Netflix’s “Fistful of Vengeance” begins as a blistering tale of revenge, but the stakes keep rising. What begins as a hunt for a killer quickly turns into a mission to save the world from a mythical being. Accompanied by his faithful friends, the last Wu Assassin, Kai, faces wave after wave of disturbing forces. Fights are fast, frequent and almost always up close. In fact, the film derives most of its thrills from extended fight sequences amidst a remarkable variety of settings.
There are quite a few special effects, but some fights have a definite visceral feel to them. If you’re wondering if some of the cast members actually know martial arts, then you’re not alone. We decided to take a look at how many “Fistful of Vengeance” actors are actually trained in fighting skills.
Do the cast of Fistful of Vengeance know martial arts?
It’s probably no surprise that not one, but several core and supporting cast members of “Fistful of Vengeance” are experienced in the martial arts. We’ll get to Iko Uwais, trying out the Central Kai Jin, in a moment. Let’s take a look at some of the other cast members first.
Lewis Tan’s character, Lu Xin Lee, is second only to Uwais’ Kai when it comes to being in the thick of the action. A loyal friend to the assassin Wu, Lu spends much of the film taking down hordes of bad guys before being briefly brainwashed. In fact, Lu actually helps Kai in the climax to subdue the film’s antagonist.
Lewis Tan’s searing fight scenes that seem so realistic probably have something to do with him growing up in a family of stunt coordinators and martial artists. In an interview, he revealed that his father was a national champion martial artist who practiced multiple styles. From an early age, Lewis was apparently taught how to fight by his father, a martial artist. The actor also stars as deadly fighter Gaius Chau in the apocalyptic martial arts series “Into the Badlands.”
Besides Tan, another cast member who has some serious real-life martial arts skills is JuJu Chan Szeto, who tries out the assassin, Zan Hui. According to his profile, Juju has mastered several styles of martial arts. She was also part of the Hong Kong national team for Taekwon-Do and participated in many international competitions. Juju apparently trained under a Hong Kong champion Thai boxer and was even dubbed the “woman Bruce Lee” by the Hong Kong media.
Does Iko Uwais (Kai Jin) know martial arts in real life?
And finally, we come to Iko Uwa, who tries out the central character of Kai Jin, the last Wu Assassin. Uwais has become something of a legend in the martial arts and fighting movie genre for his appearances in films like “The Raid”, “The Raid 2”, “Mile 22” and many more. Of course, he also leads the cast of Netflix’s martial arts series “Wu Assassins.”
Besides being an actor, Uwais is said to be an accomplished stunt performer, fight choreographer, and martial artist. According to some reports, he is also proficient in the local Indonesian martial art called Silat. Apparently his grandfather was a highly respected Silat master who founded the Tiga Berantai school in Jakarta. So, with the central character coming from a martial arts heritage, paired with other cast members who are also skilled martial artists, and SFX magic, “Fistful of Vengeance” features some pretty visceral action.
Read more: Is Fistful of Vengeance Wu Assassins the sequel or a spin-off?
