Action cinema has always been a genre that seeks to improve himself, challenging the limits of the possible and the spectacular and the “even more difficult.” In their desire to shock the public and achieve their amazement and applause, film productions often engage in the creation of memorable scenes that sometimes represent a tremendous technical challenge that do not achieve the expected result. One of those scenes, which has gone down in history as one of the most difficult to filmis in a film starring Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry that did not achieve the commercial success it perhaps deserved: Swordfish.
It is an action thriller released in 2001 and directed by Dominic Sena, which despite not having managed to become a box office success, stands out for one scene in particular, which required meticulous preparation and extraordinary resources.
An unprecedented cinematic challenge
The scene in question, which lasts just a few minutes on the screen, involved hard work of more than a year of preparation. For its realization, no less than 135 cameras, making it one of the most complex and expensive sequences in film history. With an estimated budget of $100 million, this sequence alone cost approximately 5 million dollarsalthough the film made a gross below 150 million.
Inspired by the techniques used in Matrix, the production team faced a monumental challenge to pull off this scene with a big explosion as the protagonist. During the filming process, every detail had to be carefully coordinated, so that the result of the explosion of the bomb vest, which makes the police officers jump into the air while filling the entire stage with shrapnel, was amazing. Multiple layers of special effects were created to ensure the safety of the actors and production team. Additionally, advanced digital editing and post-production techniques were used to bring the sequence to life on the big screen.
Despite the efforts invested, Operation Swordfish did not get the recognition it perhaps deserved. However, the impressive scene is still worthy of admiration. Its technical complexity and visual impact make it a milestone in the action genre, and if you want to see it today, you can enjoy this film streaming through platforms such as Movistar Plus, or rent it digitally on the main streaming platforms.
