Every once in a while, there is an action film hailing from Asia that is so exciting and bonkers that it gains popularity in the American market. The last example was 2011’s “The Raid,” which became a huge sensation due to the brutality of the fighting.
After over a decade, “The Furious” is the latest martial arts film to break into the mainstream. Ironically, it stars two of the key actors from “The Raid” in Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian.
Directed by legendary action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki, “The Furious” stars Xie Miao as a mute father who must rescue his daughter after she gets kidnapped. The film is nearly two hours of brutal and chaotic violence that is masterfully choreographed. It was one of the rare Hong Kong films to get a wide release in the States. However, there are still plenty of people who have missed out on arguably the best action film of the year, but those people won’t have to wait long to see it.
‘The Furious’ Comes to Streaming in July
GettyAccording to Dread Central, “The Furious” is set to release on digital streaming platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV on July 14. That’s not a long time to wait for anybody who is eager to see the groundbreaking action epic.
There’s no word on which streaming service it will eventually stream for free on. Hi-YAH! is a streaming service that specializes in streaming martial arts films, but “The Furious” could land on a bigger streamer due to the viral nature of some of the fights depicted in the film.
‘The Furious’ Hailed As Best Action Film of 2026
2026 hasn’t been a banner year for action films. Some of the bigger action films like “Supergirl,” “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” and “Mercy” haven’t found huge audiences, nor have they been met with much acclaim.
This is the perfect year for a film like “The Furious” to come out. It has some of the most impressive fight choreography ever recorded and is a non-stop thrill ride. The story isn’t anything groundbreaking, but Xie Miao beats a bunch of guys with a hammer inside of an MMA ring, so there’s plenty of other excitement.
“The Furious” also holds a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is better than any other action film released this year. In Collider’s ranking of the best action films of the year, “The Furious” stands alone at No. 1.
“There’s really no competition whatsoever; and by the time the year is over, not only will it still be remembered as one of the best action films of 2026, but perhaps even one of the best movies of 2026 in general,” Diego Pineda Pacheco wrote. “Though Kenji Tanigaki’s English-language Hong Kong action extravaganza The Furious premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of last year, it only received a wide release in June of this year, which immediately makes it the year’s only true action masterpiece thus far. Anyone even slightly familiar with Hong Kong’s history with the action movie genre will know that every time a new Hong Kong action flick comes out, it’s worth watching; and this masterful crime thriller is certainly no exception.”
