Analysis of 'Kick-Ass' Fight Scene Dir: Matthew Vaughn

What is first obvious from the Kick-Ass fight scene is that it utilises a lot of aspects similar to those from The Raid fight scene I analysed. Such examples of this are the fast cutting during the scene. This again is used to create a sort of pace to the scene and a sense of energy to the scene, we aren't left looking at one image too long the frame is constantly changing to therefore constantly engaging.

One of the frames that mirrors a cell from the comic book.

One of the things this film did differently is how occasionally it cuts away to long shots of the fight happening showing the scene as a whole. This makes the viewer take a more objective and observant view of the fight making them feel a bit like the people watching from the diner shown. Yet this is juxtaposed with POV shots of Kick-Ass in the fight getting hit and kicked so it shows both a view from outside the fight and a very immersive view from within the fight its self, making you simultaneously feel involved and like you're watching the events happen. These wide shots similar to The Raid help establish where all the characters are too, so we have a feel to where everyone is in the scene. The wide shots also look quite good as the diner is used as the background for them as the camera dollies slightly, the light of the diner makes the people involved in the fight almost silhouetted something that visually looks quite good and outstanding.

A wide shot to establish location, where the characters are and make them look a bit like silhouettes so they still look visually good.

Also the shots of the crowd in the diner break up the action of the fighting to give the audience some sort of relief from the fighting, something again utilised if to a lesser degree in The Raid. Since it appears in both films it is something that I think I should definitely include in ours.

A shot where I think the crowd in the background are just as important to the image as the fight in the background.

A direct reaction shot of the people in the diner to break up the action.

The music again is a key part of the fight, the music swells when Kick-Ass is on the attack and drops when it isn't showing him or he isn't doing very well, this sort of cohesion between visuals and audio helps towards the fight being very effective in the film.

Showing the use of phone footage to show the fight in multiple interesting ways. Also making it feel more real.

Something this film utilises is the use of multiple mediums of showing footage, not only do we see it through a film camera but we also see it within the diegesis of the film through a camera phone and CCTV footage, this again works towards setting the scene they're in and giving an impression of the fight from different views rather than just a cinematic eye.

The shot of the fight from the CCTV camera

Again like The Raid the fight develops into the attackers using weapons (a bin, partly for a comic effect) to develop the fight and keep it fresh from just punches and kicks and again it works. Since it's been shown to work so well in both the films I've looked at I think this is quite an integral part of our film to integrate.

The attack with the bin mentioned above

This fight scene also features a lot of shots that feel like they would be at home in a comic book, as the film is obviously adapted from a comic source material. Some of these are shots we can use such as the camera moving into Kick-Ass from a mid close up to a close up before he moves in to fight. They feel simultaneously cinematic and like they'd fit in the source material, something I definitely want to try to do in our film.

Example of the POV shots of Kick-Ass getting beaten up enhancing the realism and engagement with the audience of the scene.

Since this (like our film) is a fight in honour of a certain person, the victim to the attackers the victim is shown a lot during the scene for people to remember his importance in the story and in making this fight happen. Since this is something so similar to our film I think this is something we'll definitely have to take into account when making it.

My notes from watching the scene