Chapter 187: Action Scene, Real Fight

"Martin, why are you insisting on a real fight?" Nicole asked with some concern.

"Don't worry. It's not really a real fight. I've already memorized all of Lawrence Fishburne's moves. It's just a practice run with the routine," Martin replied with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me!"

The two opponents stood facing each other in the middle of the stage, with everyone else holding their breath, watching with a tense atmosphere, as if witnessing two martial arts masters preparing for a duel.

Martin turned to Lawrence Fishburne and said, "Don't worry, just go all out. Hit me with force, I'm fine with it."

The biggest issue with The Matrix in Martin's previous life was that the fight choreography looked good but lacked real impact, feeling soft and lacking power, making it seem rather insubstantial.

Lawrence Fishburne looked surprised. "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious!" Martin said.

"Action!" Tiger Chen shouted.

Lawrence Fishburne began moving, delivering a set of Tiger Fist strikes. However, Tiger Chen had modified, or rather, simplified, the moves, removing the complicated ones and keeping just a few direct and straightforward actions.

Lawrence Fishburne's massive physique made the punches and kicks he threw quite formidable, giving off a somewhat fierce feeling.

Meanwhile, Martin nimbly dodged Fishburne's attacks, occasionally blocking them.

At the end of the sequence, he was supposed to be knocked away by Fishburne's strike. As Fishburne swung a sweeping kick, Martin intentionally left an opening and took a solid kick to the chest, sending him flying backward.

"Quick, pull the wire!"

Following Tiger Chen's shout, the two Hong Kong stuntmen responsible for the wires immediately pulled them, sending Martin flying five meters before he did a flip and landed.

"How was that?"

Martin unhooked the wire and looked at Yuan He Ping behind the monitor, while the Wachowski brothers, sitting behind the monitor, remained more like mascots for the action scenes.

"Very good, it's a pass!" Yuan He Ping gave Martin a thumbs-up.

His praise was sincere. He had already noticed from the moment Martin was kicked by Fishburne that Martin had perfectly timed his retreat the instant Fishburne's foot made contact with his body. His sense of timing and rhythm was spot-on, something even veteran stuntmen with decades of experience could envy.

"Such a genius… what a shame!" Yuan He Ping thought.

The early shooting mainly involved pre-designed ground-based choreography, with minimal wire work.

Clearly, Yuan He Ping used this gradual approach to help the Hollywood actors adapt to the fighting style and its intensity.

For Martin, though, it was a breeze!

The others, however, were feeling the strain.

After about four or five days, the cast had adapted to the ground combat sequences, and more wire work began to feature heavily in the scenes.

Lawrence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, and Nicole Kidman had the most action scenes, aside from Martin.

Even though they were mentally prepared, the high-flying, acrobatic combat was still exhausting.

Fortunately, there were professional stunt doubles available from Yuan He Ping's team.

Except for Martin, the others used stunt doubles for all the intense action sequences, leaving only their faces for the close-ups.

"That guy's so agile," Yuan He Ping muttered. "With his physical abilities, he would have been a formidable warrior in ancient times."

Watching Martin twist and turn in mid-air, using the wire with incredible dexterity, almost like he had wings, Yuan He Ping couldn't help but be impressed.

After a week of shooting, Martin was having the time of his life and even considered trying out a Hong Kong martial arts film for fun, but quickly dismissed the thought.

He had to admit that Hong Kong action choreography was truly unique, even a level above Hollywood's standardized and simplified combat styles.

Before Hong Kong stuntmen entered Hollywood, what did the fighting look like in Western films?

Well, it was basically you punch me, I punch you, then we hug and slam each other to the ground...

Western audiences found this "punching" style thrilling, full of "meat" and "impact."

But when martial arts stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li came to Hollywood, Western audiences finally saw what real "combat aesthetics" looked like.

The old, clumsy fighting style was quickly discarded.

Hollywood's ability to learn was impressive.

By the 2000s, Hong Kong-style action films had taken over Hollywood and North America. Hollywood's innovation wasn't far behind either.

After absorbing the essence of Eastern martial arts, Hollywood created more aggressive, sharp fighting styles, combined with fast-paced editing, resulting in adrenaline-pumping scenes.

The pioneering work in this genre was The Bourne Identity, which was later expanded upon in films like Mission: Impossible, Fast & Furious, and John Wick, producing action stars like Jason Bourne and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Hollywood's dominance over global cinema stemmed from its powerful adaptability. It absorbed anything beneficial from around the world, constantly innovating and presenting it on the big screen in ways that catered to the tastes of North American audiences.

In terms of "vitality," only the post-reform "Bollywood" might stand a chance at rivaling Hollywood.

Though India has its challenges, Bollywood has truly embraced the entertainment industry, evolving from just musicals to producing impressive works in genres like sci-fi, action, horror, and comedy.

Film is a powerful tool for cultural transmission, but it has to be visually appealing first if it's to truly spread a culture.

You can't feed your audience trash and expect them to praise it.

Back to the topic.

In a scene between Neo and Morpheus, the Wachowski brothers finally had something to say.

"Lawrence!"

Larry Wachowski pointed to the screen and addressed Lawrence Fishburne.

"Here, your expression isn't quite right! You need to believe that Neo is the One. You have to convey that not only through sincerity but also… how should I put this?"

"Yeah, it should be like the mysterious, mystical vibe of a gypsy fortune teller," he suggested.

"Or like the big bad wolf trying to lure Little Red Riding Hood with candy," Martin chimed in mischievously.

Chuckling, Nicole couldn't help but laugh at Martin's playful comment.

"I get it!" Lawrence Fishburne closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I think I can try again."

"OK!"

Martin stood up.

On the second take, it passed.

In fact, this film didn't require much in terms of acting.

For Martin's role as Neo, he just needed to look cool throughout.

He could already imagine how critics would critique his performance once the film hit theaters.

But he didn't care.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧