Still photo from The Furious. Photo source: Lionsgate.
The Best Action Film of 2026 That Nobody’s Talking About (Spoiler Free Review)
Review By: James Francis, Student Intern | BCS Chronicle
What You Need To Know:
The Furious, a brand new, high-octane, action film directed by Kenji Tanigaki hit theaters recently, flying under the radar despite a notable cast and captivating script.
The film features numerous similarities to The Raid (2011), aka The Raid: Redemption, which is another tension-filled and expertly choreographed action flick with a narrative focused on familial tensions within a ring of violent organized crime.
The film is directed by Kenji Tanigaki and stars Xie Miao and The Raid (2011) alum Joe Taslim.
While The Furious has received tons of critical praise, it has struggled to make waves at the box office amidst the myriad of bigger movies in the theaters this summer.
This reviewer gives the film a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
The Furious movie poster. Source: Lionsgate.
2026 has been a major year for movie-goers. Several unexpected hits have made their way into theaters, gaining significant traction from audiences worldwide.
The horror genre, in particular, has seen a lot of surprise hits with films like Obsession and Backrooms. The typical Hollywood blockbuster has also not been shy this year with inspirational and uplifting pieces like Project Hail Mary making waves at the box office in addition to upcoming financial behemoths such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey.
Amidst all this major blockbuster fanfare lies a dark horse action film that seems to have flown completely under the radar. The Furious is a brand new, high-octane action film directed by Kenji Tanigaki starring Xie Miao and The Raid (2011) alum Joe Taslim. This kung fu masterpiece features several other notable figures in the martial arts film industry, such as Brian Le, who was featured in 2023’s Oscar-winning smash hit Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Yayan Ruhian, another major star of The Raid. With this many expert martial artist actors, it is no question as to how the stunt and action choreography came to be so well crafted. Every fight scene strikes a perfect balance between extremely advanced martial arts and scrappy, grounded brawls that have you on the edge of your seat, wondering how the heck anybody is still conscious by the end of any scene. The camera work is phenomenal, meticulously placing itself right in the center of action without being shaky or disorienting in the slightest.
The film features numerous similarities to The Raid, aka The Raid: Redemption, which is another tension-filled and expertly choreographed action flick with a narrative focused on familial tensions within a ring of violent organized crime. Fans of this modern classic will surely get a kick out of The Furious.
It’s no secret that action films, while usually excelling at crafting tension and excitement, can often lack in maintaining a gripping story with well-written characters. The Furious presents an exception to this pattern with its engaging, albeit simplistic, story about a father trying to save his daughter from human traffickers and a husband determined to rescue his wife. The performances are, for the most part, done well, especially the film's central protagonist, Wang Wei, played by Xie Miao, whose talent shines through even without a single line of dialogue as his character is mute throughout the entire film. Yang Enyou also deserves her flowers for her portrayal as Wang’s daughter Rainy, who provides a great performance as a character who refuses to be a stereotypical damsel in distress despite being a child in a very dangerous situation.
The only real flaws of The Furious lie in some of the distracting ADR (automated dialogue replacement) used in this film. Some actors will record their dialogue in English and then re-dub it over again in English to improve the audio. There are a few cases in which the audio sounds off, but this is mostly only true for some of the supporting characters in the film. If you’re able to get past a couple of stiff audio performances by supporting actors, this film is a near-perfect thriller from start to finish.
As somebody who sees a lot of value in expert stunt work and action choreography, this film made a significant impact on me. I went into the theater knowing next to nothing about The Furious and coming out more than pleasantly surprised. I encourage anyone who has an interest in action thrillers to give this one a shot. While it has received tons of critical praise, it has struggled to make waves at the box office amidst the myriad of bigger movies in the theaters this summer.
Take a trip to your local cinema to see The Furious while it is still showing in theaters. You won’t be disappointed.