In an interview with Digital Trends, action director and fight coordinator Dawid Szatarski discussed how he created elaborate fight scenes in Boy Kills World.
Revenge is a dish best served … with a cheese grater? Well, at least that’s how the saying goes in Boy Kills World, the new martial arts action-comedy from director Moritz Mohr. Bill Skarsgård stars a Boy, a deaf and mute orphan who vows to kill Hilda van der Koy (Famke Janssen), the leader of an authoritarian regime who murdered his family. Under the tutelage of the mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian), Boy becomes a trained killer who will stop at nothing until he has his vengeance.
Boy Kills World is an ultraviolent ride with elaborate fight sequences and vicious kills, including a kitchen duel with that pesky cheese grater. Boy Kills World channels the spirit of John Wick, the martial arts of Korean action movies, the violence of a Street Fighter video game, and the aesthetic of Japanese anime for an action-packed revenge thriller.
Dawid Szatarski, the action director and fight coordinator on Boy Kills World, is the architect behind the controlled chaos. As a veteran fight choreographer and stunt performer, Szatarski used his martial arts expertise and wild imagination to craft the stunning combat scenes in Boy Kills World. In an interview with Digital Trends, Szatarski discussed Boy Kills World’s long development process, the secret to on-camera fight scenes, and how to incorporate humor into a violent movie.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Digital Trends: For someone who loves and appreciates martial arts, fight scenes, and action choreography, I’ll pose this question to you: If you could have worked on the fights of any film in history, what would you pick and why?
Dawid Szatarski: It sounds funny, but I still would take Boy Kills World because the movie is so messed up. This movie has a great opportunity to have surprises around each corner. It wouldn’t be that shocking if a huge unicorn comes behind the corner and fights Boy. [laughs] I really like that there’s some creative levity to this movie that I think fewer films nowadays have.
This film has been in development for a few years. I know one of the ways you attracted producers was through a proof-of-concept film.
