Warning: Major Spoilers For The Furious Ahead!Lionsgate's newest film, The Furious, has given action fans some of the greatest movie fight scenes in recent memory. For years, the John Wick franchise has been their greatest accomplishment with non-stop thrills and action scenes that kept fans coming back for more. However, now this new film directed by Kenji Tanigaki has delivered what could be the next big action franchise.
The film follows a mute man named Wang Wei as he hunts down a group of men who kidnap his daughter. He teams up with a reporter named Navin, who's searching for his missing wife, to hunt down the abductors.
It's a thrilling concept for a film that feels like a bold new take on the Liam Neeson franchise, Taken. However, the key difference between the two is the desired subgenre. While Taken fit better as a thriller with action elements, The Furious is pure action from beginning to end.
There are countless displays of epic martial arts fight sequences that keep the film moving at breakneck speed throughout. Just when audiences think they saw the most outrageous stunts and fight choreography in one scene, The Furious manages to one-up it with its next sequence.
There are so many great fight scenes throughout this film, but five truly stand out as the absolute best. They feature some of the best action that fans will ever experience this year, especially with top-notch talent delivering these epic moments for moviegoers to enjoy.
This crucial sequence around The Furious' midpoint is a thrilling sequence. It takes place entirely in a club called The Snake Pit, where Wang Wei's daughter and other kidnapped children are being held. The Snake Pit fight undeniably features the least amount of on-screen fighting in the movie. Most of the tension behind it lies with the children trying to escape from the building while Wang Wei and Navin hold off the kidnappers. However, what is shown is phenomenal.
The way the two men hold back their attackers with a single pallet of wood while beating them back with hammers and fists is thrilling. This is especially the case when Wang Wei manages to push back countless pursuers that manage to slip past their choke point in a brutal fashion. Plus, the way Wang Wei plows through enemies with a motorcycle is a phenomenal way to show his return.
The Furious' first major action set piece after the prologue perfectly sets up just how thrilling the film will be for audiences in the best way possible. When Wang Wei's daughter, Rainy, is abducted, he begins to fight off her kidnappers in any way he can. This includes using various fighting styles and weapons to get to his daughter before they can escape with her.
The battlefield constantly shifts as they trade punches on the street, on a truck, and in an abandoned building. It's a chaotic bout between these two opposing sides blended with beautifully choreographed action. In a way, this scene is a perfect set-up for what's to come as Wang Wei pursues the kidnappers on foot through the streets to rescue Rainy.
When Wang Wei, played by Xie Miao, and Navin, played by Joe Taslim, get a lead on where Rainy and the other children may be held, they ambush an ice house to stage a rescue mission. However, they soon find themselves in a battle for their lives against one of The Furious' most formidable foes, Ho.
He's a massive man with a brute fighting style that involves sledgehammers and beating down his opponents. He's able to hold himself off well throughout this fight, especially when it becomes a two-against-one battle.
What this fight also does well is use the environment to its advantage. There are massive ice blocks layered throughout, leading to many moments where they're used as defense, weapons, and environmental hazards. It's one of the most unique battlefields in the entire film, and it's made even better by Ho being the scariest villain Wang Wei and Navin have to fight off yet.
Featured heavily in The Furious' first trailer, this fight showcases just how talented Kenji Tanigaki is as a director. The scene takes place in a nightclub with a giant UFC-like octagon placed in the middle. Wang Wei starts a fight with one of Rainy's abductors.
During the scuffle, he's thrown into the Octagon, where he's forced to take on various waves of opponents. This leads to some impressive camerawork as Wang Wei breaks out his hammer and fends off the enemies by climbing on top of them and smacking them with it. It's truly a sight to behold, especially with the nightclub's lights illuminating Wang Wei as he unleashes his fury in the ring.
The best fight is saved for last with this brutal battle between two opposing forces. It takes place entirely within a police station as Wang Wei and Navin come face-to-face with the head of the trafficking ring, Paklung, and his right-hand man with a bow and arrow, Tak.
The four duke it out for an intense 20-minute battle that features some of the most incredible martial arts stunts in film history. It's made even better when Ho returns, intent on taking down all four fighters at once to avenge the death of his father. It's chaotic to see the enemies have to occasionally team up just to keep Ho from taking them down.
There are wild punches being thrown, phenomenal footwork, and bloody blows that make this a perfect way to bring the movie to a close. It's easily The Furious' greatest fight, cementing it as a modern action classic.
