Action films are cinema, pure and simple. Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious not only embraces this truth, it elevates it. Although the dialogue is sparse and often serves only to advance the exposition, the film’s real storytelling unfolds through exhilarating action. Every punch, kick, and movement drives the narrative forward, proving that action can be as eloquent as words. Tanigaki, along with Joe Taslim and Joey Iwanaga, shares their thoughts on the process, rehearsals, and what it took to make all those fights feel emotional.
The Nerds of Color had the chance to speak to Tanigaki about his filmmaking process, as well as Joe Taslim who plays Navin, a journalist investigating a human trafficking ring and how its connected to the disappearance of his wife, and Joey Iwanaga who plays Pak Lung, the young and ambitious man who is climbing the ranks of a crime syndicate.
The Furious follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a mute tradesman whose daughter, Rainy (Yang Enyou), is kidnapped by a ruthless criminal syndicate. His search brings him into the orbit of Navin (Taslim), a journalist whose own pursuit of justice is tied to the same criminal network. Together, their bruising mission becomes more than a rescue-and-revenge story. It becomes a film about grief, survival, and the way bodies can express what words cannot.
For Tanigaki, the emotional foundation of each fight was just as important as the choreography itself. He explained that while elaborate movement can be impressive, it means little if the audience cannot feel what the characters are experiencing.
“Emotion is very important,” Tanigaki said. “I’m very careful about the emotion and energy level of each character. Sometimes, if you have the emotion, the choreography is not so important.”
He pointed to the ice factory fight as an example, where Wang believes he has lost his daughter and lashes out in pain.
“In the ice factory, Xie Miao thought he lost his daughter, and then he threw the punch to Brian Le’s face,” Tanigaki said. “The choreography is very simple, but it looks good because there is emotion. This punch has emotion.”
For Tanigaki, that emotional journey is what separates cinematic action from fight choreography that merely looks impressive.
“Without emotion, the choreography can be fancy, but you can see that kind of thing on YouTube,” he added. “Why do people go to the theater to see cinema? Because of the emotion. You want to see people have an emotional journey. That’s very important for me in this film.”
“I believe I have to understand the choreography,” Taslim said. “What’s the purpose of it? There’s a purpose in that fight. There’s a story in that part.”
Taslim pointed to Navin’s first fight with Wang Wei as an example. The scene is not simply about two skilled fighters clashing. It is about two strangers trying to understand whether they are enemies, allies, or something in between.
“We’re trying to figure out, ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’” Taslim said. “I know you’re fighting those bad people. I’m fighting those bad people. But are you a cop? Are you from a third party? You’re suspicious, and then trying to understand. That’s the purpose.”
For Taslim, Navin’s humanity was also key to the way he approached the action. Unlike Wang Wei, who moves with the certainty of a trained fighter, Navin is often afraid and unsure whether he will survive.
“Navin’s character is more human,” Taslim said. “He’s not a superhero. He’s not afraid of nothing. You can tell that he is worried, he is afraid, but he’s trying to fight all those emotions.”
That fear becomes especially important in the film’s Snake Pit sequence, where Navin risks his life to help the children trapped inside Pak Lung’s operation.
“He’s not sure if he can survive that, but he understands that’s the only way to do it,” Taslim said. “He promised his wife, he’s looking for his wife, and those kids need help more than anything. So he’s risking his life fighting all those people, and he doesn’t know if he can get out of there alive.”
While Wang and Navin carry the film’s grief and desperation, Pak Lung gives that violence a different kind of shape. For Iwanaga, playing the ambitious criminal meant understanding that Pak does not see himself as evil. His hunger for power is tied to his desire to protect and provide for his family, even as that love twists into something much more dangerous.
“For Pak Lung, he does fight for power, but that power is for his family as well,” Iwanaga said. “He’s not really a villain-villain. Whatever he’s doing is for the family, for his wife, for his soon-to-be-born child.”
That motivation, Iwanaga explained, pushes Pak Lung toward a more violent state of mind as the film progresses.
“It’s a thin line between good and evil for Pak Lung,” Iwanaga said. “I think that kind of shows in the fighting style as well, because Pak Lung is a smart guy. He’s very calculated.”
For Iwanaga, Pak Lung’s use of kicks was not just a visual choice. It was a tactical decision rooted in the character’s intelligence. Facing Navin meant keeping distance from someone who could overpower him if the fight got too close.
“He uses kicks only, but using kicks is a choice for Pak Lung,” Iwanaga said. “It’s not like he can’t punch. He chooses kicks because he sees Joe Taslim, and he sees the weight difference. Once Joe Taslim grabs you, he’s not going to let go. So I have to keep that distance.”
That choice also gave Pak Lung’s fighting style a more aggressive emotional charge.
“The kicks show more pain, I feel, than punches,” Iwanaga said. “You’ve got to be really mentally crazy and mad to be able to say, ‘I’m only going to go kicks.’ I think it was a cool storyline to the whole kicking style as well.”
Be sure to check the full interview with the cast below.
The Furious opens in theaters on June 12, 2026.