Inosanto later entered hollywood where he served as a stuntman and a martial arts instructor on countless films, including the 2011 book of eli, which featured denzel washington. What martial arts did denzel washington use in the. Washington plays eli, a survivor 30 years after an unnamed apocalypse, who traverses a bleak american landscape guarding an important book from violent pursuers who want to. The equalizer featurette special skills 2014 denzel. Denzel washington, gary oldman and the always indemand martial arts movie fighter and capoeira artist lateef crowder the protector are in the same movie that has stunt and fight work and training overseen by jeff imada the bourne ultimatum and highly respected martial arts master and former bruce lee student dan inosanto. Denzel washington, star of the equalizer 2, looks back on four of his bestknown movies including training. This blog post focuses on the clip which came in at number four. Was good at chewing it up in training day when he did get the oscar.
After graduating from high school, denzel enrolled at fordham university, intent on a career in journalism. Ther book of eli denzel washington does kali by guro harold 01162010 10. Andersons martial arts is the only school in new york city that is certified to teach this method of kali. Departmentstore clerks are not often skilled in the martial arts. Denzel washington, gary oldman, mila kunis, ray stevenson, jennifer beals, albert hughes, allen hughes. He convinced me to do another film called training day so i kind of. Book of elis denzel washington kicked ass for real. The book of eli stunt coordinator jeff imada, who is a disciple of the book of eli martialarts fight trainer danny inosanto, who was a contemporary of bruce lee, trained me, and i. Kali stems from the phillipines and has many different artsforms.
Denzel washington interview the book of eli collider. What martial arts were demonstrated in the book of eli. In the book of eli, the apocalyptic thriller in theaters this week, denzel washington plays a man keeping the most influential book in the world out of the wrong hands. At 55, hes a twotime oscar winner, the broadshouldered star of glory and training day, an actor. Why did denzel washington get an oscar for training day. Denzel trained with dan inasonto for equalizer and book of eli.
Arnis in popular culture reflects the impact that the filipino martial arts of arnis eskrimakali. Denzel washington is a man on a mission in the book of eli. Amata, but also who has trained under one of the true masters in martial arts, danny inosanto. Denzel washington takes a dangerous journey in the postapocalyptic book of eli. I actually trained on another film, book of eli, with a master by the name of danny inosanto. Hes just so great at playing intelligent, strong, capable. But even if the subject matter and the accompanying images namely, the utter desolation of everything on the planet are starting to feel familiar.
Filipino martial arts fmais an effective weapons based system comprises of kali, arnis and eskrima. Denzel washington was trained by dan inosanto, he deos jeet kune do, bjj, and various philipino arts. Eli has in his possession the last surviving bible in the world, and he is on a mission he believes was given to him by god, to head west to where it will be safe. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. This is the seventh post in a series of ten articles detailing the use of eskrima stick and knife techniques in world famous cinema. Denzel washington as eli martial arts action movies. The oscarwinning actor trained hard for six months to drop 50 pounds, learn martial arts and how to realistically handle many. Denzel studied under jeet kune do and martial arts guru dan inosanto student of bruce lee for the. Book of elis denzel washington kicked ass for real syfy wire. The book of eli is a movie set in a post apocalyptic world about a guy named eli, played by denzel washington. The top ten scenes of filipino martial arts in film have already been compiled here. History of the sai martial arts weapons learn the history and function of the sai ninjutsu weapon and become a real ninja warrior in this free weapon fighting video from our marital arts expert. This movie starring denzel washington, is worth every penny in term. Denzel washington becomes a martialarts master in the book of eli by aero chug on of the things that denzel washington really wants people to know about his action thriller the book of eli is he did all of his martialarts stunts in the movie.
Washington put in months of rigorous training and worked with a renowned martial arts practitioner who. Kung fu martial arts chinese martial arts martial arts training mixed martial arts karate aikido tai chi. Filipino martial arts is featured again on this movie. Denzel washington in the book of eli can you talk about the fight training you had to do for the book of eli. Eli is headed west, but on the way, he passes devastation and squalor, and occasionally he must mete out some devastation of his own with a sharp blade. How filipino martial arts helped arya stark in the battle of winterfell. Loren wi, martial arts player coach at ijf 1973present. Boxing, martial arts keep washington in top shape chicago tribune. What martial arts did denzel washington use in the equalizer. Washington handles all the movies handtohand combat sequences himself after martialarts training with bruce lee protege dan inosanto. Denzel washington born december 28, 1954, american actor. The book of eli jesus second coming shot in the dark sword fight denzel washington bad dreams martial arts ministry the darkest. By rossiter drake hour correspondent you might expect denzel washington to seem intimidating. Denzel washington becomes a martialarts master in the.
I also had to get into martial arts and i worked with one of the grand. But the weird part for someone as popular as him is that hes not so big on playing likable heroes. What were the three books featured in the movie the equalizer 2. Actings like someone asking you for years to write the characters, but they write the book. Andersons martial arts teaches the inosanto lacoste method which is a blend of 26 different styles of kali.
Denzel washington gets spiritual with the book of eli. The book of eli denzel washington interview youtube. Denzel washington becomes a martialarts master in the book of eli mixed martial arts certification training now available through nesta. Bruce lee movie revives memories of cowboys martial arts. Denzel washington has taken on many roles, far more than could be included in this quiz. Denzel washington is more than just an oscarwinning superstar. Hes a master in all known martial arts and a master of armed combat. Everybody loves denzel washington, including me, but im not 100% sure why. Do you need martial arts training to know how to defend yourself or is it okay if you are selftaught.
I actually trained on another film, book of eli, with a master by the. Denzel washington is a man on a mission in the book of eli christa banister. There is no mention in the movie of any training that eli might have had in wielding his weapons so effectively. Martial arts choreography or fight choreography has always fascinated me you too, i know and i always check the bonus features on an action dvd to see who created the scenes. But the training denzel went through was quite real.
Daniel arca dan inosanto born july 24, 1936 is a filipinoamerican martial arts instructor who is best known as a training partner of bruce lee. Check out this behind the scenes footage with denzel washington giving props to jeff. Do you know which thrilling movie he starred alongside julia roberts in. Denzel washington has stepped it up for his role in the book of eli. Denzel washington is also a student of filipino martial arts legend dan inosanto. He started practicing in 1970 with tae kwon do and japanese kempo. He even did a sarongmarong technique denzels bolo design was pretty nasty too. Edges fred topel spoke with the superstar about how he developed his character, the films hidden meanings and filming in the desert.
There are many paths through the mountain of life, and some climbs can be felt like the point of a knife. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, lennis, from georgia, and a pentecostal minister father, denzel washington, sr. Kali dummy kyokushin karate, karate shotokan, aikido, martial arts training equipment, martial. A lone warrior denzel washington wanders the postapocalyptic desert that was once america, battling lawlessness to realize his hope of a better future.
The most recent film to feature not only the arts but some of our friends is the book of eli which started today 011510. Denzel washington, full name denzel hayes washington jr. And now, 57yearold denzel washington is the latest to run, punch, kick. The book of eli dvd 2009 this is probably one of the most highly underrated movies of 2010 due to the overwhelming surge of 3d films brought on by avatar which was out around the same time of this film. The fight choreographer for the film was jeff imada who trained denzel washington for several months prior to filming. Can you name all of these denzel washington movies from an. Denzel washington interview the book of eli collider collider. We are all climbing different paths through the mountain of life, and we have all experienced much hardship and strife. There isnt, but the martial arts he was using was filipino martial arts. Making martial arts movies top martial arts movie stars training background ultimate list.
With unflappable cool and surprising gentleness, denzel washington strides a bleak and barren world in the book of eli. Because of this training with live weapons, elements of arnis have made an impact in film, video games, television, and comic books. I note this story in 2012 2 years after eli that he works out doing boxing and marital arts denzel washington boxes, practices. A number of celebrity users who trained in fma for movie roles include denzel washington the book of eli. Dan has a history of training students some become choreographers and others become teachers and actors like denzel and forest whitaker in fma. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which. Film and television collectionrex shutterstock the book of eli 2010 eli denzel washington roams a postapocalyptic world, protecting a sacred tome that offers guidance on how to rebuild humanity in this stylish, futuristic thriller. Off script denzel was on with jamie foxx link above and foxx told the story of him running to hug star washington when foxx was an unknown kid, and being subdued by a washington elbow and he briefly talked about that. In the 2014 film the equalizer, denzel washington uses filipino martial arts techniques to take out a room of russian thugs using weapons like a knife and improvised weapons such as a shot glass and cork screws which were used like push daggers. Denzel is an actor with unparalleled presence and a demeanor that makes his calm and collective voice sound threatening, dangerous, and warming. The book of eli denzel washington in fight mode by cd on january 22, 2010. Jeffs work in the entertainment world is uniquely enhanced by his martial arts training. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. Can you name the popular disney sports biopic that washington played the lead in.
The method itself was created by guro dan inosanto. Rafael kayanan of the sayoc kali system was the fight choreographer for the close quarter fights where liam neeson fights various opponents inside the airplane of the 2014 film nonstop. This training is used by elite units around the world such as us army, navy seals, marines. Six months ago or so, collider enjoyed the rare opportunity to visit the set of the book of eli, allen and albert hughes postapocalyptic thriller about a laconic hero denzel washington who. Denzel washingtonwho stars as a lone warrior in the postapocalyptic movie the book of elipoured his usual oscarcaliber commitment into the role, which included martialarts training as well as depth of character.