The film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) marks a significant moment in the superhero genre, blending classic martial arts cinema with the spectacle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This essay will analyze the film’s masterful bus fight sequence as a case study in contemporary action choreography and its broader cultural impact. The analysis will focus on key cinematic elements, mise-en-scène and editing, and will critically evaluate the scene’s portrayal of violence, representation, and media effects. This discussion will be grounded in scholarly frameworks from film and media studies, drawing on work by theorists such as L. Rowell Huesmann to assess how the scene participates in and subverts traditional action cinema conventions.
The chosen action scene takes place inside a bright red MUNI bus, instantly signaling its San Francisco setting. The vivid red walls and yellow vertical poles create strong natural framing lines, while the narrow aisles restrict movement, heightening the tension of the fight through spatial confinement. Soft daylight pours in through the wide bus windows, providing even illumination, keeping both combatants clearly visible despite the chaos.
Shang-Chi’s casual red jacket and hoodie emphasize the “ordinary guy becomes hero” trope, contrasting sharply with Razor Fist’s stylized mercenary armor, which exaggerates their difference in preparedness. Crucially, the environment becomes an active part of the choreography: poles, seats, and windows turn into improvised tools as Shang-Chi jumps, swings, and pushes off them, transforming a mundane public space into a dynamic battleground. This use of the setting enhances the realism of the fight while maximizing the feeling of escalating tension for the trapped passengers.
The one-minute sequence, starting from when Shang-Chi first removes his jacket (approx. 00:15:50 to 00:16:50), is a masterclass in modern action editing. It features approximately 40–50 edits, translating to a rapid cutting rate of about one cut every 1.2–1.5 seconds, which is typical for high-intensity action.
The pace is carefully modulated: fast cuts are used to emphasize the force of punches and kicks, while longer takes are employed for acrobatic maneuvers, swings, and complex stunts. This tempo variation allows the audience to appreciate the choreography’s technical skill. The camera work is primarily objective, positioning the audience as external observers of the struggle. However, the editing aims to be largely seamless, often masking cuts behind body movements or bus poles, a strategy, as discussed by Bordwell in relation to classical Hollywood style, that prioritizes narrative clarity and spectacle. The amount of the cutting does not necessarily stand out in an overt manner, but it efficiently generates a sense of controlled, rhythmic chaos that propels the action and establishes the protagonists’ superhuman speed.
The violence in the bus scene is characterized by a high-speed, rhythmic, and stylized realism, making it moderate but impactful. It relies on hand-to-hand combat and improvised environmental use, but is distinctively not gory, with little blood or severe injury shown, adhering to the conventions of a Marvel PG-13 action film.
The scene is culturally significant for its representation, Shang-Chi is an Asian lead hero in a mainstream Western blockbuster, a major cinematic milestone. The scene immediately subverts racial stereotypes by revealing an unassuming valet’s elite martial arts skills. Gender representation is limited in the combat itself, as the fighters are mostly male, though Katy drives the bus, giving her key agency. The depiction of ability is also notable: while Shang-Chi has superhuman agility, his antagonist, Razor Fist, possesses a weaponized prosthetic arm. This depiction warrants critical examination, as this use of a prosthetic can be read as a villain coding of disability-as-threat, a trope often critiqued in film studies.
For context on the film’s prominence, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings performed exceptionally well at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned a Worldwide Box Office gross of approximately $432,243,292 against a reported production budget of $150,000,000. Its domestic gross was approximately $224,543,292, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 2021 and demonstrating the commercial power of the action genre and the Marvel brand.
The prevalence of stylized, high-speed violence, which is routine in contemporary action films, demands a discussion of its real-life consequences on viewers. Academic research across film, psychology, and media studies has consistently linked exposure to media violence with changes in behavior and perception. L. Rowell Huesmann’s developmental theory of media effects suggests that the repeated observation of media violence, even when stylized, is a cumulative learning process during childhood. This repeated exposure leads to the acquisition of aggressive scripts for behavior and builds enduring schemas for aggressive behavior that can persist into adulthood. Similarly, Bushman and Anderson argue that while exposure to violent media is not the singular cause of aggression, it is an important probable risk factor that can contribute to more aggressive and violent behaviors. They also note that violent media exposure contributes to fewer prosocial behaviors, reducing empathy and compassion for others. Even immediate, short-term exposure to scenes of high-intensity action, such as the Shang-Chi fight, can produce measurable effects. Russell G. Geen and Susan L. Thomas’s work on immediate effects examines how viewing violence can elicit thoughts and emotional responses related to aggression, a process that can be explained by the cognitive-neoassociationist hypothesis.
Ultimately, by successfully blending groundbreaking representation with familiar action conventions, the Shang-Chi bus fight sequence participates in the typical structure of Hollywood spectacle. However, its effectiveness as a piece of action cinema simultaneously places it within the broader media violence complex that social scientists continue to identify as an influence on viewer aggression and desensitization.
Provide Feedback