Vox has broken down a pivotal single-shot fight scene from end of the second episode of the Netflix series Marvel’s Daredevil and noted how the creative use of a narrow hallway, unexpected visual impediments, and the stumbling exhaustion of the superhero all serve to enhance the ongoing flow of the scene.
It’s this moment when Matt Murdoch, a blind lawyer who puts on a mask and becomes Daredevil, slumps into the wall on the floor and he’s so exhausted he can’t even stand. You hardly ever see this in fight scenes. The traditional way fight scenes work is usually a flurry of kinetic punches in shots between two tireless fighters. …the punches get sloppy, it’s a battle to ge to the door. This battered exhaustion, which the single take approach guaranteed, drives home what makes Daredevil powerfully different from other Marvel efforts. Violence takes a toll on everyone involved. Even when you win.