More violent than John Wick? This brutal action movie is the adrenaline rush of the week!

When John Wick meets Raid! Fierce and brutal, Farang appeals to action lovers. Xavier Gens, director of Hitman, Frontière(s) and most recently Gangs of London, returns to cinema with this muscular feature film.

Farang tells the story of Sam, played by Nasim Lies (Made in France, The Last Mercenary, Passing by Pecho). The latter is an exemplary prisoner. In the months before his release from prison, he diligently prepares for reintegration. While on vacation, his past catches up with him and an accident leaves him with only one choice: escape.

Five years later, he rebuilt his life in Thailand, where he started the family he had always dreamed of. But Narong, the local godfather, forces him to plunge back into crime. When Sam wants to end it all, Narong attacks his family… Sam plans to cross Thailand to get revenge on the executioner.

Between John Wick and The Raid, Farang presents extremely brutal, intense and stylized fight choreography by Nasim Lai, who is focused like never before! With Farang, Xavier Gens wanted to make “A genuine, hugely popular French action film. A gritty, respectable film that shouldn’t be embarrassed by a foreign production.” He points.

“I also wanted to tell a beautiful story of redemption through a character of Algerian descent, the subject of a film without his origins. A true hero who will do anything to save his family.”he explains.

CRAZY RAID

According to Xavier Gens, his experience in the series Gangs of London, created by Gareth Evans (The Raid 1 and 2), allowed him to start the Farang project.

“I was working at the same time papichaMy wife’s movie Munya is a nurse, which I produced, and Gangs of London. With Papicha I experienced very artistic auteur cinema, and with Gangs of London, action cinema with the specific methodology of Gareth Evans.– says the artist.

“I did a reboot of my cinema. If Farang is a second chance story, it’s also my story because I reinvented myself with this film. I started in cinema quite young, around 29, and I thought I was 45. It was time to explore other territories, kids. I had, I’m really not the same anymore”– says Xavier Gens.

Muscular actor

Farang is played by Nasim Lies, who was revealed in Made in France by Nicolas Bouchrif. We could see the actor especially in Passing pecho or The Last Mercenary on Netflix. The actor reached out to people through Xavier on Instagram. Then he met a director who offered him the role a week later.

“I wanted an intense actor of Algerian origin, but that is not the subject of the film. when you see Denzel Washington, there is no question about its color, it does not matter that it is black. That’s what I wanted for Farang.”

“We need actors who can represent French diversity, which is one of our greatest treasures. For the film, Naseem worked hard, sculpted his body. He ripped his farang, he was cut, he was slightly injured, but he never postponed the shooting. He was only voiced once. Americans already miss him , because it is very reliable in an action star.– says Xavier Gens.

Nassim Lyes was the French Kickboxing Champion in 2010; He then dropped out of law school and became an actor. The comedian confided that he waited 13 years to come up with a powerful script like Farang. But he never stopped training with his brother who does MMA.

“Martial arts is my first love. I was physically fit, but I had to diet for the character – I went from 73 to 67 kg – and I trained intensively twice a day, even during filming, which was difficult to diet. But I had to play a believable Thai boxer fighter“- says the actor.

experienced fighters

Nasim Lies’ opponents for Thai boxing matches were real fighters who didn’t hold back. “This sequence can be seen, we also have stuntmen in the credits Donnie Yenfrom Jackie Chan, Thais… they all have crazy filmography! Working with them is very easy, especially thanks to the preview version. And not a single stuntman was hurt!”The director explains.

In addition, stunt choreography was overseen by a measure of the trade: Jude Poyer. The latter has worked with the biggest action stars and has an impressive filmography: Ip Man 4 with Donnie Yen, Piège à Hong Kong with Van Damme or Le Médaillon with Jackie Chan.

He also worked in blockbusters such as The Da Vinci Code, Star Wars 7, Grimsby or Transformers The Last Knight. Before Farang, he had already collaborated with Xavier Gens in the British series Gangs of London. For Xavier Gens, the scene is signed by the action designer along with the director.

“He gives me suggestions, we think about the dramaturgy of the action, what’s at stake, the progression, what emotions we want to convey. Because it’s not just about impressing the audience, it’s also about evoking emotions.”– says Xavier Gens.

Farang hits theaters on June 28.