By Chris Sawin
| Published 30 seconds ago

The Furious doesn’t quite live up to expectations, and that’s probably weird to hear from someone who was highly anticipating the film and enjoys martial arts films in general. Looking at the likes of who made the film, The Furious is directed by Kenji Tanigaka, the action choreographer of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, and the stunt coordinator or action director on at least a dozen of Donnie Yen’s films from Blade II to Sakra. The fight choreography in The Furious is credited to Kensuke Sonomura, director of Ghost Killer and action director of all of the Baby Assassins films.

A Basic Setup With Elevated Action

The Furious capitalizes on the action and martial-arts elements of a film of this nature, but everything else is lacking. The story is that some bad guys are human trafficking children, and that’s about as deep as it goes. A journalist disappears while investigating a story, but her husband, Navin (Joe Taslim), continues the investigation, going undercover to locate her.

Meanwhile, a young girl named Rainy (Yang Enyou) is abducted as part of the human trafficking ring.  Her father, a mute handyman named Wang Wei (Xie Miao), attempts to track her down and save her himself when the police turn him away for lack of evidence.

Outside of Navin searching for his wife and Wang Wei looking for his daughter, there’s no character development in The Furious. The human trafficking syndicate is run by Paklung (Joey Iwanaga), who is marrying into a gangster family and whose wife is pregnant. His motivation seems to be that because he’s expecting a child and because he needs to maintain his life of luxury, he needs to turn to doing despicable things to other children to accomplish those goals.

The villains in the film have such strange motivations. What makes the story frustrating at times is that the police chief is corrupt for its own sake. The cops are difficult to work with because he’s in charge. The human trafficking syndicate sells children because they can make money. It’s true that you don’t go into a movie like this for memorable acting or a well-written story, but it should also be considered a hindrance when lackluster film elements are this noteworthy.

A Frenetic, And Phonetic Experience

The film does pack a lot of surprises into its action, though. The Furious seems not to be a huge fan of children, as they’re killed and terrorized throughout the film. It’s borderline ridiculous at times, too, as people never seem to die from lethal injuries. Wang Wei gets hit by a car while running and gets back up like it’s nothing. There’s a climactic bicycle duel in the rain, people bite off fingers unexpectedly, and somebody does a handstand, holds a knife with their feet, and then stabs somebody else with it.  

With foreign films like this, it’s baffling why the filmmakers choose to make the films (mostly) in English. When everyone involved is from Hong Kong or Indonesia and English is clearly their second language, it’s evident in their performances, regardless of how much effort they put into it.

Dialogue takes the biggest hit in The Furious because it is slow and broken up in a way that sounds like it’s being performed phonetically. It’s like it’s done in an effort to appeal to a wider audience, since reading subtitles isn’t for everyone, but the majority of the fanbase of foreign and martial arts films are used to it by now. Unless an actor is fully fluent in the other languages they speak, their performance will be affected. The easiest fix is to allow them to speak in their native language so they can feel more confident, natural, and sound more genuine.

Despite the film featuring wushu, judo, and taekwondo as fighting styles, the action in The Furious is reminiscent of Muay Thai mixed with a lot of grappling; think Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior meets Donnie Yen’s Flash Point. And, for the most part, it’s awesome. But personally speaking, it grew a bit redundant. You can only slide on the ground, hit someone with your back, elbow, or knee, suplex, or use a hammer as a weapon so many times before it feels stagnant.

Hammering Its Way To The Top

To be fair, there are some incredible sequences in The Furious, as well. Wang Wei’s first real use of the hammer is so awesome. He’s trapped in an MMA cage, so he uses a hammer to smack and pull people down to build this unconscious mountain of bodies to jump out of the cage. Xie Miao is a beast throughout the film. He spends the first third of the film either in flip-flops or barefoot running in the streets as he chases the men who take his daughter. The bloody feet T-1000 runs combined with the constant pitter-pattering of his feet smacking against the ground will be playing on repeat in your head for a long, long time.

Before the mountain of dudes sequence in the cage, the club sequence is really awesome as Wang Wei shows up wearing steel-toe boots with a picture of his daughter in his mouth and just annihilates anyone that stands in his way. There’s also a sequence where Wang Wei is riding a motorcycle through a tight hallway as Rainy rides behind him and pummels passersby with a pipe. There’s no doubt that adrenaline-fueled innovation pulses through every frame of The Furious, but it loses its steam the longer the fights last.

Tak (Yayan Ruhian) is Paklung’s right-hand man and is a weapons expert. He uses a bow and arrow for the majority of the film and is just as fast and as wicked as you’d expect him to be. The finale is also ridiculously amazing as it involves five different people using five different fighting styles, and it eats up the last 15-20 minutes of the film so effortlessly.

The Furious is one of the best action films of the year, but not the best of all time. It’s crazy innovative, but its unique nature fades as the film progresses. Its ingenuity is swapped for a fast pace that doesn’t let up, so the action is quick but repetitive. It’s a film that deserves its praise with a slight caveat.

The Furious is pummeling its way through theaters now.

We’re just days away from one of the biggest shopping events of the year.

This year, Amazon decided to launch into Prime Day a bit early, and we’re in for big savings between June 23 and 26. But I’ve been covering Prime Day deals for nearly five years now, and I can tell you with certainty those dates are merely suggestions. You can find plenty of great deals before the sale starts, and other linger on into the days after the sale.

Anyone who’s looking for gaming upgrades is likely in for some treats from Amazon. Before the sale starts, I’ve spotted some excellent gaming deals that are already live. Since I’m not one to enjoy strong mid-day summer sun, you can find me inside gaming until it’s time for a dinner in the backyard.

If you’re shopping ahead of the sale, these are the top gaming deals to grab before Prime Day hits.

Best gaming monitor deal

Why we like it

A gaming monitor has the power to change the whole gaming experience. Go curved, and you’ll never go back to a dull flat screen. Lucky for us, the 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 has a 1000R curve, and it’s on sale for a massive 42% off ahead of Prime Day, coming in at just under $190 instead of the list price of $329.99. It’s also worth noting the 27-inch model is on sale for about $200 which makes the cheaper price on the 32-inch model a fantastic snag.

The Samsung Odyssey G5 come with game-worthy specs like a 165Hz refresh rate, AMD Radeon FreeSync, and a glare-free display.

Best gaming-worthy TV deal

Why we like it

We often think of gaming as an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t have to be if gaming items are multi-functional. For example. the 65-inch TCL ClassQM6K QLED TV can serve as your gaming display as well as your TV. Pair this with the sale price of $527.99, and things are looking a lot more realistic, price wise.

The TCL has a native refresh rate of up to 144Hz for crisp and quick gaming. The refresh rate is also excellent if you’ll be sitting down to enjoy watching World Cup games this summer. TCL has the list price for the 65-inch ClassQM6K QLED TV set at $799.99, but Amazon’s early Prime Day sale takes 33% off.

More gaming deals

By Steven Nelson
| Published 49 seconds ago

Ever dreamt of seeing a 6’4″ Swedish actor take on a futuristic, neon-soaked Berlin without uttering a single word? Your oddly specific dream has come true, courtesy of Netflix’s Mute. Alexander Skarsgård, renowned for his charismatic roles in projects like Succession, True Blood, and Big Little Lies, takes a dramatic turn in this cyberpunk mystery.

Ditching his eloquent demeanor, he embraces the silent world of Leo Beiler, a mute bartender on a desperate search. With the murky undertones of the city reflected in its narrative, Alexander Skarsgård’s performance promises to be as captivating as it is quiet. Dive into this Netflix gem and watch as the tall, silent Scandinavian navigates a treacherous terrain with intrigue at every neon-lit corner.

An Amish Tech Noir Adventure

In a not-so-distant future, the sprawling urban landscapes of Berlin have evolved into a dazzling metropolis, shimmering with both neon lights and dark underbellies. At the heart of this city, we meet Leo Beiler (Alexander Skarsgård), a mute Amish bartender with a tortured past. A childhood boating accident took away his voice, and his Amish beliefs prevented any surgical restoration. Now, he communicates through handwritten notes and a profound intensity that only Alexander Skarsgård could deliver.

As if the challenges posed by his disability in such a high-tech world aren’t enough, Leo faces a personal crisis when his girlfriend, Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh), mysteriously disappears. His desperate search to find her leads him deep into the city’s seediest districts, where he unravels a conspiracy much larger than a simple missing person’s case.

Leo’s path collides with that of two shady American surgeons, Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck Teddington (Justin Theroux). These two operate on both sides of the law, patching up criminals while getting embroiled in illicit dealings themselves. As their narratives intertwine, Mute transforms from a simple search-and-rescue mission into a complex web of deceit, crime, and human connectivity.

A Polarizing Moon Followup

Helmed by director Duncan Jones (of Moon and Source Code fame), Mute is a rich visual treat, blending elements of traditional noir with futuristic aesthetics. The movie doesn’t just rely on its stunning visuals; it offers a deep dive into themes of isolation, communication, and the lengths one will go to for love in an increasingly disconnected world.

Mute garnered a range of responses upon its release on Netflix. Critics were quick to praise the film’s visual aesthetic, likening its neon-soaked streets and futuristic ambience to classics like Blade Runner.

Alexander Skarsgård’s performance as the silent protagonist was also highlighted, with many lauding his ability to convey depth and emotion without the need for dialogue. But the fact remains that the movie is still sitting at just 20 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The narrative didn’t resonate with everyone. Some critics felt the story lacked cohesion and that certain subplots detracted from the film’s central themes. The inclusion of secondary characters and their respective arcs drew mixed reactions, with some feeling they enriched the narrative, while others believed they muddled it.

Regardless of its critical divide, Mute‘s exclusive Netflix release allowed it to find a niche audience. Viewers who appreciate a blend of classic noir storytelling with futuristic settings found much to love. And while it didn’t achieve universal acclaim (far from it), Mute stands as a testament to the potential of streaming platforms to deliver ambitious, visually captivating stories outside the traditional theater system.

In the ever-evolving landscape of cinematic storytelling, Mute stands as a somewhat daring venture into the unknown terrains of the future. Despite its polarizing reception, the film beckons viewers with its stunning visuals and the silent yet poignant performance of Alexander Skarsgård. 

Whether you’re a fan of neo-noir, futuristic tales, or simply in for a visual treat, Mute on Netflix promises an experience that lingers, echoing the silence of its protagonist and urging you to dive deeper into the stories that await in the shadows of tomorrow.