The simple premise of “Fast and Furious” – a father, Wang Wei (Xie Miao), must find his daughter after she is kidnapped by a child-trafficking ring – becomes the springboard for non-stop, furious action. Director Kenji Tanigaki’s Hong Kong blockbuster opens in American theaters today through Lionsgate Films, starring some of the world’s most talented martial artists in fast-paced battles with a steady camera and no blurring from bad hands. Our heroes and numerous villains alike rely on found objects, wits, and even quick strikes to conduct combat, with movements like smashing bricks with a fist.
Tanigaki, who has a 30-year career in action choreography and stunt coordination, says much of the power of his fight scenes comes from the collision of talents from different styles.
“I’m really lucky to have such a great choreographer and stunt team,” he says. “We think together and first think about who will fight who and in what style. Characterization is very important in action movies, so we use the actors’ own martial arts backgrounds. Xie Miao is a Chinese martial artist and Joe Taslim is a judoka. It’s always simple, but it’s a big difference. So our choreography comes from this first. Joe Taslim is a judoka, so he tries to grab Xie Miao and throw him, right? But while Xie Joe tries to get closer, Miao tries to distance himself from Joe.”
Although the action is fast-paced, Tanigaki and his director Meteor Chan tried to make it look fluid for the audience. What is their secret? Incorporate cameras into your combat training early on.
“We asked the actors to attend rehearsals a month and a half before filming,” he says. “At the same time, I ask the cinematographer to come to the rehearsal room a month before shooting, so they can talk to each other. These days, it’s often a little unfair for the camera team, because they’re the department that comes in last minute. Very often they don’t know the choreography.”
Tanigaki spent an impressive amount of time filming the film’s climactic battle, an epic 20-minute battle.
“I spent 18 days on that police station set,” he says, sounding surprised that he actually survived the process.
In fact, Tanigaki’s last-minute ingenuity expanded the epic scope of the battle. Initially, it is a brawl between the good guys (Miao and Taslim) and the bad guys (Yayan Ruhian and Joey Iwanaga), until Tanigaki decides to revive the giant bruiser (Brian Lee) and throw the melee into complete chaos.
“In the last game, it was initially two-on-two,” he says. “It was a very normal thing. But I love the character that Brian Lee played. He’s a villain. He’s a bad guy, but he’s a really nice character. So I wanted him to come back. And so this battle of five guys from three different political parties was born.”
Although “Fast and Furious” is opening to a crowded box office, Tanigaki is hopeful that audiences will show up so he can continue to explore this world in his second film.
“I would love to make a sequel, but first the first one needs to be a huge success,” he says. “So we really need the support of the audience. It’s on the shoulders of the audience. Then let us shoot a sequel.”
Watch the trailer for “The Furious” below.
