I think a lot of Taken-alikes don’t get what made that movie awesome. It wasn’t the general plot or action, it was that phone call with Liam Neeson where you learn just what kind of person he is. It foreshadows in a way that builds our excitement and gives a unique context to his actions.
Furie’s main character has an interesting background that’s revealed slowly over time, but unfortunately that’s all it is - things that happened before the movie started and don’t have much bearing on what’s to come. It’s such a waste when Veronica Ngô did such a great job with what little she was given.
It still had its moments - the opening 30 minutes are great and had me excited to see a Taken-alike in a unique setting, rural Vietnam. (Then the action moves to Saigon, everything becomes incredibly dark, and the movie loses much of its charm). The first fight between protagonist and main villain has an amazing “just how badass is this villain” moment that I won’t dare spoil and the few moments of the final fight that you can actually see are fun.
