The fights are furious but the convoluted political thriller surrounding them slows “Heart of the Hunter” down. It’s a South African action flick with almost as many characters and agendas as tribes and regional languages as the country itself.

We hear English and Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsongo and Afrikaans in it (with English subtitles when necessary). And we meet a parade of characters who speak those many tongues, with new ones introduced all the way into the third act.

The film’s themes and action beats — even the more far-fetched among them — travel well. It’s a genre thriller telling a near universal story enfolding “state capture” by nefarious, corrupt elements of society and ancient cultural solutions called on when a “murderous, rapist addict is about to become our president.”

People in many African, Asian, Central and South American states, in Hungary or Turkey, Cyprus or South Korea, Israel or the United States could easily find something to identify with in this.

But director Mandla Dube has trouble keeping this picture on its feet and on the move amidst all that narrative clutter, all those characters and the many melodramatic showdowns. It’s a reach-exceeds-its-grasp movie, watchable but cumbersome and slow.

Johnny Klein (Peter Butler) is reaching out to others from his “old life,” especially motorcycle repairman/family man Zuko (Bonko Khoza). Zuko’s wholly domesticated. He’s bought the ring for Malime (Masasa Mbangeni) and is ready to make their family unit — they have a son — permanent.

But wily old Johnny shows up, chased by the Presidential Intelligence Agency, a unit led by chief “Mo” (Molebogang), played by Connie Ferguson. She’s getting threats from her rich, drug-and-women-abusing boss (Sisanda Henna), who knows Johnny has files that could end his presidential election campaign. That’s why Mo’s attack dog agent Tiger (Tim Theron) is hot on Johnny’s tail.

Whatever old ties he figures he’s escaped, Zuko finds himself forced back into that old life, on the lam on a stolen bike to connect those “files” with whoever might be able to expose them, perhaps the chainsmoking, drinking “I’m getting too old for this s—” newspaper reporter Mike (Deon Coetzee) and his plucky intern (Wanda Banda).

There’s a mole inside of the PIA, other government and ex-government actors and a lot of stunning, under-filmed South African scenery for Zuko to be chased over by truck, car and helicopter. There’s an oath to be considered, a “hunter’s” creed that dictates his choice of weapons (spearpoint knives) in his many tangles with the armed men and women out to stop him.

So yes, there’s a lot going on and a number of moving parts stuffed into 105 minutes.

But the narrative — based on a Deon Meyer novel — takes a while to get up and running as lots of information is withheld from the viewer, details that would help us find out footing.

The brawls range from bracing and brutal to obvously stage-punched. All the gunplay has “How does he miss that guy on the motorcycle with a MACHINE gun?” or “How did he bring down that chopper with a PISTOL?” unreality.

Scenes and sequences set up in novel ways but generally pay-off in the most predictable ones.

Khoza, Butler, Theron and gonzo agent Nicole Fortuin have great presence, with Henna reveling in the vileness of his villainous turn.

But “Heart of the Hunter” strains to get out of its own way, a provocative action picture that wants to sprint and can’t stop stumbling and getting distracted all the way from the starting gun to the finish line.

Rating: TV-MA, graphic violence, nudity

Cast: Bonko Khoza, Connie Ferguson, Masasa Mbangeni, Tim Theron, Peter Butler, Nicole Fortuin and Sisanda Henna.

Credits: Directed by Mandla Dube, scripted by Deon Meyer and William Groebler, based on a novel by Deon Meyer. A Netflix release.

Running time: 1:46