What Martial Art Did Robert Downey Jr Use in Sherlock Holmes

"Sherlock Holmes," directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. The motion-picture show is being released on Christmas Day past Warner Bros.

In the film, as in the books, both Holmes and Watson know their manner around a fight and their skills are often tested. Holmes is a skilled martial creative person; this propensity links him with both the star and director of "Sherlock Holmes," as Downey and Ritchie take practiced martial arts for years, and worked together to create Holmes'southward distinct fighting style. "Doyle called information technology Baritsu in the novels, which is tied to a 19th-century hybrid of jujitsu that is really called Bartitsu, created by Edward William Barton-Wright," Downey explains. "Jujitsu is Guy'southward chosen martial art. Mine is Wing Chun Kung Fu. So, we developed our own combination of martial arts styles for the movie."

Holmes blows off steam

Equally efficient every bit he is at neutralizing an enemy in the class of his work, Holmes is also known to blow off steam in a boxing ring at a working class pub called the Dial Bowl. Here, in front a raucous crowd, Holmes takes on a massive boxer named McMurdo, played past David Garrick, in a roughshod blank-knuckle fight which showcases the detective's prowess and physical strength.

"The bare-knuckle battle band is the just place where Holmes doesn't think," says Downey. "Just even there he does think; he thinks about how to win the fight, only doesn't think about all of these ongoing concerns of life. Interpersonal relations don't enter into it. It's just you and your opponent."

"The Punch Basin is where Holmes goes to hone his skill, to make mistakes, and test out techniques against very powerful opponents," comments fight consultant Eric Oram, who for years has trained with Downey in Wing Chun Kung Fu and helped fix the histrion for the fight sequences. "He starts by using the least corporeality of force in the offset one-half of the fight. It's only subsequently his opponent crosses the line that he wants to teach him a lesson."

Watson has his own style

More than out of necessity than pick, Watson as well knows his way effectually a street fight, though he is more than of a brawler compared to the fluid combat manner of Holmes. "Watson is used to the up-close-and-personal fight-for-your-life stuff," Downey attests. "He has a much more accessible but no less effective style than Holmes. As a matter of fact, in that location are often times when Holmes over thinks in lodge to come with the best deduction, where Watson will just strike with any tool that's handy."

"Watson is a state of war veteran and used to thinking on his feet," says stunt coordinator Franklin Henson. "He can throw a wild dial in reaction, and, like a street fighter, he'll use whatever it takes–his head, knees or elbows–to bring an opponent down."

Police force relished participating in the fight sequences. "When yous're in the hands of someone similar Guy, who shoots with such a unique centre, yous know you lot're non shooting a standard fight scene," says the actor. "He'due south always looking for a new way to reveal the story behind the fight, and he knows exactly what he wants. And then it'due south expert fun."

Shooting the fights

Director of photography Philippe Rousselot utilized lighting and photographic camera to make the textures palpable and the fights a truly concrete experience. "Guy wants the film to feel to the viewer as if you're there," Rousselot states. "A good example is the Punch Bowl fight. It was crucial to bring in every detail, from a miniscule driblet of sweat to the effect of each blow on the opponent's body to the sea of movement and tussling in the crowd."

Ritchie also used these sequences to deconstruct Holmes's thinking over the form of a fight. He and Rousselot accomplished this moment-by-moment technique using a high-speed digital camera called the Phantom, which creates an ultra-slow movement upshot. "The Phantom takes one second of filming and strings it out over twoscore or 50 seconds," says the director. "The photographic camera takes in a groovy bargain of information in a very brusk period of fourth dimension, which is the perfect lens through which to illustrate how Holmes'due south mind operates. He is able to condense an enormous amount of data into a fraction of a second."

For a key action sequence–on a multi-story set representing the one-half-constructed Tower Span–Ritchie rehearsed extensively with the actors, along with Oram and Henson, likewise every bit fight coordinator Richard R. Ryan. "We worked very closely with quite a big stunt squad," notes co-producer Steve Clark-Hall. "They knew Robert's capabilities, which are considerable, and were able to play to his strengths. Pulling off this degree of high intensity activity in these stunt sequences was quite a squad effort."

Ritchie sought a strategic blend of rehearsal and spontaneity to ensure the anarchy of fighting was reflected in the sequences. "I made the creative conclusion to make the moving-picture show gritty, so I didn't want things to exist too choreographed," he says. "We discussed everything, but we also made sure to leave room for improvisation. I didn't want it to look also perfect."

McAdams doing stunts

This sensibility appealed to Rachel McAdams, who had extensive stunt piece of work in the Tower Bridge sequence. "Guy liked to keep things messy and keep the truth within this fantastical world," she notes. "There's always the temptation to get as well refined when dealing with this menstruation, but Guy made certain it was also crude and tumble and modernized. Doing this movie with Guy taught me to be really quick on my anxiety and precise, yet always open up and flexible."

Of course, humor was an of import ingredient in the activeness and establish its style into all the action scenes. "There needed to be moments of levity and other moments of gravity," Ritchie offers. "So the funny bits got funnier and the darker $.25 got darker as we went along."

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