The reason the scene works so well is that the action is precisely choreographed and shot, with director Rick Famuyiwa capturing some of the clearest action in the franchise. Although the scene is dark, it’s properly lit and you can clearly see Din Djarin fighting and throwing Super Commandos into the pit. More importantly, the scene follows the “John Wick” formula of making his characters immortal but not invulnerable. Sure, Din Djarin takes a serious beating and just walks away, but the fact that he falls down, gets punched and shot, and then gets up and continues to fight while panting makes the fight scene more tense and exciting.
The fight also has a gimmick straight out of “John Wick,” with Din Djarin looking for a weapon in addition to looking for Moff Gideon. This affects the flow of the fight, as the titular Mandalorian keeps trying and failing to grab a new weapon, much like John Wick will run out of bullets (eventually) and change tactics. This keeps the fight fresh and adds new dynamics, keeping even a nearly three-hour-long movie action-packed. Like “John Wick,” “The Mandalorian” knows how to balance tension, spectacle, and humor, such as the brief moment when Din Djarin kills a commando with a knife but fails to steal his blaster before the man guy fall down a well.
Certainly feel how the “John Wick” movies influenced the sequence, just as “Oldboy” and his famous one-take fight apparently influenced Netflix’s Marvel shows (to the point where hallway fights became your bread and butter). It’s time to change things up; Just as “John Wick” fueled the evolution of Hollywood action cinema, more TV shows should follow his lead and learn to deliver better action.
“The Mandalorian” is streaming on Disney+.