The Furious Just Hit 99% on Rotten Tomatoes — Is This the Best Action Movie of 2026?

The Furious Is the Action Movie Everyone Is Talking About

When Lionsgate dropped The Furious in theaters on June 11, 2026, nobody expected a martial arts film to dominate the conversation this summer. But here we are — the movie currently sits at a jaw-dropping 99% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 96% audience score. For context, that puts it neck-and-neck with some of the highest-rated action films of all time.

Directed by Kenji Tanigaki — a veteran fight choreographer who has worked on some of the biggest Asian cinema blockbusters — The Furious stars Xie Miao (also known as Mo Tse, a former child actor and wushu champion) as Wang Wei, an ordinary father whose world collapses when his young daughter is snatched by a ruthless criminal syndicate. With the help of investigative journalist Navin, played by Joe Taslim of The Raid fame, Wang Wei goes on a brutal, relentless rampage through the city underworld.

Why Critics Are Losing Their Minds Over This Movie

What makes The Furious different from the typical guy-beats-up-bad-guys formula? Everything. The fight choreography is insane. We are talking ice-bound showdowns, warehouse brawls where everyday objects become weapons, and hand-to-hand combat sequences that are equal parts gymnastic and devastating.

Brian Le also joins the cast in a supporting role, and the ensemble brings a raw intensity that elevates the film beyond standard action fare. The comparison being thrown around by critics? The Raid meets John Wick — but with a distinctly Hong Kong cinematic soul that gives it its own identity.

Film critics have called it the best action movie of 2026 so far, and honestly, it is hard to argue with that. When you look at the competition this summer — Toy Story 5 at the family box office, Steven Spielberg Disclosure Day dominating sci-fi, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 making waves in drama — The Furious is the one film that pure action fans are rallying behind.

How It Stacks Up Against 2026 Other Big Releases

2026 has been stacked for movies. The Expendables 5 brought nostalgia-fueled firepower. Fuze — starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James — delivered a stylish London-set thriller with a bomb-disposal premise. And then there is Crime 101, an L.A. Noir thriller that critics are praising for its sleek action set pieces.

But none of them have matched the 99% RT score that The Furious is sitting on right now. The film success is also a win for representation — a martial arts film with an Asian-led cast proving that action cinema does not need Hollywood usual formula to be a global hit.

The LA premiere five days ago saw Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Brian Le, and director Kenji Tanigaki all hit the red carpet, and the buzz from that screening has clearly carried over into the wider release.

The Verdict

If you are an action fan who has not seen The Furious yet, you are missing out on what might be the defining action film of 2026. It is in theaters right now, distributed by Lionsgate, and honestly? It deserves every bit of that 99% score. Grab a seat before it sells out — this one is worth the big-screen experience.