Review // Man of Tai Chi

Man of Tai Chi – the directorial debut of Keanu Reeves is interesting to say the least. Conceived as a star vehicle for Reeves’s Matrix stuntman Tiger Chen, Man of Tai Chi manages to be one of the first successful Chinese/American co-productions, making it a point of interest to filmmakers attempting the very lucrative partnership. It also features a diverse cast including veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam, British/Chinese recording artist and actress Karen Mok and of course Reeves himself as the antagonist.

Chen plays a character with a similar name: Tiger Chen Linhu, the only student of his aging master’s Ling Kong style Tai Chi. While he excels at fighting Tiger is unable to fully grasp the meditative and emotional calm that helps connect him to his chi. Hoping to show the world that Tai Chi is not just a slow paced workout for seniors Tiger joins fighting competitions against his master’s wishes – that is where he catches the eye of Reeves’s private security executive Mark Donaka who invites Tiger to participate in his underground fight club.

This film marks the first major acting role for Chen, and the influence of Reeves shines through in his performance – Tiger is understated, relying on the reactions of characters around him to inform his persona. Strangely this ends up being an effective portrayal for the character, as he is desperately trying to control his inner rage while projecting a calm, unemotional demeanour. At the TIFF public screening, Reeves’s turn as psychotic mastermind Donaka garnered a few laughs, partially because there was no comic relief to offset the heavy use of violence in the film, but also because his underdeveloped character is a mish-mash of every ‘bad guy’ trope we’ve seen before. Luckily Reeves didn’t opt for a giant scar, moustache or smoking habit. While the performances were passable, Donaka isn’t the only underdeveloped character, and this is largely due to an uninspired script by Michael G. Cooney. The formulaic plot progression makes the film highly predictable, and despite some really exciting fight scenes, we know how they are going to end, which strips the film of any suspense. While the film has a lot of heart, its no hit.

Review by Vithiya Murugadas.