Review: Man Of Tai Chi
What shenanigans should I expect?: Evil Keanu Reeves turns a fairly mild-mannered Tai Chi practitioner into an underground fight club badass because that’s what Evil Keanu Reeves damn well wants to do.
What’s the lowdown?: Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut. I’m not gonna say the phrase filled me with confidence. I’ve found his presence in movies to run the gamut from fun to painful, but never have I wondered what this guy would bring behind the camera. Fear not though, while he gives us a fairly pedestrian fight story, it clips along at an admirable pace and mostly avoids any embarrassing missteps.
One thing that I really dug is that he starts the film off with a white screen flashing to black, foregrounding the idea of a yin yang symbol, and he shoots the rest of the film with that duality in mind. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a single symbol/philosophy used so fully in determining the style of a film, but it worked admirably here.
Another big win is actor Tiger Chen, as “Tiger” Chen Lin-Hu. He makes for an unassuming presence at first, and quite ably transitions into a furious, and lethal fighter by the end of the film. In fact, this is the type of transformation Star Wars fans were hoping for with Vadar, handled with more skill than we got over the three prequels in that franchise.
Now as to Reeves as the villain in this flick. He’s surprisingly good. I’m not gonna say that he doesn’t drop a few groaners into the mix, but overall his performance as “Security Specialist” Donaka Mark is brutal, aggressive and just plain cold-blooded. And yes, he does still know kung fu. He’s also no slouch with a knife, which a fighter who crosses him early on learns first hand.
But ultimately a martial arts flick is made or broken based on the quality of the fight choreography, and that is where Man Of Tai Chi shines. Reeves really allows the many different combat styles at play to show what they do. Obviously a big part of the action is based around Tai Chi, something I’ve studied, and they do a great job of showing it off as much more than a time sink for old asians in pajamas. But we get a great mixture of internal and external styles, as well as traditional vs. fusion arts. I’m not sure if this will play as well for people who have not studied martial arts, but if you have any history with these styles you’re going to love seeing them at play in this film.
Another thing that I love is seeing a hero seriously wrestle with the question of how to use his martial arts skills. We usually get lip service to martial arts being meant for defense only, but then a hero is pressed into deadly action for simple reasons of justice or revenge. Tiger Chen, however, even though he studies Tai Chi, has a big part of himself that really wants to unleash the power he is learning on someone. He wants to fight hard. He wants to hurt people. And his Master doesn’t just classically toss him out for disobedience. He tries to counsel Tiger through the difficult questions, and when Tiger chooses to challenge his Master, the Master still tells him that he is free to choose any path he wishes. It’s a far more subtle understanding of the intricacies of martial philosophy than is typically given service in a martial arts film.
My only disappointment as regards the fight choreography is that with so much of it being pretty realistic, the occasional wire work really stood out, and a few chi based power moves come across as both fake, and quite frankly unnecessary in the context of the flick. And it must be said, while Reeves is a dominating physical presence compared to the tiny Tiger Chen, the idea that Reeves posed a legitimate threat in their final battle royale was a stretch. Too bad really, because if more focus had been given on the knife based style that Reeves character is clearly well versed in, it might have played much better.
So what to make of Man Of Tai Chi? There is a lot that I admired about the film. Yes it falls short with some sloppy f/x, poor line choices, and it must be said that the choice of white subtitles is never a good one if you want people to follow your dialogue. But Reeves is more able both as director and villain that I expected, and Tiger Chen deserves a shot at a legit crossover role. The film makes it very clear that he’s got a pretty solid grasp of English so there’s no reason that shouldn’t happen. Still, I’m not going to be chomping at the bit to see Reeves direct again. I’m mostly grateful that he made a film that has so much respect for martial arts.
Rating – 6.5/10