Film Name: 火遮眼 / The Furious
“The Furious” is one of the movies I’ve been most looking forward to this year, so I was already in a state of semi-excitement several days before seeing it—and that feeling lasted all the way through the end of the movie. The film didn’t disappoint; with its no-nonsense action sequences, it really won me over! It even cleared out the blood clots in my intestines!
That said, I’d like to offer a word of caution to those who aren’t very familiar with *The Furious* or who might have set their expectations too high:
This film is essentially a pure action movie; the plot and character development are both weak. Combined with some “high-minded” content, the overall viewing experience isn’t particularly great (Compared to two other popular Chinese-language action films from the past year—*The Shadow’s Edge*, which blends cop-and-criminal and spy genres, and *Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert*, which draws on wuxia, manga adaptations, and period drama elements)—you’ll need to focus entirely on the action and fight scenes to truly appreciate the film’s unique charm.
Since this is such a pure action film, it’s only natural to discuss the action choreography and execution in detail. Unfortunately, I’m not a particularly seasoned action movie fan, so I can only offer a general account of my impressions.
Kenji Tanigaki’s greatest achievement in *The Furious* is blending all the mainstream martial arts and action styles from around the world—especially those from Asia—into a cohesive whole, delivering several ingenious and dazzling action sequences.
The cast is also nothing short of stellar—in action films of this caliber, it’s usually enough to have two or three skilled action actors (along with a bunch of minor henchmen), but *The Furious* features five substantial characters.
These five “tough guys” form the foundation of the film’s “thrill that goes straight from the eyes to the brain.”
Xie Miao, who plays Wang Wei, bases his fighting style on traditional Chinese martial arts while incorporating modern combat techniques such as boxing, jiu-jitsu, qin na, and wrestling. His approach embodies mixed martial arts, not limited to any single discipline. As a result, his fight scenes are the most unrestrained—diverse, adaptable, and equally impressive in both unarmed and weapon-based combat, making them highly entertaining;
Lin Kedeng, who plays Na Wen, focuses primarily on practical Judo. As a former Judo athlete himself, the professionalism and execution of his moves are guaranteed. And despite his relatively short stature, he possesses immense hidden strength, with his explosiveness and physical prowess being major highlights;
Li Wei, who plays the big guy, practices Extreme Martial Arts. As the name suggests, this style fully leverages his physical advantages to push the human body to its limits. He is incredibly strong yet as agile as a gymnast, combining power with flexibility. Incidentally, his on-screen and off-screen personas align—he’s a self-taught martial artist who learned everything by “watching movies”;
Yahiko Ruian, who plays Ade, practices Bankasura martial arts. Compared to the others, his style isn’t as “spectacular,” and his moves aren’t particularly flashy, but it’s a no-nonsense killing art—every strike draws blood. In the early stages, he’s even equipped with a bow and arrow to “curb his aggressiveness”;
Shohei Iwanaga, who plays Bailong, is a master of full-contact karate and taekwondo. He’s also a dancer, and thanks to his tall stature and long legs, his legwork is particularly striking—his kicks are both graceful and deadly.
Every action sequence in the film is worth mentioning—Wang Wei’s high-speed car chase, the massive brawl at the boxing club, the brief skirmish at the ice factory, and the close-quarters chase inside the confined space of the Snake Cave building—but the absolute, absolute, absolute highlight has to be the ultimate free-for-all brawl between the five top fighters at the police station!
The prelude to this scene was Wang Wei and Naveen versus Ade and Bailong. They first exchanged a series of “1v1, then 1v1 swap, followed by 2v2” combat sequences—which was already explosive enough—but then, unexpectedly, Li Wei charged into the fray and began indiscriminately attacking all four of them.
How can I describe this feeling? It was already an evenly matched elite PvP showdown, but then a super-powered monster—with stats on par with the players—burst onto the battlefield. Both sides had to attack each other while also dealing with this monster, instantly multiplying the chaos and complexity of the scene several times over!
Wang Wei, Naven, Ade, and Bailong surrounded Li Wei, executing countless combo attacks—such as Wang Wei dodging Li Wei’s strike to hit Bailong, or Naven taking Li Wei’s blows head-on before switching targets to Ade. Kenji Tanigaki must have been out of his mind when he designed this action sequence. I constantly felt like my eyes and brain couldn’t keep up; I’m still a bit dazed even now. I just wish my ability to process fast-moving visuals were better—I’ll definitely have to watch it again more carefully on my second viewing!
Finally, let me mention one of *The Furious*’s most valuable strengths: it confronts and portrays justified violence committed by children.
In all previous action and crime films, violence involving children has often been deliberately avoided. Even in the martial arts action films Semyon starred in as a child, most of the related scenes of child violence were romanticized.
But *The Furious* is different. Within its limited scenes, the violence perpetrated by children—though clumsy and feeble—is, at its core, just as bloody and cruel as the slaughter between adults.
After all, there are countless inequalities in this world, and human lives are ranked in tiers—the financiers and spectators who watch child pornography and murder content on the dark web remain unscathed, while only innocent children are beheaded, and fathers, journalists, and henchmen fight to the death… Providing protection to injured children after they’ve personally endured such cruel atrocities always seems particularly hollow and powerless.
That is why I particularly admire Wang Wei’s decision to storm back into the Snake’s Den building with his daughter, Wang Yuqing, and involve her in the counterattack against the perpetrators. The best way to vanquish the demons within is to strangle them with one’s own hands.
Blood for blood; violence with violence.