Amidst all the superhero movies and the slick stylishness ofJohn WickandFast & Furious, one film that became a sleeper cult hit in the action movie genre was 2011’sThe Raid. The movie was praised for bringing back old-school hand-to-hand combat and making it more acrobatic and violent than ever before. Joe Taslim, who starred inThe Raid, revealed in an interview that filming the upcomingMortal Kombatwas an even tougher task.
“I gotta say,Mortal Kombatis physically harder. Because I have 10 or maybe 12 kilos attached to my body, and then I just need to move fast in terms of doing it. I think Mortal Kombat is harder because I have almost like a kid on my back, and I have to run around and move around. But I think the energy is the same.”
InMortal Kombat,Joe Taslimplays the role of Bi-Han aka Sub-Zero. The character is one of the greatest villains of theMortal Kombatgames, a remorseless ninja assassin with ice powers, who slaughtered his enemy Scorpion’s village, was sent to hell, and was reborn as the even more formidable Noob Saibot.
The trailer forMortal Kombathas already shownSub-Zeroembarking on a freshly violent streak, shattering Jax’s arms, and generally using his ice powers to wreak havoc on Earth. According to Taslim, he made a conscious effort to imbue his fight scenes as Sub-Zero with an emotional narrative so the audience can follow the highs and lows of combat.
“In energy, from one movie to another. I always try to give a story in my fights. I don’t like to just throw punches and kicks, but even the pain itself needs to be a story. People need to feel what he feels; people need to feel like he’s going to die, or like he’s thinking he’s gonna die. Those layers are important for me. It’s not just fight, struggle, win or dead. In between that, people need to believe that he’s confident or he’s breaking and he’s falling apart. Or, “I think he just saw the end of the line.” That story needs to be there in The Raid and in Mortal Kombat. I hope people digest that as well.”
IfMortal Kombatis successful, we will doubtless see more of Taslim in the sequels, possibly as he sheds his Sub-Zero persona and morphs into the evil, undead wraith Noob Saibot.
Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan,Mortal Kombatstars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film arrives in theaters and onHBO Maxon April 23. This news originated onScreenRant.
