New action film Furious rejects Hollywood editing for raw combat

The film Furious features long-breath coordination and unedited sequences designed by its cast, including former Indonesian judo athlete Joe Taslim and former child actor Xie Miao. Unlike typical Hollywood films that use rapid cuts, the production captures realistic, desperate fighting, including a complex scene where five characters are entangled.

The grammar of action cinema is changing. Amidst a recent trend dominated by flashy CG and editing techniques through rapid cuts, a new style of action has emerged that seems to test the physical limits of the human body. The film 'Furious' is drawing attention for going beyond a mere sequence of strikes to show the essence of bare-knuckle fighting, which the actors themselves design and execute.

A collection of 'max-level' creators analyzed through a martial arts director's lens

The film 'Furious' is a work created by a group of individuals who possess the ability to design action sequences themselves, rather than just being actors who perform them. Director Kenji Tanigaki, who previously served as the martial arts director for the 'Fist of Fury' series and helped build Donnie Yen's action, serves as the general director to draw the blueprints for the action in this work. He has a history of working with Donnie Yen on films such as 'SPL: Sha Po Lang' and 'Flash Point,' and most recently served as the martial arts director for the live-action adaptation of the Japanese animation 'Rurouni Kenshin.'

The lineup of the cast also supports the identity of this film. The lead, Xie Miao, is an actor with solid martial arts skills who appeared as a child actor in the Jet Li film 'Hero.' He has appeared in more than 20 action films and has also worked as a martial arts director. His co-star, Joe Taslim, is a former Indonesian national judo athlete who has proven his action capabilities by playing villains in 'The Raid' series and the Korean film 'The Swordsman.' Additionally, the production brings together "max-level" creators capable of action design, including Yayan Ruhian, an actor and martial arts director from 'The Raid' series, and Joey Iwanaga, who appeared in the 'Kamen Rider' series. Rather than simply moving as instructed, they completed the film based on their ability to create the flow of action themselves.

Raw combat sequences that reject Hollywood-style editing

Where this film diverges from existing action movies lies in its filming method and the density of its direction. While typical Hollywood action takes a method of filming actors' movements in fine detail and then joining them through editing, 'Furious' focuses on capturing the long-breath coordination of characters clashing as it happens. Unlike Hollywood-style direction that divides scenes of flying punches, facial close-ups, and striking moments into multiple cuts, this film shows long sequences performed directly by the actors.

This aligns with the method shown by Jackie Chan in the past. Jackie Chan has revealed in interviews that if a sequence exceeds 1 minute and 30 seconds, he films it again, approaching the completion of long-breath action with an attitude of "doing it until it works." The reason global audiences were shocked by Jackie Chan's action in the 1980s also lay in this filming method. In this same context, 'Furious' goes beyond simply showing cool movements to provide a new visual experience for the audience by capturing realistic, desperate, and intensely fighting portrayings.

The peak of wondrous action where characters entangle

The action in the latter half, considered the highlight of the film, is overwhelming enough to deserve the description "wondrous." A scene where the protagonists face the final villain and a middle boss, thought to be dead, rises again to create a 2-on-1 situation, shows the technical peak of this film. While typical action movies might direct characters to face opponents one by one for visual simplicity, 'Furious' implements realistic and desperate action by resolving a complex situation where five characters are entangled through fast pacing and precise coordination.

This scene has the power to make viewers witness how action is designed and executed. Even in a situation where five people are entangled, the action unfolds so quickly that it is difficult to follow with the eyes, which is an element that makes the greatness of the production crew felt even outside the film itself. Beyond simply matching the timing of strikes, the composition that implements the dynamic movements of characters entangling leaves a strong impression on the audience.

The purity of action beyond the story, a proposal for a new experience

The narrative structure follows the typical framework of an action movie. The process of Navin trying to find his wife and Wang Wei, whose daughter has been kidnapped, moving toward a common enemy is a familiar flow. However, this film's purpose is not to use action as a means to deliver the story, but to deliver the physical impact and energy of the action itself.

While it is accompanied by a brutality and blood-splattered desperation fitting for a restricted rating, this functions as a device to secure the reality of the action rather than mere stimulation. Simply witnessing the wondrous process of how the action is designed and executed makes this film sufficiently valuable. For audiences craving a new form of action experience, 'Furious' delivers a level of immersion that is on a different dimension from existing choreographed action.

Source: original video (YouTube)