The Furious is the year’s best-reviewed martial arts thriller: 97% from critics and 95% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, landing at No. 1 on the site’s October 16 ranking of the best new action movies of 2026 — ahead of Street Fighter and John Wick. It is now streaming on Starz.
The story is simple: a father, Wang Wei, sets out to rescue his kidnapped daughter when the police will not help. Simple stories make great fight movies, because nothing distracts from the action.
Why the fights feel different
The director is an action choreographer. Kenji Tanigaki comes from fight choreography, not just directing. That matters. Choreographer-directors shoot fights to be understood: wider shots, longer takes, fewer cuts. You can actually follow who is hitting whom.
The cast are real martial artists. Xie Miao and Joe Taslim lead, with Yayan Ruhian — of The Raid fame — and Jeeja Yanin, star of the Thai classic Chocolate, who gets the film’s very first fight scene. When the performers are this skilled, the camera does not need to hide anything.
The hits look like they hurt. The Furious is rated R, and it earns it. No weightless superhero skirmishes here — the impacts have weight, and the fighters get tired, which is the most realistic thing a fight movie can show.
The verdict
Most modern action hides weak fighting behind fast editing. The Furious does the opposite: it lets real fighters work, in shots long enough to prove it. That is why critics and audiences agree on it, and why it is the fight movie to study this year.
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