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Michelle Yeoh's 'The Surgeon' Premieres at Toronto International Film Festival, Praises Her Authentic Surgical Training
Confirmed
In Short: Michelle Yeoh's 'The Surgeon' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, with critics praising her authentic surgical training and action sequences.
Michelle Yeoh's 'The Surgeon' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, with critics praising her authentic surgical training and action sequences. The film, directed by Roshan Sethi, features Yeoh as a recently retired surgeon who is kidnapped and forced to perform a dangerous operation. Yeoh's martial arts skills come into play as she outwits her captors, with Sethi's screenplay perfectly in sync with her strengths.
According to reports, Yeoh took her training to the next level by learning how to perform surgery, even observing a pig dissection at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. Her dedication to authenticity is evident in the film, which explores the human anatomy as weaponry in a thrilling and unapologetic manner.
In an interview with TheWrap, Yeoh explained, 'It was really important for me, so that when I did the movements and all that, it looked real.' Sethi's brother, a doctor himself, also chipped in to help with her training, leaving the medical students at the pig dissection confused as to why Yeoh was there.
The Surgeon' is a tailor-made vehicle for Yeoh fans, with Sethi creating a fairly dimensional character while the other baddies are strictly stereotypes. Yeoh's performance is the film's greatest asset, as she brings a sense of authenticity and expertise to the role that makes the enterprise worth watching.
You'll never shoot a gun again,' she calmly tells one of her captors after severing some cartilage in his wrists, a scene that showcases her martial arts skills and the film's unflinching approach to action sequences.
What's confirmed
- Michelle Yeoh's 'The Surgeon' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, with critics praising her authentic surgical training and action sequences. The film, directed by Roshan Sethi, features Yeoh as a recently retired surgeon who is kidnapped and forced to perform a dangerous operation. Yeoh's martial arts skills come into play as she outwits her captors, with Sethi's screenplay perfectly in sync with her strengths.
- According to reports, Yeoh took her training to the next level by learning how to perform surgery, even observing a pig dissection at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. Her dedication to authenticity is evident in the film, which explores the human anatomy as weaponry in a thrilling and unapologetic manner.
- In an interview with TheWrap, Yeoh explained, 'It was really important for me, so that when I did the movements and all that, it looked real.' Sethi's brother, a doctor himself, also chipped in to help with her training, leaving the medical students at the pig dissection confused as to why Yeoh was there.
- The Surgeon' is a tailor-made vehicle for Yeoh fans, with Sethi creating a fairly dimensional character while the other baddies are strictly stereotypes. Yeoh's performance is the film's greatest asset, as she brings a sense of authenticity and expertise to the role that makes the enterprise worth watching.
- You'll never shoot a gun again,' she calmly tells one of her captors after severing some cartilage in his wrists, a scene that showcases her martial arts skills and the film's unflinching approach to action sequences.
What's still developing
- Yeoh, of course, started out in martial arts films, but that is not the kind of action displayed here.
- The Surgeon isn’t a character study, but we instantly know who that character is.
- “She ran Michelle through everything, like how to scrub in, how to operate, how to do the knots, everything,” Sethi told Jada Yuan at TheWrap’s studio at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
- “My brother sent some very funny short films where I had asked him to cut toast like a surgeon, just so everything felt like a surgeon,” Sethi said.
- We’ve already seen that Adam is a smooth operator in that regard.
- After supporting roles in blockbusters like Wicked, Michelle Yeoh has her first all-out starring role since winning the Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once three years ago.
- Considering her expertise in martial arts and kick-ass action ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for starters), her latest effort in the genre is a lot of fun but not for squeamish stomachs since The Surgeon makes The Pitt look like PAW Patrol.
- This medical thrill ride holds nothing back in exploring the human anatomy as weaponry that even John Wick would envy.