Why A Seated Fight Scene In Brad Pitts $239M Action Movie Was A Major Challenge

Director David Leitch has opened up about how big of a challenge it was to choreograph a seated fight scene in the Brad Pitt-led action movie Bullet Train. The 2022 film stars Pitt as Ladybug, delivering a suitcase via a bullet train in Japan on a mission that spans plenty of wild, action-packed moments. One of the most memorable moments in the film is a fight between Ladybug and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) while both of them are sitting down, their comedic battle silent the whole time.

While on Corridor Crew‘s Stuntmen React series, Leitch explained how much effort went into how the highly-praised Bullet Train took a lot of time to perfect its action scenes, especially the sitting fight between Ladybug and Lemon.

At 14:50, the director explained how there were close to 60 different camera setups to make that fight happen, revealing how even the smallest moment of the movie required lots of effort to bring to life. Check out what Leitch had to say about filming this part of the movie below:

I think people don’t understand how many specific setups we shoot in one camera. There is probably, I’m guessing, there’s probably 60 setups in that whole sequence. And it’s all based on the comedic timing of these beats, right? The camera’s in a different spot to catch the moment. It’s part of the sensibility of Bullet Train. It was a live-action anime. This moment tells this, this moment tells that, this moment tells this. It’s one way to make a movie, and it was the right way to make the version we were trying to tell.

Bullet Train’s Unique Fight Scenes Make It A Standout Action Comedy

The effort Leitch says went into making just the sit-down fight scene in the action comedy isn’t surprising, as the movie features a plethora of impressive action sequences between its major characters. Most of these involve hand-to-hand combat, often involving anything from knives to a variety of creative weapons aboard the train. This culminates in a major action sequence at the end of Bullet Train, which includes everything from guns being fired to swords being slashed.

As Leitch states, though, the action also serves the purpose of being comedic, using slapstick and anime-inspired fight choreography to make them both tense and enjoyable at the same time. This visual combination meshes with the movie’s consistent comedy, making the fights between the variety of creative characters all the more memorable. This is assisted by the setting, as the bullet train speeding across Japan acts as a visual metaphor for the fast-paced action throughout. These additional elements help the movie stand out and make the effort that went into making it more noticeable.

It also seems Leitch leaned into Bullet Train‘s style of action comedy in the critically acclaimed The Fall Guy, which also has many complex action sequences. These only serve to make the movie better, showing off the director’s visual style and willingness to go the extra mile for a perfect scene. Without scenes like the fight between Ladybug and Lemon, his movies may not have been as memorable. However, it’s clear from his 2022 action film just how much to expect from future movies he directs.

Source: Corridor Crew/YouTube

Bullet Train

Packing a stellar cast with the likes of Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Zazie Beetz, David Leitch’s Bullet Train tells the story of an assassin for hire who bumps into multiple dangerous criminals aboard a high-speed Shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. The 2022 action comedy is an adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka’s novel “Maria Beetle”.

Director

David Leitch

Release Date

July 29, 2022

Studio(s)

Sony

Distributor(s)

Sony

Writers

Zak Olkewicz

Cast

logan lerman , Karen Fukuhara , Hiroyuki Sanada , Joey King , Brian Tyree Henry , Andrew Koji , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Masi Oka , Brad Pitt , Zazie Beetz , Michael Shannon , Sandra Bullock

Runtime

126 minutes

Budget

87 million

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