A Fanny Pack Fight: Everything Everywhere All at Once
The most recent Hollywood action film I watched is Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). It is directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. This movie mixes action, comedy, drama, and science fiction. The story is about Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American immigrant mother. She learns that she must fight to save the universe through different versions of herself in the multiverse.
I chose the fanny pack fight scene. In this scene, Waymond (played by Ke Huy Quan) suddenly becomes a skilled fighter. He uses his fanny pack to fight security guards in an IRS office. I really liked this scene because it was funny and exciting. I was surprised to see a quiet man become a strong and smart fighter. This fight happens inside a normal-looking office. The lights are bright, and there are many cubicles. At first, everything is quiet. But when Waymond starts fighting, everything changes. He uses office items as weapons, like his fanny pack. The space feels full of action. The camera moves quickly to follow him. In one minute, there are around 10 to 18 cuts. The editing is fast but easy to follow. The camera shows different views sometimes a wide shot of the whole fight, sometimes close to faces or feet. Sometimes, we see what Waymond sees. Other times, we see the fight from far away. There is a slow-motion shot where the fanny pack flies in the air before hitting a guard. This made me notice the camera, but in a fun way. The fight is fast but not too violent. It feels funnier and more creative than real. Waymond is an older Asian man, he doesn’t look like a normal action hero. He is not strong, but he is smart and quick. The guards looked strong. They don’t talk much. They are just there to fight him which makes Waymond stand out even more.
Zhiyuan Yang (2023) writes that the movie uses sounds and pictures to show feelings like sadness and stress. I saw this in the fight scene. The fast cuts and camera movement show that he feels confused but also focused. Even when he is fighting, we can see he loves his family. Wahyudiputra and Purnomo (2022) say the characters live between two cultures Chinese and American. In the fight scene, Waymond uses kung fu in an office. This shows both East and West together. He is peaceful and strong at the same time. This idea connects to “Wu Wei,” which means doing things in a calm way. Austin Kang (2023) says Asian Americans in the movie try to balance many roles. Waymond is quiet in one moment and a strong in the next. Everything Everywhere All at Once did very well in theatres.
I checked Box Office Mojo, and the film made over $143 million worldwide. Its budget was only around $25 million, so it was a big success. It became the most successful film ever made by A24. The movie was also loved by critics and won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Editing. This shows that even though the movie was different from other action films, many people enjoyed it. Even though the movie has violence, I don’t think it makes people want to be violent. The fights are more about feelings, like stress, love, or confusion. Some people might feel too much from the fast cuts and bright scenes. But I think the violence is used in a smart and creative way. It helps tell the story better and shows what the characters feel inside especially for people who have family or culture problems. Everything Everywhere All at Once shows action in a new and emotional way. The editing, camera movement, and setting all work together to tell a deeper story. The movie shows that action is not just about fighting or being strong it can also show love, stress, and personal growth. The scene where Waymond uses his fanny pack to fight is a great example. With smart editing and camera work, a simple office fight becomes creative, and full of meaning.
References
Yang, Zhiyuan. “Getting closer to” the Bagel”: Audiovisual representations of depression in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Master’s thesis, 2023.
Wahyudiputra, Alexei, and Antonius Rahmat Pujo Purnomo. “Chinese-american liminality in everything, everywhere all at once (2022): between violence and Wu Wei.” ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities 5, no. 4 (2022): 643-655.
Kang, Austin. “Balancing multiple worlds: the multiverse and the fractured asian american experience in everything everywhere all at once (2022).” Master’s thesis, Chapman University, 2023.
Toabnani, Aryanto. “An AN ANALYSIS FILM “EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE” NIHILISM AND MULTIVERSAL METAPHORS (LITERATURE SEMIOTICS).” Journal of Education, Linguistics, Literature and Language Teaching 6, no. 01
bipin
I think the student really nailed it with this one. The way they talked about that fanny pack fight? Spot on. It’s kinda like watching a quiet pond suddenly burst into a fireworks show. Totally unexpected but makes sense once you’re in it.
They took something that could’ve just been “cool fight scene, lol” and actually looked deeper. Like peeling an onion but without the tears. I liked how they pulled in that research too especially that part from Yang about editing and emotions. It’s like when you’re stressed and everything feels superfast? That’s what those cuts felt like.
And bringing up “Wu Wei”? That was clever. I wouldn’t have thought of it. Waymond just flows through the chaos like he’s doing tai chi at an IRS office which is hilarious and kind of poetic. One minute he’s this soft, kind of awkward guy, and the next he’s spinning his fanny pack like Bruce Lee with a belt from Walmart.
Sometimes their sentences are a little plain, maybe too to-the-point. But honestly? It worked. The whole thing reads like someone who really watched the scene, not just for the kicks and punches, but for the story behind it.
If the image shows Waymond mid-swing in that boring-looking office? Perfect. Totally brings it to life. You feel the shift from “ugh, paperwork” to “whoa, multiverse kung fu showdown.”
Overall, yeah, this student turned what could’ve been a goofy moment into a pretty deep, kind of beautiful one.