The Furious - IFFDAY

Official selection

Crime/ViolenceAction/Martial ArtsRevenge

We are all too familiar with the story of a father rescuing his daughter from human traffickers, or a father forced to become ever so brutal to punish cruel criminals. Yet this familiar plot, combined with action that was once familiar but has now become a distant memory, gives The Furious its particular charm. Tanigaki Kenji, who directed The Furious, was born in Japan but built his career in Hong Kong as a stunt actor, stunt coordinator, and action director. True to his action roots, Tanigaki desperately struggles to revive kung fu for modern audiences. In the age of virtual images, he minimizes the use of CGI and instead presents the fullest extent of raw, unfiltered action that an actor’s body can achieve. Ultimately, what The Furious rescues is not only the daughter but also a form of cinematic expression of the body that is slowly fading from memory: kung fu-style choreography where bodies collide, and the raw pleasure it brings. And that, in itself, is enough for this film.

Programme note by AHN Sihwan