Furie, directed and co-written by Le-Van Kiet, is an amalgamation of martial arts, Hollywood-style action, and gialli-influenced cinematography.
To support her daughter, Hai Phuong (Veronica Ngo) works as a debt collector in rural Vietnam. Her days are spent tracking down debtors and thrashing them within an inch of their life if they can’t pay. Her nights are spent caring for her daughter, Mai (Mai Cát Vi,) whom she encourages to focus on her studies so she doesn’t end up like her mother. Before Mai’s birth, Hai was a gangster in Saigon. When Mai was born out of wedlock, Hai moved to the countryside to care for her. Mai is frequently bullied because of her mother’s occupation and because she has no father.
At the local market, Mai is accused by villagers of stealing a wallet. When her mother seems to side with the villagers in believing she took the wallet, Mai runs off to sulk by the river. While out-of-sight, she is abducted by two men and carried away on a small boat. Hai hears Mai’s screams and begins to pursue her but she can’t keep up with the boat. Later, Hai catches a glimpse of her daughter on a bus bound for Saigon. Hai hitches a ride on a delivery truck and, once in Saigon, begins using her old connections to find Mai. She discovers that Mai has been captured by a ring of organ thieves and she will not stop until she finds her.
Furie, directed and co-written by Le-Van Kiet, is an amalgamation of martial arts, Hollywood-style action, and gialli-influenced cinematography. While the storyline can be relatively predictable, the hard-hitting action sequences more than make up for it. Things start off slow, which allows for the development of Hai’s character. Understanding her backstory is crucial to making sense of her abilities and the unrelenting drive to find her daughter. Some have labelled Furie as a female-led, Vietnamese version of 2008’s Taken. There are certainly similarities but I thought Furie did a superior job fleshing out its backstory and making the protagonist more sympathetic.
Martial arts fans might find the action unspectacular when compared to more outlandish entries in the genre and English-speakers who abhor subtitles will want to sit this one out. (Although the Blu-ray version does feature an English dub for those that want to endure it.) But those looking for a solid action movie with a female lead and satisfyingly brutal fight scenes should check out Furie.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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