‘The Furious’ Just Became 2026’s Most Acclaimed Action Movie and Critics Won’t Stop Comparing It to ‘The Raid’
The action genre has spent years searching for a film bold enough to reclaim the throne that Gareth Evans’ ‘The Raid’ has held for well over a decade. Ever since that film’s release, there has been a growing demand for more grounded action cinema that does not rely on CGI, but instead on practical effects and refined choreography. That appetite has finally found a worthy answer, and it comes from a filmmaker who has spent much of his career quietly mastering the very craft audiences have been craving.
‘The Furious’ is a Hong Kong action film directed by Kenji Tanigaki, starring Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou, Jeeja Yanin, Brian Le, Joey Iwanaga, and Yayan Ruhian. The project was produced by veteran producer Bill Kong, whose credits include ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Hero’, and it had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section. The film was originally scheduled for a May 29 release date before being pushed back to its current June 12 theatrical launch to optimize its theatrical window.
Distributed internationally by Lionsgate, ‘The Furious’ opened in theaters on June 12, 2026, backed by what can only be described as a staggering wave of critical enthusiasm. The film entered release carrying a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes (even though it’s 99% currently), making it the highest-rated action movie of the year. The Critics Consensus on the platform describes it as a film that “detonates into a relentless, blood-soaked spectacle of breathtakingly inventive martial arts choreography, with director Kenji Tanigaki delivering a brutal, balletic action extravaganza.”
The critical quotes arriving ahead of the opening weekend are nothing short of extraordinary. The Wrap called it “one of the best fight movies of the 21st century,” while JoBlo praised it as “as explosive and insane as it looks.” Film Authority went even further, declaring it “the best genre entry I’ve seen since ‘The Raid’.” For context, ‘The Raid: Redemption’ itself holds an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 170 reviews, making ‘The Furious’ a rare achievement in a genre not historically known for critical consensus.
At its core, the film follows Wang Wei, a humble tradesman whose daughter is abducted by a mafia ring. When the overwhelmed police prove ineffective, Wei takes the law into his own hands, eventually crossing paths with Navin, a determined journalist whose wife has vanished without a trace. The premise is straightforward, but the execution has critics calling it an ultra-violent, extremely bloody masterclass.
The passion behind the project runs deeper than box office ambition. Producer Bill Kong, speaking to Variety, reflected plainly on what motivated him to return to the martial arts genre after years away, asking, “It’s been over 10 years since ‘The Raid’ came out. Where are all the great martial art formations anymore?” Tanigaki himself is a renowned martial arts choreographer whose credits include ‘Blade II’ and ‘Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins’, and the cast is stacked with trained martial artists across disciplines rather than actors who simply look the part.
Metacritic has also assigned the film a score of 88 out of 100 based on thirteen critics, indicating universal acclaim. Producer Kong has also hinted that the world has not necessarily seen the last of ‘The Furious’, saying he wants to explore expanding the story into a streaming series down the road. Whether you think ‘The Furious’ has truly earned its place alongside the greatest martial arts films ever made is the conversation action fans should be having right now.
