For the purposes of art
We're going to air bite for the purposes of art, because our director is telling me to air bite.
This is why you should subscribe.
Alright! What we do for you guys.
This is what we do for you uhh.. Here we go.
He's a bit of a germaphobe, so :/
I don't even want to pretend.
Alright, :O
That's it. That's all I'm doing.
That's all I'm doing.
I'm not doing more.
I'm out. I'm out.
That's it.
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another episode of Scenic Fights' Fight Scene Breakdown!
I'm Logan Lo
and I'm Chad Vázquez.
Today we're doing part two of our The Man From Nowhere (2010) breakdown.
This one is the duel between Cha and Ramrowan in their knife duel.
I've actually really been looking forward to this
cause this is the first time that we really get to go into
this new weapon
which has been really popular ever since that film, The Raid (2011)
which I hope we're going to review at some point in the future.
No for sure, but before we get to that!
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Subscribe to the channel!
And of course, leave comments below on future scenes that you like to see us break down.
Please stay until the very end because we're going to give a grade to it.
We're giving a grade to the applications of the weapon.
Not the acting. Not the characters. Just the applications of their fighting styles.
Alright it's duel time!
I'm excited about this! Probably a little too excited.
Ooh Ramrowan's out with his karambit.
So he takes out the karambit.
Little flail.
Okay and there's a problem right there. Let's talk about it.
If you look closely at the type of karambit that he takes out.
It is a single edged karambit.
But he opens up with a number 2.
Note what's happening here.
I'm attacking Cha with the blunt edge of the weapon.
That does not make sense for someone that is as trained as Ramrowan should have been.
Because that is a tremendous risk that he's taking.
He's coming in.
He's exposing himself for what?
What's he gaining from that?
Hitting him with the blunt edge?
Well, that's just going to annoy someone like Cha.
It's definitely not going to kill him.
If I'm going to do that.
Why don't I use the karambit for what it's for.
I take it out and I do a flail.
Oh! Why'd you move back Chad?
That was quick kind of—
It was quick and it was gonna hit you.
That is one of the benefits of using a karambit.
Because of the retention ring, you can get an extension of almost a 100% of the whole weapon.
So here— Chad stay where you are.
I'm gonna lunge.
Maybe I clip you.
Maybe I scratch him.
Maybe I'll hit the clavicle. A million in one shot.
But here, if I'm going here.
Bam!
I'm definitely hitting that clavicle.
I'm definitely hitting something.
Is it worth all of that effort and all that energy and all that danger and risk to me?
I don't know. It's a judgment call.
By the way, all of this goes away if it's a double-edged karambit.
If I come in and I'm here.
And I lunge, and it's double-edged karambit.
It makes a difference, right?
Maybe I can clip him with just the edge.
Personally, I don't think that someone as skilled and as trained as someone as
Ramrowan is supposed to be, in character, would have done something like that.
That doesn't ring true to me.
Continues. All right.
Good block.
Okay.
Attack. Attack.
Okay.
Cha does something interesting in the scene.
He does what we call a number 4 knife attack.
It's interesting because
there are schools out there that don't believe that there's such a thing exist
and I'll show you why.
Cha comes in with an attack.
He's blocked by Ramrowan who basically passes him,
and he comes in with his own attack
which Cha answers by throwing what we call a number 4 knife attack.
There's a Tuhan named Tuhan Tim Wade.
He says that there is no #4 knife attack and I think it makes sense.
A number 1 attack is
like this from the right side. A number 2 from the left side.
Number 3 is from the right side up.
but you'll note, that a number 4 attack,
there's no way for me to safely do it without putting my elbow in danger.
Chad I'm actually gonna try to hit you okay?
And then I'm gonna see if I can hit you without you hitting me first.
Yeah I don't believe that's possible.
I agree. I don't believe a number 4 knife attack is actually possible.
It makes sense with a longer blunt weapon, because the length of the weapon.
Quick question!
Yeah!
Does it make a difference if he's using a karambit?
That's a good question.
Again, I think it's kind of risk reward.
Let's try it slowly.
If I'm coming in here and you do the attack.
I mean, maybe I would do it knowing that he has a single-edged weapon.
Knowing that he can't slice me, but again what am I trying to accomplish here?
Am I thinking I'm gonna hurt him?
I'm definitely not gonna kill him.
What would probably make more sense is again to progress.
So I'm here.
I launched the failed attack. He passes me.
He comes in with his attack. I want to stop his attack.
I've stopped his attack now.
I flanked him and now I start my progression here.
I start the quartering.
This is a very classic and small scene that I really love.
I really love this part of it.
In this scene Ramrowan is coming in with a number 3 attack with the karambit.
There's a block and a pass
and now Cha is in a classic attack position
where he can simply thrust down—
exactly so Ramrowan does the right thing
he doesn't step back so much as he just gets his leg out of the way.
Notice that he's not changed his position in the world in a negative way.
He's still in a forward position able to attack without retreating.
We'll do the same thing with a big retreat
so you're gonna come in.
Here, boom!
He does a big retreat. He's stepping back.
He's now lost and now I'm pressing the attack.
Ramrowan did the correct thing.
He merely stepped back and was right back in the fight.
Very quick.
Very small.
Very elegant.
Ooh nice pass!
cut, cut.
Ooh he's using punches too with the knife?
It looks like they are using punches which is what you should be doing.
Defending.
Good lock.
Okay? that was interesting!
Cha does what's called a four-wall block with a knife.
So he's basically blocking with the knife.
I don't know how realistic that is. Let's try it out!
Sure! Let's go!
As Ramrowan comes in with his attack.
He stops him.
I didn't see in the video a hand.
Notice that by stopping the blade, there's nothing to keep Ramrowan from punching him in the face.
Yeah that's gonna happen.
I'm still gonna eat it.
If I was going to do this
and it's called the four-wall block,
I would have to block the blade and the hand to make it effective.
You'll note though that I haven't advanced my place in the world.
I'm still in the blender.
I feel that this was a director's choice because the melee scene was so good.
What I probably would have done to advance my place in the world is
he comes in here.
I see that; I'm here
and now I've progressed the fight
to my advantage.
Good.
They are too straight on you think? Yeah they're too straight on.
I think that's the Hollywood aspect of it or rather the producing aspect of it.
Ooh good flail!
First time I've seen that.
In this scene is the first time that we see what's called the flail.
So a flail is when you spin the knife out.
Chad let's show them how it's done.
Ramrowan uses the karambit for what its purpose is for.
One of the hallmarks of a karambit is this retention ring.
It has some unique properties to it.
Let's take a look.
As I do some sort of attack backhand,
I'm Ramrowan.
Right now, Cha has grabbed my hand.
Note what I can do.
All I can do is release the weapon and flick it up.
I've now cut his palm forcing him to let go.
The amount of force that's necessary is extremely little.
Chad, I'm sorry it's going to hurt a little bit. All right?
All for Scenic Fights.
The things we do for you guys.
Alright here we go!
He grabs and then I immediately let go and I hit.
Did that hurt?
Yeah!
That was definitely a hurt.
Now imagine if that was an edged sharp weapon.
I'm clearly cutting something.
That is the first time that I've seen in this scene where
Ramrowan is using the karambit as a karambit
Interesting! Finger lock.
Well we'll need to talk about that.
And he's going to do what's called a small-circle manipulation.
He's going to come in here.
I feel I can still slash.
Even if Chad did it with more strength and more power.
I still have the weapon here.
Especially if I know that my life is at stake.
I feel that I would be willing to allow my finger to break.
And you see a lot of times the combat sports.
Yeah I think for sure a trained combatant that knows that it's life and death—
Go again Chad.
Yeah there's no way.
I'm cutting stuff.
I'm gonna break my finger
I'm gonna break my left finger and allow him to break my left finger
so long as I have my right weapon hand
engaged and ready to roll.
Ooh he does a switch.
Knife manipulation.
Good! Coming in.
Eviscerating—oh Jesus
Oh Jesus.
He's angry. He has anger issues right now.
Dude!
One thing that someone has to do in the heat of battle
is to decide whether or not it's worth it to do a manipulation.
Here
Cha is closing in the distance between him and Ramrowan
so he makes a decision to switch his knife grip.
He switched it from hammer grip to an icepick grip.
There's always a chance that you can drop the knife.
You don't want to do it when you're fighting
and you don't want to do it when it's a life and death situation.
However, just as we said in the John Wick video.
I guess he wanted that greater power that's generated by the icepick grip.
So he comes in and he switches it from a hammer grip to an icepick grip
and attacks that way.
Coming in.
Good!
All right! Yep!
Oh! There's the bite.
Much better than Under Siege (1992).
That's what that's what Seagal should have done.
Not grabbed a knife with his mouth.
All right here he goes
uh oh
I think there goes Ramrowan.
He's done.
Yeah that's not the way you want to go.
Yeah especially with that look.
That you're looking at the guy you're killing like that.
I mean
Okay now he's down.
All right there you go.
Thank you! That was kind of kind of weird.
Here we have an interesting contrast between
The scene that we did in Under Siege (1992) and this scene.
And if you haven't seen our breakdown of
Under Siege (1992), definitely go click that after you've seen this video.
And you'll see what we're talking about
And what NOT to do.
So in the final battle between Cha and Ramrowan.
Cha has come in and he's had his arm grip by Ramrowan.
Now he uses his left hand to block.
But he makes a conscious decision, to bite the hand.
This standoff makes sense. Why?
I'm literally locked in place because my teeth are around his wrist.
He's locked in place, because he has to prevent himself from getting stabbed.
Now the person with the greater force wins.
Who has the greater force?
Cha has a greater force.
We have one arm and two arms against
One arm
Chad, you're going to pretend I'm biting your arm.
I want you to prevent me from touching your chest right here.
Yup I can't.
There's no way that's not going to happen.
That scene made total sense.
Thank you so much for recommending The Man From Nowhere (2010).
I love this film.
The melee scene was phenomenal.
Perfect.
There are some deficiencies
and it really comes down to Ramrowan.
The main thing is he didn't use the karambit in ways that would have advanced his position.
In other words the retention ring, he did one flail.
That was it.
He could've done some knuckle-dusting
which is what Doug Marcaida calls
hitting with the ring portion of the karambit.
He could have sliced more with it upwards.
Done more captures.
The curved nature of the karambit means that he could have captured more.
He could have caused damage while putting himself into a safer position.
He could have extended his reach with a flail.
None of these things were really apparent in this duel.
So I felt that it didn't ring true to his character.
If Ramrowan is a trained operative who chooses to use a Karambit.
He would have known to knuckle-dust.
He would have known to do an extended flail.
He would have known to cut up more
rather than do the backhand attacks.
Cha's role in this scene was also not perfect.
In the melee scene, he's doing the proper thing.
He's attacking extremities.
We didn't see that in this duel and it doesn't make sense, right?
The more dangerous your assailant is, the more careful you have to be.
Ramrowan is essentially Cha's equal.
These are two very skilled, very careful people.
I don't understand why they would headhunt.
Why they would body hunt
when the hands available.
For me, the more dangerous a person is,
the more unwilling I would be to engage more of my body
against more of their body.
I would want to keep back and attack the extremities as much as possible.
I feel that that is a director's choice here because honestly,
two trained assailants, one's gonna be better
than the other and the fights can end fairly quickly with weapons.
Because of that, it wasn't for me as excellent of a scene as the melee scene was.
I give it a B+
Still a great scene! Still wonderful! It's good.
Thank you so much for watching!
If you like what you saw, definitely subscribe to the Scenic Fights YouTube channel for more videos.
If you want to find out more about my school, the information is in the description below.
Finally, if you want to find out more about the karambit, there's a great article written
by my instructor's instructor Bill McGrath and that's going to be available in the link below.
Let us know what other scenes we should review in the comments down below!
Thanks so much for watching guys!
Alright! Bye!