TL;DR – While sometimes difficult to watch, it soars during its action sequences.     

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this movie

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Furies Review –

I was unsure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first film from Netflix in Vietnam, or indeed our first ever film from Vietnam. I was told to expect some decent action and a stylistic presentation, both of which are present. However, I did not expect to encounter in the first five minutes one of the most confronting scenes I have seen in a film I have reviewed.

So to set the scene, when Bi (Nguyễn Công Danh) was young, she suffered an unspeakable trauma that left her alone in the world as everything she knew burnt to the ground. She grew up on the streets alone, leaving her vulnerable until one day, Jacqueline (Ngô Thanh Vân) drops a beet down on a group of men trying to attack her. She gives Bi a place to stay with Hồng (Rima Thanh) and Thanh (Tóc Tiên), who help with a makeover montage and train her to be ruthless. Jacqueline is teaching the women to take on the elements of society that pray on women, and the first people in their sights are ‘Mad Dog’ Hải (Thuận Nguyễn) and his gang of traffickers.

Now I will be upfront in this review that I don’t have much experience with Vietnamese Cinema, so there may be some things where I can’t tell if they are quirks of Vietnamese Cinema in general or of Furies specifically. The first thing I had to process was how quickly this film shifts in tone. This movie can change from bubbly to vicious in a heartbeat, and you have to be both ready for these shifts and keep up with them. While these can be difficult to parse at times, it does reinforce the themes of family throughout the film, given how quickly things can turn in real life. However, given how this film does not shy away from violence perpetrated against women, it sometimes makes it difficult to watch.   

Given that Furies could be classed broadly as an action film, the question remains: How good is the action? While not every action sequence lands, I can say this film is much more hits than misses by a wide margin. Throughout the film, they use a lot of speed ramping and slowing, split screens, static overhead shots, and some digital sets. These things can be distracting when not applied correctly, but thankfully, the camera has a personality in Furies. It brings you into every dual, every thrown fist. This gives the film a visceral quality that is very much needed. For example, while it was a bit more stylised, we get one of the best motorcycle fight scenes since John Wick 3 and The Villainess.   

Whether you will connect with this film or not is in the overarching story that ties all the action set pieces together. There are many levels of revenge going on here, and there are some moments where it is hard to keep track. While it never loses itself completely, it overly complicated some aspects it didn’t need to. There were also some notable moments of violence, where I have to say I do not feel they needed to depict it on screen. From a production perspective, I loved that nearly every frame is bathed in neon, red, pink, and green, crashing over each other. Also, you must respect that every actor in this film is swinging for the fences in every scene, and the top-notch stunt team are throwing their bodies into every fight scene.

In the end, do we recommend Furies? Well… the acting and action we all fantastic. The story was a bit convoluted, but it worked overall. However, a scene at the very start of the film will be a deal breaker for many people, and I would completely understand that. If you liked Furies, we would recommend to you Prey.                                 

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Furies
Directed by – Ngô Thanh Vân
Story by – Veronica Ngo & Aaron Toronto
Screenplay by – Aaron Toronto, Nguyễn Truủớg Nhân, Nguyễn Ngọc Thạch & Lý Nguyễn Nhã Uyên
Music by – Nguyễn Hoàng Anh
Cinematography by – Phù Nam
Edited by – Nguyễn Công Danh
Production/Distribution Companies – Studio 68 & Netflix
Starring – Dồng Ánh Quỳnh, Tóc Tiên, Thuận Nguyễn, Ngô Thanh Vân, Rima Thanh Vy, Song Luân, Gi A Nguyễn, Phan Thanh Hiền & Dì Sáu
Rating – Australia: MA15+;