While talking with /Film’s Ben Pearson, Gerard Butler discussed the pivotal scene in which Brodie is abruptly attacked in an abandoned building by one of the militia’s soldiers. The most notable detail about this brawl is that it’s done in a single take. Both Butler and director Jean-François Richet (“Blood Father”) were onboard to make this challenging sequence happen no matter the logistical challenges. “You typically have to arrange a camera for every hit and break the fight down into six pieces. We did this in one shot,” Butler explained.
The fight was considered a risk, especially since if there was just one wrong move, they had to start the whole process over again. But even with the folks in Butler’s ear who were hesitant on doing a oner, the “Olympus Has Fallen” actor was more than gung-ho about getting it done and making it look good too:
“Even when we shot it, certain people said, ‘No, let’s break it down and cut back to the daughter.’ It’s like, ‘No, this is a one-off. We never get this opportunity. Let’s watch these guys go at it and just be so incredibly desperate and fighting tooth and nail for everything.’ I’m very proud of what we pulled off in that scene.”