Available since June 16 on Netflix, the blockbuster “Tyler Rake 2” contains an intense 21-minute sequence shot, during which Chris Hemsworth finds himself with his fists on fire. Behind the scenes explanations of this scene.
Tyler Rake 2, sequel to the Netflix blockbuster starring Chris Hemsworth, resurrects this mercenary character (martyrdom tendency) for an even more impressive second opus. This time, director Sam Hargrave pushes his actor to his limits and explained to Empire Magazine how far he went with the production team to literally set Chris Hemsworth on fire.
“For me, the image of Chris Hemsworth on fire beating up a gang of prisoners, while on fire, was something I couldn’t pass up. Hats off to Chris. It wasn’t synthetic fire. And he had to do it again and again. I don’t know many people, let alone Hollywood stars, who would let you fire them up on camera.
It might just be his arm, but if the wind is blowing the wrong way, whoever the film is mounted on risks his life. We had prepared a bunch of different jackets for him, with different layers. But we fired up Chris Hemsworth, and he beat a bunch of guys all night. It was pretty amazing to watch.“
The urge to film such a crazy sequence comes from the first film, which included a one-take extraction sequence. A shootout sequence in Dhaka that allowed Chris Hemsworth to take on a new dimension as an action hero without the need for a hammer and a cape. For Sam Hargrave, it was all about how to make this sequence – which has become a hallmark of both films – more exciting.
How was the 21-minute sequence shot?
Originally planned for a duration of 14 minutes, the sequence finally lasts more than 20 minutes, as announced enthusiastically by Chris Hemsworth on Twitter during the release of the trailer for the film. Of course, it’s nigh on impossible to pull off a 21-minute shot if you want to include stunts and action sequences, and so there had to be some sleight of hand, as director Sam explained. Hargrave.
“We have integrated some connection points where we could“, says Hargrave.”But in these songs, there are always sequences that last between 30 seconds and a minute and a half. There are sometimes 50, 60 or even 75 moves in a row with dozens of stunt performers. And it was at night, in the middle of winter. Chris had red ears and nose because it was freezing“.
During an interview with AlloCiné, Sam Hargrave explained to us the issue around this scene. “Designing this scene took a lot of creativity from a lot of people. Logistically, we had 400 people in that space at night, in freezing cold for three nights. And just organizing all of this, Team A, Team B, and the staff moving all these people around, has been incredible. The stunt team taught everyone the fight sequences, it was a huge collaborative effort that took a lot of coordination.“
Jasin Boland/Netflix © 2023
The sequence shot continues by leaving the prison enclosure to embark on a train at full speed. Scene during which a helicopter lands on the moving train. “We landed a real helicopter on a real train. It was completely real, and shot on camera. I was on the roof of the train, camera in hand, filming. And there was no CGI in this shot.“
There is a moment, however, when Sam Hargrave had no choice but to call on the special effects. “When Chris or Tyler Rake is on top of the train and shoots the helicopter down, there’s a moment where we go from a real helicopter to a digital helicopter, because we love the pilot so much, Fred Norththat we couldn’t ask him to crash the helicopter.“concludes the director mischievously.
Tyler Rake 2 is currently available on Netflix. Alongside Chris Hemsworth, we find Golshifteh Farahani (Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge), Adam Bessa (Mosul), Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick).