Chris Hemsworth on fire in Tyler Rake 2 on Netflix: 21 minutes of insane preparation footage

Tyler Rake 2, the sequel to the Netflix blockbuster starring Chris Hemsworth, resurrects this mercenary character (martyrdom tendency) for an even more impressive second opus. This time director Sam Hargrave pushes his actor to the limit and explained Empire magazine How far she went with the producers to literally set Chris Hemsworth on fire.

“For me, the image of Chris Hemsworth on fire beating up a gang of prisoners in a fire was something I couldn’t pass up. Hats off to Chris. It was not synthetic fire. And he had to do it again and again. I don’t know many people, let alone Hollywood stars, who would let you expose them on camera.

It might just be his arm, but if the wind blows the wrong way, whoever the film will be mounted on will risk his life. We had prepared a bunch of different jackets for him, with different layers. But we fired Chris Hemsworth and he beat the boys all night. It was pretty amazing to watch.“

The desire to shoot such a crazy scene comes from the first film, which included a single takedown scene. A shootout sequence in Dhaka that allowed Chris Hemsworth to take on a new dimension as an action hero without the need for a hammer and cape. For Sam Hargrave, it was all about how to make this sequence – which has become a hallmark of both films – more exciting.

How was the 21-minute series filmed?

Originally planned to be 14 minutes long, the sequence ended up being over 20 minutes long, as Chris Hemsworth enthusiastically announced on Twitter when he posted the film’s trailer. Of course, it’s almost impossible to shoot a 21-minute frame if you want to include stunts and action sequences, and so, as director Sam explained, you have to be alert.

“We combined several points of connection where we could– says Hargrave.But there’s always a sequence in these songs that lasts between 30 seconds and a minute and a half. Sometimes there are 50, 60 or even 75 moves in a row with dozens of stunt performers. And it was a night, in the middle of winter. Chris had red ears and nose because he was freezing“.

During an interview with AlloCiné, Sam Hargrave explained the issue surrounding this scene. “The design of this scene took a lot of creativity from many people. Logistically, we had 400 people in that space at night, for three nights in the freezing cold. And just organizing all of that, the A team, the B team and the staff moving around these people was incredible. The stunt team taught everyone the fight sequence, it was a huge collaborative effort that required a lot of coordination.“

The shot sequence continues with the train exiting the prison cell to board the train at full speed. A scene where a helicopter lands on a moving train. “We landed a real helicopter on a real train. It was completely real and caught on camera. I was on the roof of the train, camera in hand and taking pictures. And there was no CGI in that shot.“

However, there is a moment when Sam Hargrave had no choice but to call for special effects. “When Chris or Tyler Rake are on top of the train and they shoot the helicopter, there’s a moment where we go from a real helicopter to a digital helicopter because we love the pilot so much. Fred Norththat we could not ask to shoot down the helicopter.“- concludes the director slyly.

Tyler Rake 2 is currently available on Netflix. Alongside Chris Hemsworth we meet Golshifteh Farrahan (Pirates of the Caribbean: Revenge of Salazar), Adam Bessa (Mosul), Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick).