One of the biggest reasons why Lionsgate’s The Furious hits so hard is that its action never feels detached from the people throwing the punches. In my interview, stunt designer Kensuke Sonomura made it clear that he does not start with flash. He starts with character. That philosophy tracks perfectly with the film itself, which Lionsgate describes as a revenge-fueled martial arts showdown about a father tearing through a criminal network after his daughter is kidnapped.
Character Comes First, Then the Violence
Sonomura said his first priority is not surprise, speed, or even rhythm by itself. He wants the action to make the character more compelling.
“The first focus that I would be focusing on is the character itself. And we have to think in a way how what kind of actions that will make this character more fascinating.”
- Kensuke Sonomura
That is the right answer for a movie like The Furious. The film works because the fights are not interchangeable. They do not feel like generic stunt showcases dropped into the plot. They feel like extensions of personality, pressure, and instinct. That also lines up with the production notes, which describe Sonomura’s action style as rooted in clarity, brutal cause and effect, and storytelling inside the choreography itself.
Distinct Fighting Styles Make the Cast Feel More Dangerous
Another thing Sonomura broke down well is how he builds a style around the actual person performing it. He studies their past work, then checks their atmosphere and physical presence once he meets them in person.
“I’ve been seeing studying their past work. So then so I could brainstorm. Oh I think they will be pretty good using this kind of style, this scene. And then when I actually meet them for first time, then I check their atmosphere, how they’re like and their actual physical, their physicals.”
- Kensuke Sonomura
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That level of tailoring explains why the cast does not blur together in motion. Sonomura is not forcing one house style onto everyone. He is building a combat identity that makes sense for each performer’s body and screen presence. The production notes reinforce that idea, describing The Furious as a film where each major fighter has a distinct combat identity drawn from real-world backgrounds across wushu, judo, taekwondo, Pencak Silat, and Muay Thai.
Brian Le’s Character Hits Because He Feels Like Chaos With Muscles
The most fun section of the interview may have been Sonomura talking about Brian Le’s character. He looked at Le’s physique, his shorter height, and the character’s lack of strategic intelligence, then pushed him away from a polished fighter and closer to a force of nature.
“I thought, oh, if he moved more closer to the animal, like he’s moving with like an animal instinct, that will be more impressive to the audiences.”
- Kensuke Sonomura
He took that idea even further.
“I almost treated him or him like a typhoon, like Looney Tunes, like if he comes to that setting everything, it doesn’t matter if it’s like the what side you are on, everything just mix all together.”
- Kensuke Sonomura
That is such a sharp read on what makes screen fighting memorable. It is not always about elegance. Sometimes it is about presence, disruption, and the feeling that a guy can crash into a scene and turn everybody’s plan into nonsense. Brian Le already described The Furious to me as a darker, grimier film built around broken rhythm and rawness. Sonomura’s comments make it clear that the character design was pushing in that exact direction from the start.
That is the real takeaway from talking to Sonomura. The Furious works because it does not separate choreography from character. It makes the violence feel specific. It makes bodies matter. It makes style tell story. That is a huge part of why the movie lands like such a full-body theatrical experience instead of just another action programmer. The Furious opens in U.S. theaters on June 12, 2026.
Are you most excited by the character-driven fight design, Brian Le’s chaos energy, or the film’s back-to-basics martial arts style? Which fighter in The Furious stood out most to you from the trailer and interviews? Share your thoughts in the comments or @me
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