What can people expect from Ninja 2?
Scott Adkins: This film, like the first one, is made with a martial arts focus. There was a hell of a lot of fighting in the first part. I think there are even more of them in this part. Take me for example - I think there are about 12 fights with my participation, from short but interesting to quite long. Human physical ability is the basis of this film. I was disappointed with the first part, at least with my performance. My character Casey was kind of a softie. Boring, to some extent. This was the character according to the script. I tried to recreate the character on screen as he was on the pages of the script, and when we later re-examined his character, it turned out to be vague - there was almost no edge to it. What we've done now is take it into a darker atmosphere. Everything he held dear was taken away from him, and if you think about good ninja movies, the storyline about revenge comes to mind. We fully adhere to this direction. In addition, he has matured. Became a little wiser, a little cooler. In this part he is full of anger and thirst for revenge.
The style of the first film was very similar to a comic book adaptation. What decisions were made regarding the uniqueness of the style during the production of the second part?
Scott Adkins: No CGI, no stupid Batwings. No stupid ninja cult. There's more realism here. That part sparkled clean. The action of this film takes place in Thailand, partly in Burma. He is more close to life. In this film, martial arts will look much brighter than in the first Ninja. Another mistake we made in the first Ninja - although I don't want to put it in too bad a light, because it has its strengths - is that back then we tried to make the fights more realistic... and for the most part they were too too simple. This time we intend to achieve the entertainment level of “Undisputed 3”. We are trying to make the fight scenes very bright and exciting - we want to give you moments when watching which you would want to exclaim “Wow!”
What is more difficult - acting or action?
Scott Adkins: Don't think I'm lying, but the hardest part is the action. You work your ass off. I'm already injured. Slightly injured my back. When you do as many action films as I have, there's a good chance you'll injure yourself in one of them. I was injured while filming one of the fights, and I did my best to recover as quickly as possible. If this is the filming of an ordinary melodrama, you go home and learn your dialogues for tomorrow, come to work and work all day... you can sit at the table, and according to the plot you have a domestic quarrel with your partner on the set. She slaps you, but not just once, with every take it happens again and again and again. You will most likely have a bruise on your cheek the next day. But when you crash on concrete, when you throw spinners, when you try to raise the bar by doing things that no one has ever seen, you get injured. I don’t spare myself in the name of the work I love, I’m glad to do it, but it’s not easy. The above, in turn, makes acting difficult because you're exhausted as hell! You are absolutely broken. But you still need to go home and practice your dialogues for tomorrow.
Is this your... eighth film with Isaac Florentine?
Scott Adkins: I think it's the seventh. He helped us a little with Gringo. Let's say it's the seventh. We are very comfortable with each other. When we shot the first take of the first fight scene, I thought, “Wow, even this little bit looks better than any action scene I've done in the last three years since Undisputed 3.” It’s very nice to know that at the helm is a person who knows his business. If you're going to be in an action or martial arts movie, this is what you need. We also know each other very well. He knows how I work, and I know how he works. I know how to behave in front of the camera to please him. I know how he wants to shoot. In addition, when talking to him, I can be very harsh, just like he is with me. We don't beat around the bush. He has no intention of hurting my feelings, because I understand that he makes decisions for my good.
Tell us about working with Kane Kosugi, your partner on the set.
Scott Adkins: Yeah, awesome. I've been a fan of his for a long time. A fan of what he did in DOA and Muscle Heat. When I was a child and a fan of Van Damme, I watched “Black Eagle” many times. And of course I'm a big fan of his father Syo. We just started filming the fight, just to see how he moves, how he copes - it immediately became clear that his type is indeed suitable, he has that samurai look that is difficult for me to recreate. I have more of a kickboxer in me - this is how I earn my living, so I need to adapt to the Japanese ninja style. And it's clearly in his blood. He's a very nice guy - I've heard a lot about it, and he's great at acting. Actually, I wanted him to do Ninja 1.
Tim Man is coordinating the fights, I watched him, he is incredible. He is also acting in a film. Tell us about Tim.
Scott Adkins: I knew who he was, I saw his footwork, he's great. But I didn’t know whether he was capable of staging fights or not. We had a question: “Hmm, does he have something to show us?” He forwarded some of his work. We also needed to use a person who would be in Thailand. So we decided, “Okay, let's give Tim Man a chance.” After that, he and his team began sending us videos with preliminary developments of the battles that we were going to film. I've worked with some of the best stuntmen in the world, and he's one of them. I knew I was in good hands. He and his partner Brahim [Achabbake] are as good as any people I've ever worked with.
What should your fans and fans of martial arts films, or even fans of the first Ninja, expect from watching Ninja 2?
Scott Adkins: They're in for some great fights from some of the best people in the business doing what they love. We hope that we have mastered the story. Until you look, you won't know. It's impossible to predict. I don't care how big the budget is. I starred in films and thought: “This will turn out great!”, but it turned out that it didn’t turn out so great. I starred in films and thought: “This will be garbage!”, but in the end it turned out pretty well. It's impossible to predict. You hope that the audience will immerse themselves in the plot and not remain indifferent to what is happening on the screen. You will follow Casey on his journey and hopefully it will mean something to you.
Do you consider this part a sequel or do you regard it as a completely different film?
Scott Adkins: I think the sequel will be radically different. If you use the successful elements of the first part, then the sequel will be successful. It looks the same, but the differences are big. And this is by no means a bad thing. Many people thought that in the first part we should have added more ninja gadgets. Should make a great martial arts movie.
Are the ninjas coming back?
Scott Adkins: No, I don't think so. Let's be honest: ninjas are, in some way, an element inherent in second-rate action films. The time and place is right for a ninja movie. In order to make a movie of this genre, you need the right approach. Modern ninja films will always smell cheap. They will not be taken completely seriously. I think it is for this reason that the main character does not run back and forth in the daylight in a ninja suit for most of the film. We save the ninja suit for the dark, when he needs silent kills. There's more to this movie than just the ninja theme. That's why we brought it closer to reality by adding martial arts schools.
Would you like to tell us something about working in Thailand?
Scott Adkins: I love it. Wonderful stuntmen. They don't mind taking full contact hits.
Author: David J. Moore
Source: outlawvern.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
Thanks for the link Celpaso
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Tags: Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, Isaac Florentine, Kane Kosugi, Scott Adkins
Tags: Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, Isaac Florentine, Kane Kosugi, Scott Adkins
Not at all.
Thank you Evil, very good interview. We're waiting for the movie.