Brad Pitt reached his leading star status with action sequences in movies like Troy and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The Seven actor first met the stunt coordinator of these films, David Leitch, on the sets of Fight Club in 1999. David Leitch later directed some high-octane action films including John Wick, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs & Shaw.
Pitt collaborated again with Leitch on the latter’s directorial venture, Bullet Train. The Moneyball actor played an assassin in the movie with anxiety issues, who gets hunted by fellow killers on a bullet train in Tokyo, Japan.
Brad Pitt and David Leitch Share Their Respect For Jackie Chan
During a visit to the JM video store in Paris for Konbini, Brad Pitt and David Leitch engaged in a discussion about the movies on display at the store. The World War Z actor came across a section displaying Bruce Lee movies and began talking about Bruce Lee’s influence on his work. Interestingly, Brad Pitt’s character Cliff Booth fights with Bruce Lee, played by Mike Moh, in a scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.
David Leitch added that Tyler Durden, Pitt’s character in Fight Club, had a little touch of Bruce Lee. Reflecting on the influential figures in their action films, both Pitt and Leitch appreciated the works of Jackie Chan. According to the Fury actor, Chan was “so underrated” considering the efforts he put into his films. The Allied actor shared:
“We had a lot of conversations about Jackie Chan. We’re both big fans of Jackie Chan. I think he’s so underrated. When you look at some of the past works and the makings of and some of the documentaries – it’s just extraordinary.”
It appears that a lot of scenes from Pitt and Leitch’s recent movie, Bullet Train, drew inspiration from these two Asian action stars.
David Leitch Used Police Story As A Study Material For His Stunts
When asked about the Jackie Chan movies that influenced their films, the Deadpool 2 director promptly mentioned the action classic Police Story. Calling it “the quintessential”, Leitch revealed that he cut out only the fight scenes from the movie and watched them for three and a half hours. The Ocean’s Eleven actor quickly replied that he wanted to view those tapes. Leitch said:
“At the beginning of my stunt career, we would cut his action scenes from each movie on a loop on VHS, and we would just play them over and over. Sadly we cut out all the dialogue scenes. Only the fight scenes. We come home, order a pizza, and watch this thing for like three and a half hours.”
The Atomic Blonde director further added that this exercise helped to imprint such kind of action-oriented storytelling within him. Leitch asserted that Jackie Chan remains the unrivaled master of action storytelling. The director’s sentiment holds true as The Karate Kid actor shows unparalleled commitment to his art form. Bullet Train is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Konbini – YouTube
