, lots of action and creative moves and choreography. Jeeja is in the film. Kenji is god of action, he’s simply the best at the moment.
https://maactioncinema.com/archives/23161
Production wrapped up in July, and Furious is set to come out next year! First images are pretty cool looking.
Thanks Andrew!
Dear Cityonfire,
Please review Xie Miao’s direct to streaming movies.
Northeast Police Story (Fight against Evil)
Northeast Police Story 2 (Fight Against evil 2)
Hunt the Wicked
These 3 are better than half of the movies that you review (IMO). The spirit of 80’s HK action lives on in straight to IQIYI movies.
Thanks for the recommendation Ska. Saw both Fight Against Evil 1 & 2 (which as far as titles go for leaving nothing to the imagination, ranks only slightly higher than Taking Out The Trash and Kick Scumbags Asses). If Evil 1 was a tasty appetizer than Evil 2 is the juicy steak. If there are more installments to come, then this could well do for Xie Miao what The Roundup franchise did for Don Lee. They share many similarities…a straight arrow cop with fearsome ass kicking skills, reprehensible villains and terrific fight scenes. The difference being Xie is nowhere near the lumbering mountain of muscle Don Lee is, meaning he needs to work twice as hard to subdue the baddies. Moving on to Hunt The Wicked, which I’m making a wild guess has something to do with taking out really, really, really bad people.
The wicked in Hunt the Wicked would be drug traffickers in a fictional country thats NOT China but whose people look like chinese people and speak Chinese LOL. It gives the movie an excuse to have an anti hero in the form of Andy On. Xie Miao and Andy On together is like 2020s lower budget mainland version of a Pacino/Deniro teamup. The movie is quite awesome and silly for about an hour but totally derails itself in the last third.
Hopefully, unlike Black Mask, they release it this time.
This looks like a generic, dime a dozen martial arts movie that we have seen thousands of times of before. Martial art films are so repetitive.
And no, its not “100 times” better than the John Wick films. Your opinion is not a fact. I’ll take the John Wick films over any Asian action movie ever made and its not even close.
Films are subjective in case you didn’t know.
It is an undeniable, indisputable 100% fact, as we clearly stated, when we said: “TO US, it already looks 100 times better than all John Wick films combined.”
No, its not a fact, no matter how many times you say it. Films are subjective. Your opinion is not a fact.
Funny how you randomly compared it to John Wick. How can a movie series cause so much butthurt🤣
Dude, why are you here if you don’t have any respect for the films that influenced the John Wick series? Buster Keaton, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jackie Chan, Yuen Woo-ping, John Woo, Johnnie To, Park Chan-wook, Kim Ji-woon—they all had a hand in inspiring Chad Stahelski, David Leitch and the John Wick films. I don’t understand how someone can stand up in the air, erect dick lifting them from the ground, proclaiming that everything Asian or DTV is shit WHEN THAT’S WHERE STAHELSKI AND THE WICK FILMS COME FROM. Christ almighty, dude. Why hang around an Asian action film site if you don’t like Asian or Asian-inspired action films? Just lurk around the John Wick subreddit. And quit upvoting yourself. I get fucking secondhand embarrassment. Everyone knows what you’re doing.
Everything is inspried by things that came before them. Woo was inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville, Spaghetti Westerns, Sam Peckinpah etc. Akira Kurosawa was inspired by John Ford. Also, Jackie Chan was inspired by Buster Keaton. You mentioned a bunch of filmmakers who inspired Asian directors lol idiot. Stop acting like as if the action genre was created by Asian cinema.
Also, all Asian action films are sped up like shit. Undercranked crap.
Asia cinema doesn’t have monopoly over these kinds of films. Anybody can make them.
And when are idiots like you going to understand that films are subjective. The person watching gets to decide if they are good or bad. I’ll take the John Wick films over any Asian action movie ever made its and not even close. And I’ll upvote my posts because I can asshat.
I’m already aware of every attempt at a “Gotcha!” in your comment. My question still stands. Why are you here if you don’t like Asian action cinema? From where I’m standing, I’m not the one who looks like an idiot. I’m not the knuckle-dragging f–king buffoon who spends his free time trolling sites that cover films he doesn’t enjoy while he bangs himself on his dick with a hammer because his mommy didn’t love him and he can’t feel anything if he’s not spilling his self-loathing in the form of false confidence. You’re weak, you’re a loser, we all know it, and you can kindly go f–k yourself.
Says the pussy ass frustrated loser getting his panties in a twist because someone doesn’t like the same things as you do. Poor f–k is in meltdown mode because someone doesn’t like his garbage Asian movies. How f–king pathetic is that.
And my in post you counter couldn’t anything because I was correct about everything. The action genre wasn’t created by Asian cinema,
And you go can kindly go f–k yourelf. Nobody f–king tells me what to post and what not to post. Your mother should have swallowed.
Just based on that last line, I fear there may be a gap in your understanding of the process involved in becoming pregnant. Fear not though, there are plenty of educational resources online.
Again, I’m not the one constantly hating on Asian action films on a website that covers Asian action films. I’m not the one who’s triggered by trailers that haven’t even dropped yet. *I’m* not the one who brings up John Wick in every article like I’ve got Keanu’s face tattooed on my chest. And I LOVE the Wick films. *I’m* not the frustrated loser.
And I didn’t counter anything you said because you put words in my mouth. My argument was never that Hong Kong or Asia invented action cinema. You’re either a manipulative piece of shit, but you’re absolutely terrible at being one, or you’re too stupid to understand what my argument is. I think it might be both. Whatever the case, this is going to be the last time I directly talk to you. I’m either going to ignore you or mock you along with everyone else, but I will not bother with one-on-one’s anymore. Good day, Anonymous. *MWAH*
Dude just admitted to upvoting himself. On a site about films he doesn’t like. And he thought that was a flex. Jesus H. Christ.
You been watching too many jet li movies. HONG KONG action is the best!
Uh, seriously? The John Wick films were literally inspired by Hong Kong kung fu cinema—-that’s the main reason they’re so good. Even the director and the producer who made all the John Wick films have said that’s where they got their inspiration for the films from.
For you to come here and say that Asian films are nothing but “undercranked crap” proves you haven’t been watching any kung fu films in the last 20 years. That’s why your opinions on kf films make no sense whatsoever. And claiming that the John Wick films are better than the Asian films that inspired them is even more ridiculous, since the JW films would not exist without the H.K. films that influenced them in the first place. You obviously don’t even like kung fu films, so why even take up space posting your clueless opinion here? Go someplace else, since you don’t like it here.
Everything is inspired by things that came before. Hong Kong cinema itself was inspired by Western cinema. Jean Pierre Melville, Spaghetti Westerns, Sam Peckinpah, John Ford, Buster Keaton. Akira Kurosawa has said he was inspired by John Ford, John Woo was inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, Sam Peckinpah, Jackie Chan was inspired by Buster Keaton etc. You’re so ignorant. Educate yourself first.
And yes, Asian action films are undercranked/sped up shit.
And yes the John Wick films are better than any Asian action movie ever made. Films are subjective. The person watching gets to decide if they are good or bad.
Lol I’ve seen nearly every interview from Chad Stahelski and he mentions a bunch of films that he was inspired from. Spagetti Westerns/Sergio Leone, Jean Pierre Melville, Hong Kong films, Korean films, Steven Spielberg, Die Hard, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson etc. He was inspired by a diverse range of films. Saying John Wick wouldn’t exist without Hong Kong cinema is nonsense. Asian cinema didn’t create the action genre. The action genre existed before Asian cinema.
Like I said, you’re ignorant as hell. Educate yourself first before posting clueless crap.
you sound like Michael Jackson on that old South Park episode.
“That’s ignorant! You’re being ignorant! Tee-hee!”
Everything is inspired by things that came before them. Woo was inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville, Spaghetti Westerns, Sam Peckinpah etc. Akira Kurosawa was inspired by John Ford. Jackie Chan was inspired by Buster Keaton. Stop acting like as if the action genre was created by Asian cinema.
Asian cinema doesn’t have monopoly over these kinds of action films. Anybody can make them.
All Asian action films are sped up crap. Undercranked shit.
You idiots don’t seem to understand that films are subjective. The person watching gets to decide if they are good or bad. I’ll take the John Wick films over any Asian action movie ever made and its not even close. And I’ll continue to upvote my posts because I can asshole. And I’ll continue to post here because I can.
You just proved three things:
1. You can’t recognize sarcasm, even when it’s obvious and spelled out for you.
2. You’re not the brightest bulb in the box, since you think the words “to us” are defined as “fact”.
3. You revealed you’re the one butthurt about what we said about the John Wick franchise.
Here’s a more compassionate reply to you: I love the John Wick franchise. Furious has no chance against it. (Feel a little better?)
I wonder how you got 5 thumbs down (as of today). Is the same terrorist using separate guest logins?
I was thinking why don’t they just IP ban him but then every community needs to come together sometimes even though we all have difference of opinions and such…but at least in this case we can all agree annonymous is a dumbass cvnt who should have stayed a cumstain when his dad was jerking off onto random homeless people on the subway
I’m genuinely at the point where I’m wondering if I’m the asshole and I should just feel sorry for the guy. I *kind of* do, honestly. You can tell he’s got nothing going on. No real hobbies. Probably never had a girlfriend (or boyfriend, if that’s what he’s into—and that’s not a dig). He just seems sad.
Amazing! When can we expect for the trailer (at what hour today)? Any information on that?
It’s available right NOW. =)
Right away, it made me gasp… by the end of the trailer, I felt a little light-headed and realized I hadn’t breathed the whole time. It looks fucking awesome!
Kung Fu Bob, man, where the hell you been?! I’ve loved seeing your artwork pop up on everyone’s blu-rays. Still got my Philip Kwok Venom Mob framed print.
I’ve been anticipating this since last year. Lionsgate made sure to acquire this shortly after the September 2025 Toronto International Film Festival premiere. Happy for all involved and look forward to more and more of Tanigaki Kenji directing.
Anyone who has watched xie Miao’s staright to streaming movies knows he had the potential to be awesome but was always hamstrung by the stories they could tell and the budgets they were given. This looks awesome. If it does well i want to see Northeast Police story 4/ Fight against evil 4 return to its roots as a gritty police proceudral but with this level of violence
Getting back to the subject of the movie, that was an amazing trailer and a far cry from the iQiyi films Xie Miao has done. It doesn’t appear that the same digital slow-mo those films overuse at times is here.
I’m surprised the film is in English. I guess the producers want the movie to have a better turn out than the Raid films. I’m certainly excited with how Furious will kick off the summer and steal the thunder of the blockbusters. (Even if it doesn’t make that kind of money,)
I am looking forward to this movie, not getting the same hype as before (as I had few disappointments along the way), so now I am curbing my enthusiasm to a moderate levels. Will definitely see it, and I do believe that Kenji Tanigaki has put an effort into the martial arts choreography (watched Walled in Twilight of the warriors the other day), so it is one of the titles I’ll be anticipating this summer. When talented people collaborate, the results rarely disappoints.
I caught this at a special screening* in my neck of the woods.
So…I caveat this to those excited up to the point of hyperventilation for this:
It’s been compared to THE RAID…but outside of the amazing ass kicking, this doesn’t come close to what Gareth Evans accomplished because Evans is simply IMHO the more accomplished overall film maker. With THE RAID, he married blistering action with a menacing vibe of survival horror (in spite of all the violence in THE FURIOUS, nothing in it comes close to the ass-clenching, white knuckle tension of a baddie plunging a machete through a wall, with a partition inside where Rama and an injured colleague are hiding, and then pulling it out, and the weapon grazing Rama’s cheek and he has the presence of mind to wipe it off before the blade is fully extracted).
Nor does it compare to THE RAID 2, which expanded the canvas to give you an Undercover Cop Procedural and Epic Gangster flick, like Donnie Brasco, only with more machetes, bats and hammers.
No, THE FURIOUS’ ambitions are more modest. It’s essentially TAKEN…with a 500% hike in Body Trauma.
And given who the baddies are, character complexity is nullified. Sex Traffickers are the new Nazis where modern action films are concerned (TAKEN, SKIN TRADE, THE SIN TRADE, LIFE AFTER FIGHTING, RAMBO LAST BLOOD, FURY(the Veronico Ngo one)….and about 1500 more examples I can’t remember) which means: Fuck these assholes, they all need to die in gruesome ways.
The heroes are about as thinly sketched: There’s a mute handyman who possesses a particular set of skills and who doesn’t show up on any online searches and has a bullet sized hole in his head so you know he has a mysterious past I hope they delve into in the inevitable sequel. There’s a reporter possessing similar set of skills; said skills consisting of superhuman speed, stamina, resilience and God-Tier levels of ass-kicking.
So, if a movie that’s essentially 85% an escalating series of brawls each more intricately choreographed and brutally pulverizing than the last ain’t your jam, then I suggest wait for streaming or that inevitable YT fight compilation video some intrepid soul is going to put up a few months down the line.
It’s also square in the territory of your standard China Web Movie, where it takes place in a “nameless” South East Asian City where the police station are manned by Thais but the hair salons are run by Chinese, which leads to an interesting scene of a huge population of Chinese clamoring for the police to rescue a bunch of kidnapped children but the Thai police don’t do anything because they’ve been ordered to stand down by their corrupt Boss. Will most likely play like gangbusters in a Beijing cinema although reception may be a tad more muted in a Bangkok theatre:-)
But…….Ye Gods, if seeing what Sonomura’s and Tanigaki’s jaw dropping choreography executed with flawless precision by some of the best on screen martial artists illustrating how many ways the human body can be punched, kicked, thrown, bludgeoned, stabbed, hammered, arrowed, macheted, mutilated, strangled, electrocuted and bitten sends you into paroxysms of pleasure, then beg or borrow the gas money needed, or take the 3 different forms of transportation required or hell, just do a David Goggins and run the 10 miles to the nearest theatre because it’ll be worth it.
*Special Screening meant, we had a meet and greet with stars Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhiyan after the movie.
Yayan, unlike the scary as fuck guys he plays on screen is a perfectly amiable gentlemen in the flesh and politely asked audience members to tell all their friends to come see this film
Done, Yayan!
Although posting it here is largely me preaching to the choir: Most of you have purchased your tickets and pre-ordered the blu ray!
So its a Iqiyi type effort but theatrical and “elevated”? Is it better than Xie’s Fight Against Evil movies?
For the last few years the Chinese government has systematically driven a narrative that spending your hard earned cash in Thailand will result in you getting kidnapped and raped. They’d rather you spend your money domestically. So yeah this will do ok at the local cinemas.
Yup…an IQIYI effort but more tailored for the international market, so language -wise, it’s the reverse of your China Web flick: Most of the dialogue is in English with some smattering of Mandarin.
But it’s the fight choreography that truly elevates this. The better IQIYI efforts have pretty good beatdowns with some like the elevator fight in BLACK STORM, a couple of good ones in the FIGHT AGAINST EVIL series and the recent THE SIN TRADE elevating the bar.
THE FURIOUS simply ripped the bar off the ceiling, demolished the roof and said, we’re taking this as high as it goes.
So, tonally it’s more THE NIGHT COMES FOR US than a typical IQIYI offering. Meaning all that pulverizing brutality will either leave fans swooning or detractors exhausted.
I’ve heard more than a few comments saying THE FURIOUS has simply too many fights, which is akin to complaining that SEX & ZEN features far too much nudity, Amy Yip’s bosoms and Elvis Tsui being a dick (pun intended)
Well, you’ve sold me – I’m on my way to see it!
I do wish the webmovies (and this movie) weren’t so averse to colour. It’s a visual medium, and everything being washed out or filtered through drab browns and greys is tiring and offputting after a while. I’m even missing the ubiquitous blue lighting of the 90’s…
I need to keep my expectations in check cos everyone is hyping this one up. But if leans more towards The Night Comes for Us in tone, I can’t wait. Well actually I have to wait cos its not playing anywhere near me, so ironically will wait until it hits Iqiyi.
As for too much fighting, I would use the Ballerina as a recent example where there is too much action and not enough story/character development to support all the action scenes. After a while the action beats blur into each other and you become numb /a bit bored. IMO