Second article from series of analysis of controversial tricks and injuries of Jackie Chan from Igor Shurkhovetsky and Mikhail Drug (aka MD Pol). The chronological order of publications is somewhat disrupted for the sake of the structure of the material.
Today I propose to discuss not so much the tricks themselves, but one of the injuries Jackie Chan, namely, the one he received when falling from a chain, towards the end of the film in the second part"Armor of God".
On the Internet you can find the following information about the injury: “When falling from a height, my foot caught on an iron chain, as a result of which I received a sprain and dislocation of the hip joint. After falling to the ground from the chain, I damaged (dislocated) my sternum and broke several ribs.” And the majority of those who read it, of course, believed it, saying, “This is cool. And how does he withstand everything?”
But I suggest that you delve deeper into studying this trick and the subsequent “trauma” yourself, rather than believing stupid articles.
Falling off the chain
A moment from the film itself (starts at 20 seconds). Jackie tries to climb onto the pile. Immediately pay attention to the location of the pile of sand, the German flag and the general situation (the 1st screen will help you, please do not take my artistic skills seriously). Next, Jackie jumps on the flag itself, they try to swing it, then he jumps on the chain. Use “freeze frames” and carefully study the situation around you (flag, pile, chain). And note that the chain forms a kind of triangle with the railing (where it is fixed) (screen 2).
Regarding the “purity” of the jump itself, I can personally say that it is quite difficult to see who is jumping there, everything is blurred and filmed a bit far away. But I think the cable was still there, judging by the movement and physics of the body. Although if there is a cable, then it doesn’t really matter who jumps - Jackie or not, but these are all just assumptions... But let’s return to the “sag”. So, Jackie got caught in the chain, then there is editing and they insert a take (scene) identical to the one that will be in the credits (the moment with the injury), but we will return to the credits later. After installation, the surrounding environment also changes (screen 3). The pile of sand becomes wider and most importantly... THE CHAIN changes direction. Now it does not form a triangle with the railing, but goes in a completely different direction. Then again the montage (screen 4) and again the “normal” chain and the original pile, Jackie crawls along the chain. I think it’s quite clear that these are two different places.
But now comes the interesting part. Captions (34 sec).
The scene, which was already in the film itself, is now in the credits, and as they are trying to show us, it was at this moment that Jackie broke down. He holds on to the chain, it slips and he breaks down (screenshots 5-6). And pay attention to the situation - the barrels, the “battery” and the distance between it and the heap (this is important!).
Jackie fell and fell headfirst into the radiator, sitting on all fours. And notice how he could “get his foot caught in the chain and get a sprain with a dislocation” if he fell when his hands slipped off the chain and this is clearly visible? Go ahead. After the fall, almost “half the population of China” runs up to him, curses, confusion, etc. And at this time, between the “battery” and the heap where the distance is quite small (screen 6), a person runs quite freely (screen 7) and it is clear that the distance there is already quite large. In screenshot 4 there was an equally large distance to the heap. Plus (screen 8) when Jackie is shifted, for some reason he is already lying on his back (he was on his knees), although maybe he decided to lie down, who knows... By the way, a similar situation has already arisen with Mikhail Other, some time ago, in the moment in the fall from the tree, in the first "Armor". There was also a difference in locations during a jump (in our case, during a fall) and a hypothetical falsification of an injury (after all, in the scene, in the credits, the chain was not secured initially, and in the scenario there was no fall from it)... Moreover, they literally “turn over” "a person on this mattress, although he could have really severe injuries, but in an amicable way, (with the same spinal fracture, for example, which could very well have happened) until the ambulance arrives, it is not recommended to touch the person at all, but apparently if you shift fallen from a height onto the mat, he will immediately feel better, right? Yes, it’s kind of stupid, although further on (screen 9) we see Jackie already smiling, whose face has been wiped (apparently first aid for broken ribs looks exactly like this), the jacket has been taken off (for the same broken ribs, which is strange), and he’s waving to us , they say everything is fine. With a broken ribs, sternum, dislocated hip or sprain, is a person able to sit carefree and wave at the camera with a smile?
As for the fall itself, the height there was not that great, at most 2 meters, plus it was some kind of “sand decoration”, perhaps even combined with cardboard somehow (and not a rock, as many people write), besides a falling person could certainly have had some kind of protection under his clothes, and it is quite possible that some mats were buried under the place of his fall, this cannot be denied, and that in the end - "dislocated my sternum and broke several ribs". For me personally, this formulation looks somewhat strange.
Well, that's all. It turned out voluminous, but detailed. I tried to be as objective and attentive as possible. And most importantly, I DO NOT underestimate Jackie’s merits! It’s just that some points are not clear to me personally (and to many people), I think, so I want to understand it as much as possible. In short - complement, correct, discuss and everything like that. Just let's calmly and politely, respecting each other's opinions;)
Motorcycle chase
The staging of auto-motor-stunts, both in the first and second parts, was carried out by the team - Remy Julien, famous French stuntman and director. In the first film, in "auto", Jackie could duplicate for example - Blackie Co. (Hong Kong stuntman), he is just indicated by one of the stunt drivers. But in the second, he was no longer there, but there was the same Bruce Lau (Lo), which was also recorded by one of the "auto-choreographers". Although I admit, I’m not particularly good at names, so you’re on your own there somehow))
So. In the chase itself, Jackie is quite a bit - 10-15%. And these are mostly close-ups, without any action. Duplication starts from the very beginning. At least 3 people, if not more, take part in this action. Screenshot 1. I don’t know exactly who this is, but I’ll assume that Rocky Lai (one of the JC Stuntmen Association).
Further, it is already clearly visible that the double is changing, you can see European facial features (screenshots 2,3,4). It is quite possible that this is one of Julien’s brothers - Michel, or Dominique (Remy’s sons), because they are also listed in the number "stunt driver". Maybe they even replace each other there, taking turns.
Then, when Hawk is riding in the alley, they show Jackie in close-up, then again the stunt double. The situation here is quite interesting, because... Jackie most likely is not riding the motorcycle itself, but rather a special, more stable device that helps him perform this trick. For example, as it was in “Project A” with a bicycle. And all this happens mixed with a double (screenshot 5, 6).
Then the action moves to the warehouse (?) and Jackie is almost not there either. And by the way, the understudy is changing, now it’s - Johnny Cheung (screen 7, 8), he does everything that happens there - lifting and turning, jumping, somersaults, etc. In principle, all this is visible without “freeze frames”, just like the very beginning of the chase, all this is not difficult to see, and with “stops” it is even easier.
But the most interesting thing is the subsequent final “motorcycle stunt”, which is filmed so that the motorcyclist’s face is not visible. Filming angles are either from the back or from afar, and with “slowmo”, the angle is of course removed. I won’t “screen” it, I think everything is clear, and it’s impossible to see anything there, no matter what the quality. It is unlikely that such a trick can be performed without special skills. And Jackie was duplicated even in relatively simple places throughout the chase, and he never performed such stunts and did not specialize in them. And by the way, this jump is inserted into many JC documentaries, for example in the film “Jackie Chan: My Life”, this trick is inserted twice. And Jackie belongs to the cast of creators, if anything. Well, the trick itself could well have been performed by one of the brothers - Michel or Dominic.
That's it. О - objectivity, К - constructiveness, because the truth is born in a dispute.
PS - bonus screen 9, double in a fall from the wall.
Special thanks to MD Pol (Mikhail Other aka Polygraph Sharikov), whose analyzes were the basis for most of the posts, plus consultations in some aspects.
Igor Shurkhovetsky and Mikhail Other
Especially for FFI
Home » Articles »
Tags: Bruce Lau, Jackie Chan, Remy Julien, Rocky Lai, controversial tricks
Tags: Bruce Lau, Jackie Chan, Remy Julien, Rocky Lai, controversial tricks
If anyone is interested, the trick in the “final” (moto jump) was done by Michel. It’s just that at that time there were no proofs, but now there are.
2017 People suck at Jackie Chan not doing stunts. For what? It was and remains a myth that Chan did everything on his own. He's not crazy enough to constantly risk his life and health.
In short, it’s better to write movie reviews more often.
Winston Wilson,
Well, Jackie is still promoting these myths himself. He blatantly lies about his stunts and injuries, keeps silent about the people who risked their lives and health instead of him, so that he can then portray his gratitude to them in public.
Winston Wilson,
They don't suck, they discuss. These are different things. Myth? Is it true? Go to Chan's largest community on VK and write that Jackie doesn't do everything himself. And almost all the big stunts were often duplicated. If, having banned you, they don’t send you three funny letters first, consider yourself very lucky. Or go to YouTube and read the comments.
There is no need for me to tell you what to do or how to do it. Unless, of course, you are one of the best and regular reviewers of this site.
And there are apparently enough reviews here, even without me, to whom to write. And my arsenal, depending on the theme of the site, is very limited (Chan, Iko Weiss, Boyko and other little things)
Admins. Thanks for the edit in the text. But why did Johnny Cheung disappear from “marks then”??? There was...
Igor Shurkhovetsky, added.
barsug,
Thank you.