The Furious

The Furious is a 2025 English-language Hong Kong action film directed by Kenji Tanigaki and written by Mak Tin-shu. Starring Mo Tse, Joe Taslim, Jeeja Yanin, Brian Le, Joey Iwanaga, and Yayan Ruhian, the film follows an ordinary tradesman Wei whose daughter is kidnapped, and with journalist Navin's help, he has to fight a criminal empire on his way to rescue.
The film had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2025.

Cast

Mo Tse as Wang Wei, an ordinary tradesman whose daughter is kidnapped
Joe Taslim as Navin, a journalist and Konggu's ally
Jeeja Yanin
Brian Le
Joey Iwanaga
Yayan Ruhian
Yang Enyu
Production

Development

The Furious was announced to be in development in April 2024, which is set to be primarily financed and produced by Hong Kong's Edko Films, while the project will be in English language and filmed in Thailand, with the American XYZ Films co-producing and handling world sales. The production budget was reported to be roughly $20 million. Kenji Tanigaki was announced to helm the project as director, and Mak Tin Shu attached as the writer, while the ensemble cast features a pan-Asian lineup, including China's Mo Tse and Yang Enyu, Indonesia's Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, and Thailand's Jeeja Yanin. The filming crew mostly comprises Thai locals, while the stunt team is Japanese. First images were released on 23 August, with Brian Le and Joey Iwanaga revealed as part of the cast. In September, the film was presented at the project market of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Filming and post-production

began in April 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, and spanned across three months. A recurring police station set in the film was constructed and renovated from an old retail unit on Surawong Road, and was used for 18 days of shooting. Filming wrapped in late July. In May 2025, American musician Flying Lotus was reported to be involved in producing the film's soundtrack, while XYZ Films represented the film at the Cannes Film Market.

Release

The Furious had its world premiere at the Midnight Madness section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2025, and will be screened in competition at the 58th Sitges Film Festival and at the Midnight Passion section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. HK01 initially reported that the film would be released theatrically in Hong Kong within the same year. In October 2025, Lionsgate Films acquired international distribution rights for the film outside Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China, planning a day-and-date worldwide release with the aforementioned territories in 2026. The film was also screened at the 2025 Beyond Fest in the United States, the 45th Hawai'i International Film Festival, and the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival.

Reception

Critical reception

Chris Bumbray of JoBlo gave The Furious a 7/10 and compared it to The Raid, describing it as a "kick-ass, crowd-pleasing ride" despite not reaching the latter's hype due to "clunky" dialogue, overdubbing, and technical inadequacies, but overall delivering a "sheer adrenaline and crowd-pleasing ferocity" with "dynamic and unrelentingly brutal" action choreography. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote that while the film suffers from "atrocious" dialogue and "goofy" plotting, it features "well-directed and choreographed" stunt work by Kenji Tanigaki that delivers "the most impressive fight scenes in years". Andrew Webster of The Verge also praised the film as an "absolutely unrelenting and bone-crunching action movie", highlighting its "brutal yet balletic" fight scenes and the "inventiveness and playfulness" that turn every aspect of the film into eye-catching action choreography.