--- title: "The Furious: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-furious/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-furious" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Furious (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus is strongly positive: critics praise The Furious chiefly for the invention, precision and physical force of its martial-arts action. Praise clusters around Kenji Tanigaki’s staging and the fight choreography, with wide shots, longer takes and escalating set pieces allowing the performers’ movement to carry the film. The familiar kidnapping plot is generally treated as sufficient preparation for the fighting, though some reviews find its simplicity actively helps the pace. The differences concern how much the shortcomings matter, rather than whether the action delivers. Thin characterisation, weak dialogue and awkward dubbing recur as reservations, but rarely dampen the enthusiasm substantially. Variety treats those flaws as things genre fans may even treasure, while Sight and Sound finds the supporting characters weak and the climax mishandled; The Guardian, by contrast, singles out the closing half-hour for its sustained intensity. ## Slant Magazine Rating 4/4. 10 June 2026. Tanigaki’s action thriller is an ambitiously staged brawler that understands narrative simplicity is key to a relentless, propulsive action movie. It features some of the most dazzling martial arts sequences in recent memory and is sure to be the fastest entry into the genre canon since Mad Max: Fury Road. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-furious-review-tanigaki-kenji/) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2026. The action scenes are like nothing else in the multiplex and the sole reason to watch, with creative fight choreography that could change how Hollywood throws a punch. The rote kidnapped-child plot is ignored in favor of gawking at the innovative brawls in this Asian action spectacular. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-06-11/furious-review-kenji-tanigaki-xie-miao-joe-taslim-brian-le-kensuke-sonomura) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2026. The critic finds Kenji Tanigaki’s martial-arts action film exhilarating, with a closing half-hour of unmatched pummelling intensity that exceeds its Taken-like setup. They single out the precise, inventive fight choreography and technical skill in the set pieces. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/25/the-furious-review-dial-shifting-martial-arts-mayhen-as-dad-goes-in-search-of-kidnapped-daughter) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating B+. 11 June 2026. The film distills cinema down to sound effects and whirling motion in a pan-Asian Hong Kong action style with blistering tempo and virtuosic movement. Despite some dubbing issues, it is one of the most fluid and satisfying action movies in recent memory. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-furious-review) ## Empire — Harry Stainer Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2026. The critic praises the film's relentless martial-arts action and inventive fight choreography as a fun, over-the-top Hong Kong-style spectacle. They single out the creative escalation of the fights, particularly a mid-movie warehouse brawl featuring Brian Le. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-furious/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2025. Festival review. The film is a bonkers showcase of incredible stunt and fight choreography that draws comparisons to The Raid and Night Comes for Us. Dialogue and plotting are silly and goofy, but none of that matters in action mode, with three-quarters of the runtime consisting of fighting. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/tiff-2025-dust-bunny-the-furious-normal) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 June 2026. The film is an action nerd’s dream with mind-boggling set pieces and fight sequences that showcase the human body’s capabilities, using longer takes and wide shots. Plot serves mainly as scaffolding for the action, approached like dance numbers. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-furious-is-an-action-nerds-dream.html) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2026. Even obvious flaws will likely be treasured by fans in this slimly plotted but action-crammed kidnapping thriller that looks on track to become a genre standard-bearer. Dopey dialogue and dubbing don’t matter in an aptly titled, stunningly choreographed martial arts spectacular. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/the-furious-review-1236778933/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich 12 June 2026. Joe Taslim and Xie Miao team up to take down a network of human traffickers in a martial arts extravaganza for the ages. The critic calls it the most brutal action movie of the year. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-furious-movie-review-1235199747/) ## Sight and Sound — David West 25 June 2026. The critic praises the film's tight revenge thriller and exuberant martial-arts action as a blueprint for Pan-Asian cinema, highlighting the visceral, choreographed fight scenes and performances like Xie Miao's. However, notes weaknesses in supporting characters and a fumbling climax. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/furious-familiar-revenge-cinema-gets-exuberant-martial-arts-workout) ## The New York Times — Robert Daniels Rating Critic's Pick. 11 June 2026. The film is a rousing piece of spectacle that delivers pristine set pieces, invigorating camerawork and seamless editing built on body-breaking blows. It leans on familiar genre tropes but perfects them with a sure hand and a unique blend of regionalist combat styles. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/movies/the-furious-review.html) ## Digital Spy — David Opie Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2026. The critic hails it as one of the best action films ever made and a spiritual awakening on first viewing. They single out the inventive, visceral fight choreography and acrobatic long takes for particular praise while noting weaker dialogue and ADR. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a71721691/the-furious-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 June 2026. The critic calls it one of the best fight movies of the 21st century and a spectacular martial arts extravaganza, praising its inventive, gut-wrenching choreography and real-world stunts. They note the simple plot serves the non-stop action well and single out the thrilling, prop-filled fight sequences for particular acclaim. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-furious-review-joe-taslim-xie-miao/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 8/10. 10 June 2026. The critic calls it the best action movie of 2026 so far for its raw energy, eye-popping brutality and relentless inventive fight scenes. The intricate choreography and direction stand out as putting Hollywood efforts to shame, with highlights like characters swinging motorcycles at each other. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2190320/the-furious-2026-movie-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-furious.md