At first, this film felt like a Quentin Tarantino vehicle or ripoff. The protagonist is Ria Khan, played by Priya Kansara (Bridgerton). Ria Khan is a young woman of Pakistani heritage who aspires to be a stunt woman. She practices martial arts and posts videos on the Internet with the nickname "Fury," often with the help of her sister. She's still in school, a feminist teenager who's more about pursuing her passion than pursuing penis. She's seemingly against arranged marriages and has a series of fights, involving a climactic event at a wedding where we see her pushing back against bonding in holy matrimony.
With the references to Hollywood's film industry, with the stylized violence that's at times cartoonish, with the use of chapters, this film, written and directed by Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts), definitely comes across as inspired by Tarantino. I definitely see allusions to his Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) or his Death Proof (2007). For her feature debut, Manzoor probably wanted to do her version of Tarantino, not as violent or dark, and instead centering on a British, Muslim girl with Southeast Asian roots. It follows Disney's Ms. Marvel (2022), which wanted to do the kind of Spider-Man type story but centering on a British, Muslim girl of similar roots. If one saw that Disney series, there are a lot of parallel topics and themes here.
Ritu Arya (Red Notice and Last Christmas) co-stars as Lena Khan, the older sister of Ria. Lena is an aspiring artist, a painter. She hasn't gotten anywhere with it. She seems almost depressed about it, moping in her bedroom most days. She doesn't have any other job, so she lives in her parents' home still. She helps her sister with her online videos and is supportive, sometimes reluctantly, but for the most part it seems like she's spinning her wheels. Her parents want her to get a job or possibly get a husband.
Because the film tackles the topics of arranged marriages and parent-child relationships in an over-the-top way, Manzoor's piece feels more like a satire. Even though there isn't any truly fantastical elements, there's a tone here that makes it comparable to a super hero flick or series with Ria aka "The Fury," as the super hero in question. In other words, it not only follows Ms. Marvel but also is a better version of it.
Nimra Bucha is a Pakistani actress who co-starred in Ms. Marvel, so there's more than a couple connections to that Disney series. Here, Bucha plays Raheela, a middle-aged woman who is a friend to Ria and Lena's mother. Raheela has spent a good chuck of her life being a mother and sacrificing her pursuits all to give her son the best life possible. She essentially sacrificed her youth and quite frankly wants it back. She perhaps is now all about status and haughtiness. She might also be a bit of a control freak, controlling her son's life, along with that of others.
Spoiler alert, even though the film telegraphs it fairly early, Raheela is pitched as the villain here. She's reminiscent of Catherine Keener from Get Out (2017), but her villainy by the end leans more into the territory of the wicked stepmother in Cinderella (1950) or the evil queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Again, I'm comparing this to Disney properties, which I feel is apt, but Disney's Marvel movies and series have been consistently criticized for not having good villains. That's not the case here. Manzoor's film is arguably just as ridiculous as those Marvel titles, but she's able to wield the antagonist with much better aplomb.
All of the other supporting characters are also wielded brilliantly, including those who play Ria's teenage friends. Seraphina Beh (Top Boy and EastEnders) plays Clara and Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife) plays Alba. Clara and Ella are Ria's ride-or-die friends, more than just sidekicks and just as feminist as Ria. Shona Babayemi makes her feature debut as Kovacs, the bully to Ria who even gets a surprising turn of events in this film that was again brilliantly done. The film also honors real-life stunt-woman, Eunice Huthart who has worked mainly with Angelina Jolie but who has been doing stunts going all the way back to Titanic (1997). Because of which, this is one of the funnest films I've seen this year.
Rated PG-13 for language, violence, sexual material and nudity.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 43 mins.
In theaters.
