Fridge / The Paper Tigers

Fridge Brilliance

• The rooftop fight between Danny and Zhen Fan has some parallels with scenes in the film's opening montage:
  • Danny received an invitation to fight in a tournament in Japan, with Jim attending as his second. This would end up being the inciting incident for their friendship dissolving, as Danny lied about their sifu approving his participation and quit the competition without telling anyone, costing Jim the opportunity to fight. When Danny fights Zhen Fan at the film's climax, Jim is once again supporting him from the sidelines as his second, but with their friendship restored.
  • The last fight we see of teenage Danny vs teenage Carter, and the last fight we see Danny win, he wears a customized denim jacket that he doesn't bother to even take off out of hubris. When Danny faces off against Zhen Fan in beimo, he's wearing the same jacket for the first time in years. Guess who wins?
• It makes sense that the three punks' martial arts are more flashy and acrobatic in contrast to the Three Tigers' simpler, more classical style, considering they're all self-taught "gung fu orphans" as Carter calls them. Because they didn't have a master to teach them proper kung fu, they likely emphasized learning moves that hit hard and look cool, but neglected proper defense.