Michelle Yeoh Thriller The Surgeon Scores 100 Percent on Rotten Tomatoes

Michelle Yeoh remains a prominent figure in action cinema. Early breakout roles include playing Bond girl Wai Lin in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies and master warrior Yu Shu Lien in the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. These projects earned her worldwide critical acclaim and solidified her status as a leading actor in the genre. Her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in 2023’s Everything Everywhere All at Once earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first Asian woman to win in that category. Now, Yeoh is starring in a new action thriller that combines elements of The Pitt and John Wick.

The Surgeon comes from John Wick production company Thunder Road Films. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12 and has since maintained a 100% certified “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Yeoh leads cast in The Surgeon

Michelle Yeoh plays Eliza, a retired surgeon who must use her medical expertise to fight back against a gang of criminals. The criminals capture her and force her to perform one last operation. Martin Freeman, Laurie Davidson, Yuri Kolokolnikov, and Joseph Mydell join her in the main cast. The supporting cast includes Barry John Kinsella, Sabrina Pui Yee Chin, Ian Gerard Whyte, Dónall Ó Héalaí, and Emma Brady.

Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have commended The Surgeon for its boldness. Pete Hammond wrote for Deadline Hollywood Daily that the film holds nothing back in exploring the human anatomy as weaponry that even John Wick would envy. Joonatan Itkonen wrote for Region Free that the entire theater roared, screamed, and gasped in unison, adding that they had never seen anything like it and loved it to bits.

Joonatan Itkonen with Region Free wrote, “The entire theater roared, screamed, and gasped in unison. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I loved it to bits.”

The Surgeon marks a significant change for director Roshan Sethi following his 2025 romantic comedy A Nice Indian Boy. Sethi drew on his personal background as a physician to develop the project, basing many of the doctor-patient interactions on experiences from his own career.

Sethi spoke about his goals for the project in an interview with Dateline, explaining that he wanted it to be an entertaining ride while reflecting the true experiences of being a physician and a patient. The film explores both perspectives through its characters.

Yeoh told Dateline that she was actively looking for an action film when she received the script. She wanted something beyond standard physical stunts and brutality. She was drawn to the unique approach of the project, noting that she had to perform differently because her character is a surgeon rather than a traditional martial artist.

Source: Polygon