***
I have an idea.
The question: Why does Anakin run at Dooku? The potential answer: He doesn't.
After watching the duel over an over thinking about it, I see these as the basic beats:
Anakin and Kenobi run in and skirt the edge of Dukoo's lair, Dukoo bristles -- ready to fight.
Kenobi says "we go together"; Anakin says "I take him now!" Anakin runs in and gets blasted into the wall.
Dukoo threatens Kenobi with force lightening -- fails. He draws his sabre and they duel/chat/duel/chat/duel -- we cut away to Padme, then back for more -- duel/chat until Dukoo swipes Kenobi's arm, leg and prepares to kill him...
Suddenly Anakin's there again, blocking Dukoo's sabre. Kenobi tosses him his own sabre and Anakin uses 2 swords to fight Dukoo's 1.
Dukoo cuts one sword down. Anakin and Dukoo fight in close-up; close-up; close-up
Dukoo slices off Anakin's arm and force-pushes him back, landing on Kenobi.
That sucked.
What I don't like is the pointless rush-in-and-die move by Anakin; the big cut-away scene to Padme; and the big pauses in the Kenobi/Dukoo fight.
I just don't like the way this fight plays out very much. Without being able to reshoot the entire thing, what can be done to make what's there a lot more exciting? --My answer? CUT OUT THE PAUSES. Get rid of the Padme cutaway; the big pauses; the Anakin rush-in.
Here's what I might mean:
Anakin and Kenobi rush in and skirt Dukoo's space warily. Kenobi says "We'll take him together" and Anakin never says a damned thing.
Dukoo draws his sword and Kenobi rushes him. Kenobi and Dukoo fight in close up after close up. No pauses. No dialogue. Just all the fighting cut together. No cut away to Padme. Just fighting. Cut to Anakin in close up, standing. The context implies he can't find a way to get into the fight. Then-- Dukoo wounds Kenobi and down he goes. Without hesitation, Dukoo goes for the kill--
And Anakin jumps in. Kenobi tosses him the other sabre and the fight continues. No halting, no pausing (except to see Yoda coming) until Dukoo cuts off Anakin's arm-- (GREAT IDEA UPTHREAD TO MAKE THIS BEAT TERRIFYING WITH A HOWLING SCREAM SIMILAR TO WHEN LUKE LOSES HIS HAND).
Anakin gets tossed over to Kenobi and Dukoo finally pauses to catch his breath.
That's the idea in a nutshell -- let the relentlessness of Dukoo's attack make this fight special -- this would be the most relentless fight of the trilogy. Dukoo would become the guy who just doesn't f**k around.
The Anakin story up to this point is that of an apprentice who feels challenged, then loses faith, then finds faith again and goes into battle with his mentor -- In watching Dukoo and Kenobi fight, Anakin is building up his courage to jump in and play with the big Jedi -- something he hasn't had to do before. But when it counts-- he comes through.
The Padme material should, in my opinion, ALL be cut. She doesn't need to be seen here. Let the sequence end as Yoda gets his stick back and sees his crumpled allies and realizes they're in serious trouble. He sighs and we wipe out before Padme and the clones run in.