“On every movie I’m doing, I’m trying to give the characters their own identity through the punches and the kicks. I don’t create fights – I create a story.”

Over the last 15 years, French stunt performer and martial artist Brahim Chab has jumped, kicked and punched his way into the upper echelons of the fight film business. In 2021, he wrapped on Monkey Man – the directorial debut of actor, Dev Patel, which has been picked up by Netflix. The film, described as ‘John Wick in Mumbai’, sees Brahim provide fight choreography as well as acting in a supporting role. In 2020, he went toe-to-toe with his hero, Jackie Chan, in the globe-trotting actioner Vanguard. It has been a career forged in blood, sweat, and determination; a career which has seen him relocate from Europe to Asia where he has worked consistently on productions across many countries, including Thailand, India, UK, China and the USA. He has worked with everyone: Tiger Chen in Man of Tai Chi; Scott Adkins in Boyka: Undisputed; Donnie Yen in Big Brother; Mark Dacascos in The Driver; Jean-Claude Van Damme in Pound of Flesh and his still unreleased pet project, Frenchy. Despite years of working in the industry, Brahim still remains hungry – pushing himself to achieve more, develop his craft, and work on bigger projects. We discuss what makes a good fight scene, the rudiments of ‘tricking’, learning on set with Tim Man, and how to make it in the action business. For all the latest Brahim Chab news, follow him on Instagram, and visit his IMDb page.

Keanu Reeves and Brahim Chab on the set of Man of Tai Chi.

Scott Adkins, Tim Man, and Brahim Chab on the set of Boyka: Undisputed.

Mark Dacascos and Brahim Chab.

Brahim Chab in the poster for Vanguard (2020).