Man of Tai Chi

Plot synopsis:
Tiger Chen is the sole student of Ling Kong Tai Chi style under his elderly master Yang. While Tiger excels in the physical aspects of his training, he has yet to understand its philosophical aspects, which worries Master Yang. Determined to prove the effectiveness of the style, Tiger competes in the local Wulin (武林) Competition.
HKPD officer Sun-Jing Shi leads an investigation into Security System Alliance (SSA), a private security firm owned by the mysterious Donaka Mark. Suspecting Donaka of hosting an illegal fighting operation, Sun-Jing turns one of Donaka's fighters into a mole, but Donaka discovers and personally kills him. Without any evidence, Superintendent Wong orders the case closed, but Sun-Jing secretly continues investigating.
While searching for his next fighter, Donaka sees Tiger at the Wulin Competition. Intrigued by the relative obscurity of the style, as well as Tiger's immaturity, he sends Tiger a job offer at SSA. Tired of his menial courier job, Tiger flies to Hong Kong for the job interview. The "interview" turns out to be a test of Tiger's combat ability, which he passes. Donaka welcomes Tiger offers him great financial rewards for joining his underground fighting ring. Tiger refuses as fighting for money would compromise his honor, and leaves.
Soon after, land inspectors arrive and declare the Tai Chi temple structurally unsafe. They announce the plan to evict its occupants, including Master Yang, and demolish the temple for real estate development. Tiger seeks help from Qing Sha, a paralegal friend. With her help, he finds a means to save the temple through historic preservation and government protection. However, because of the temple's deteriorated condition, it requires repairs within a month's time. Desperate for money, Tiger accepts Donaka's offer.
After each fight, which is a form of modern gladiatorial combat enjoyed by rich individuals, Tiger wins larger sums of money. He quits his job, buys his parents presents, and begins having the temple repaired. However, the challenges became more difficult, with the stakes raised against him, forcing Tiger to develop a style that is more efficient but also more brutal. Noticing the change in him, Master Yang warns Tiger; however, intoxicated with the new life, Tiger ignores the warning.
In the Wulin Competition, Tiger viciously injures his opponent, and is disqualified. When Tiger comes back to train with his master, the usual respectful spar devolves into an intense fight. Master Yang is forced to use his internal chi energies to palm-strike Tiger, reminding him that he has not yet completely mastered Tai Chi. He advises Tiger to return to the path of peace, but Tiger rejects his teachings and leaves. Tiger finds out that the authority has rejected his petition to gain historical protection for the temple. A disappointed Qing-Sha tells Tiger that the decision is in part due to his actions at the Wulin Competition, which are in contrast to the claimed honor and nobility of his temple's philosophy.
Still enraged, Tiger demands a fight and Donaka has him face a mercenary named Uri Romanov. Using his rage, he quickly defeats Uri and almost kills him, but relents at the end. Donaka finishes off Uri. Realizing how much he has changed, Tiger declares his intention to stop participating in underground fighting. Donaka scoffs at Tiger belief that he can just quit. Tiger decides to reach out to the police, and Sun-Jing contacts him. However, unbeknownst to Tiger, Donaka had put him under constant surveillance for a long time, and knows of his every action.
Donaka sets up a private tournament for a death match, which Tiger is to participate. Sun-Jing trails Tiger's escort, but her car is run off the road. Surviving the crash, Sun-Jing calls for assistance and discovered Superintendent Wong has been working for Donaka and disrupting investigations against him.
At the tournament, Donaka shows a video to his audience. Composed of surveillance footage, the video reveals how Tiger Chen has been manipulated and "corrupted" by Donaka, and has transformed from an innocent martial arts practitioner to a ruthless fighter. In the death match, Tiger refuses to fight his assigned opponent, and challenges Donaka instead. The tournament is interrupted by the HKPD, who storm the compound and arrest participants and audience. Donaka escapes capture.
Donaka waits for Tiger back at his temple, and the two begin fighting. Donaka taunts Tiger, and pushes him to reveal his "true nature". Being formidable fighter himself, Donaka has the upper hand, but Tiger re-embraces his Tai Chi training and holds his own. Donaka pulls out a knife and stabs Tiger. Despite the wound and pressure, Tiger achieved what his master has been trying to teach him, and uses his Chi to fatally strike Donaka. A dying Donaka smiles, pleased for having pushed Tiger to become a killer.
Some time later, Tiger repairs his relationship with his master. Sun-Jing has been promoted to Superintendent. Tiger reaches out to both Qing Sha's law firm and the real estate developers and all three parties reach a compromise. The temple will be part of a historical cultural village. Not only will the government protect the village, but tourists can come and visit to learn more about the 600-year history of the Ling Kong Temple. Finally putting that chapter of his life behind him, Tiger tells Qing-Sha that he intends to return to the city and open his own Tai Chi school to continue the legacy of the Ling Kong Tai Chi.

Tags: revenge, cruelty, murder, violence

Review:
On the contrary in Man of Tai Chi Reeves keeps the camera stationary, or only slowly panning in the fight scenes, he also used a lot fewer quick-camera cuts.
Man of Tai Chi may not be one of the best martial arts movie made, but i would say, its a good first attempt at directing by one of my more favored actor and an all-around good human being, Keannu Reeves.
It's a solid first directorial effort by Keanu Reeves that shows a long standing love/understanding for the martial arts films both he and I grew up watching.I may not be a fan of Keanu as an actor, but I'm excited to see what his next directs effort will be..
If approached in that manner the movie is awesome experience, the only thing i could maybe be a critic of is directing and placement of Keanu and the role he played (was a bit stiff) but all in all its a 10/10 for kung-fu old school title very glad they are still made.Considering that Keanu him self is a kung-fu nut it was expected to see him doing something like this.I applaud you sir, and support.
Man of Tai chi is a action flick which was anticipated by many factors including Keanu Reeves back in action after the Matrix Trilogy after many years and his dark side.Indeed we all know what is the real action tournament movies climax ,no need to mention it here, but regardless to say about the story line film is impressive In terms of the Story line , New character development and most of all the Martial arts action scene which is full of makes watching a great pleasure for viewers.In other words if you are one of Martial arts fan looking for great action packed movie in these few years then this is definitely a great choice for you and wanted to watch it over and over again.
There's a scene in this where he growls into the camera, I nearly pee'd myself laughing at it.The film picks up a gear towards the end when the police triangulate where the underground broadcasts of the fights are coming from and Tai Chi man goes through his lauded moral change.
Still, "man Of Tai Chi" is a treat for fans of martial- arts action movies all over..
I only recommend this if you have some knowledge of the nature and styles involved.The development of Tiger's Tai Chi throughout the movie was fascinating, especially when the almost "supernatural" aspect is brought about, as his character developed and we saw more of Keanu's character, I began to care less and less about everything else in the movie, and prayed for a decent fight scene between the two.
Keanu Reeves's success as actor in The Devil's Advocate, Speed and of The Matrix, has caused to find himself behind both the camera as well as in front of it in his new film Man of Tai Chi. But success an actor isn't always an indication of the quality of the art and this film is not only a strong confirmation of that, but also that Reeves's quality of acting is not antithetical to his directing...dire.Reeves continues to offer us his signature stilted performance when playing Donako Mark, a sadistic, powerful head of China's largest security firms who organises a lucrative underground fight club, where wealthy clients pay a considerable amount to watch martial artist fight to the death.Thirsty for fresh blood, Donako searches and discovers an ambitious martial artist Tiger Chen (played by himself) on a commercial, televised competition.
No disrespect to Keanu Reeves, I am a big fan of his acting in previous movies, but as a director, he will need to grow up a lot to be able to deliver decent movies, and I'm sorry to say so, but even his acting in this movie was just below all standards.This movie is OK to watch on a Sunday afternoon when u have nothing better to do, but it is definitely miles away from being close to a must see in theaters on a saterdaynight out...
The film is directed by and stars Keanu Reeves as an evil millionaire who mounts violent fight tournaments and broadcasts them to internet viewers in a bid for fame and fortune.What MAN OF TAI CHI has going for it are the plentiful fight sequences, all of them expertly choreographed by Yuen-Woo Ping.
But god almighty do they have a way of ruining a potentially fantastic film.Every time Keanu shows his face, opens his mouth to deliver some corny one-liner, or worst of all when he starts to fight just brings on groans of annoyance from everyone watching.Anyone who has any semblance of knowledge and respect for the quality of fighter (in real life) of all the other fighters in the movie should never, ever, ever cast themselves as the "ultimate villain fighter".
It just looks absurd and he looks like a beginner taekwondo practitioner.Great idea for a film, tried and true plot recipe and amazing potential, thrown down the drain by Keanu actually being IN the movie as opposed to just staying behind the scenes..
When ruthless underground fight club promoter Keanu Reeves witnesses Tiger's innocence behind his awesome skills, he knew he had the perfect star for his evil show -- someone ripe for corruption into the dark side.This film is as much about the philosophy of Tai Chi as it was about the exciting fight scenes.
I just kept saying to myself 'That's a weird hair parting' which seemed far more important than his penchant to randomly act in a way befitting a teenager and not someone highly trained ESPECIALLY in Tai Chi. Keanu brings nothing new in his directing style and his performance as an actor and martial artist is wooden.
Great actors and their acting is such of a high level that you feel you are with them.The movie has different styles of fighting and for me as a Tai Chi teacher in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands was this an awesome addition to my Taijiquan movie collection..
Unlike many martial arts movie that focus on a stereotypical two dimensional good versus bad plot where the protagonist is pure of heart and led to suffer to seek revenge evil, Reeve's is given the opportunity to play against type using his Matrix persona fighting skills and employing an evolving storyline that is much more layered like a Chinese box within a box.
Keanu Reeves' directional debut is an expertly choreographed martial arts feature that will delight the genre fans with its old-school, action-packed premise but it also features a highly predictable plot, clichéd characters & near absence of genuine, believable emotions that ultimately prevents it from leaving a memorable imprint.Man of Tai Chi tells the story of a young martial artist who is gifted in Tai Chi skills but is impatient & rebellious when it comes to the philosophical aspects of his style.
Things are set in motion when he is invited to join a highly lucrative underworld fight club for easy money and eventually finds out the sinister intent behind its existence.Directed by Keanu Reeves, the film marks his first stint behind the camera and he does a neat job at it, for his debut effort in the director's chair is simple, grounded, entertaining & well aware of its limitations.
Performances are mediocre, at times laughable and the generic background score doesn't help either.On an overall scale, Man of Tai Chi begins Keanu Reeves' directional career on a quiet note and is best enjoyed when expectations are thrown out the window.
Just like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was Ang Lee's tribute to wuxia films, Man of Tai Chi is Keanu Reeves' tribute to 1980s chop sockey films.
If the aim of the character, and presumably the director, is to show that t'ai chi is a fighting method and not just a mystical-looking exercise, then it's counter-productive to abandon it as soon as a serious fight starts.All in all, if you enjoyed classics like Bloodsport, you'll get your money's worth out of Man of Tai Chi. Just don't expect anything deep; this is just Keanu Reeves having fun with a genre he loves..
Tl;Dr: Decent movie, bad acting, good martial arts, much better choices to invest your time in..
And as that title suggests, this man knows his Tai Chi.Or so he thinks, because as with most good action movies, he's actually still learning.
you have a boy meets girl romance, a black and white moral tale of good vs evil, a social commentary of old vs new China and the difficulty for young people growing up, but also a quite exciting action film with some rather brilliant fighting from the small in stature but not in talent Tiger Hu Chen.
But the minimal use of blood and beauty of fight scenes made me realize that the director wanted to tell a story instead of trying to sell a martial arts film.
Tiger's final fight is against Keanu, as expected.Man of Tai Chi is an interesting and unusual action movie.
Not a good idea to make Keanu the villain because you root for him no matter what.Man of Tai Chi is strong martial arts movie with a message buried beneath lots of cool fights..
Having just witnessed the awful Kung Fu Hero (Man) starring Tiger Chen and produced by Keanu Reeves, I was slightly put off its star who I felt didn't carry any star quality, had dodgy hair and didn't move any better than a dozen great HK stars that deserve the push.Then I saw the trailer for Man Of Tai Chi and opted to give him a second chance.
He is a great martial artist yes, but his moves are nothing special (although the editing didn't help), and that limp, lifeless hair drives me mad!The fight scenes were, well - slightly boring if I am completely honest.I wanted to like this, I really did, and no doubt I will watch it again, but boy was I expecting something else!Mr. Reeves gets in on the action eventually, and is back to his wire grabbing nonsense seen many times in the Matrix films.
You think with the amount of work they put in to removing the wires during action and fight scenes, that the actor wouldn't grab on to them so blatantly (for support I know, but come on).Over-all, Man Of Tai Chi carries very little new.
Revolving around martial arts philosophy, lots of fight sequences and parallels to the problems of modern day China, Man of Tai Chi is a film that impresses on multiple levels.No one can claim that Reeves played it safe with this film.
Reeves's storytelling is strong and he certainly understands how fight scenes should be filmed, which ends up meaning that the whole movie is a lot of fun to watch if you're into its genre.
Perhaps the darker tone ends up losing some of the charm that's usually associated with these movies, but I think there's room enough in the genre for this kind of take as well.Man of Tai Chi will impress you with its aesthetics and fighting and with its strong vision.
I enjoy martial art films although I don't consider myself a huge fan of the genre and for the most part I find films that focus entirely on the action a little boring and dull, but it wasn't the case with Man of Tai Chi. Despite being purely an action film I had a great time with it because the scenes were really well choreographed (Yuen Woo Ping, who is mostly known for his work in Kill Bill, receives the credit for this as the action director) and Tiger Chen does an amazing job in the lead role.
Tai Chi is more of an inner exercise, it isn't typically used for fighting, but Tiger Chen wants to prove that it is and therefor signs up for a martial arts tournament.
Overall this generic martial arts film still works thanks to the great choreographed action scenes, and strong cinematography and editing despite its weak plot..
You surprised me Mr. Keanu Reeves!I wasn't so interested to watch this movie but decided to give it a go because of Tiger Chen, it was interesting to see him in action, but besides martial arts skills as an actor he doesn't possess Jet Li or Donnie Yen's charisma.Opening in China in July and slated for a release in the U.S. by Radius at the end of 2013 martial arts film Man of Tai Chi is a directorial debut of Keanu "Neo" Reeves with Tiger Chen as a lead.This project heralded by China Film Group, is a prime exemplar of a foreign Hollywood star coming to China and making an authentic Chinese martial arts film with a simple and very often used storyline of a man forced to fight in undeground bare-knuckle championships against most talented fighters....
The music is good most of the time, yet there are some cheesy moments of it, but despite these it is impressive and far enough for a martial art action movie flick.The story is nothing special, it's the typical plot with it's predictable moments, but several elements may save the whole movie.
I don't remember him ever playing a bad guy before, but in Man of Tai Chi (which he also directed), he seems to have found what he needed to make me forget that he's...well...Keanu Reeves.
I like Keanu Reeves and I love martial arts movies and I went to this without knowing what to expect.
People in the theater started laughing.This movie has a story that has been done in a lot of other films and seems to borrow heavily from Karate Kid III.Keanu's character is a rich, voyeuristic, evil guy but they never give any reasons why he is such an evil man, other than the script says he should be evil.Most of the scenes of Keanu are just him watching Tiger with a serious look on his face until he finally gets off his butt towards the end of the film.Tiger Chen lacks the look and charisma of a leading man.The bottom line is this is a film that you would expect Steven Seagal to make, not Keanu Reeves.
And it didn't really help the movie in any way that the dialogue throughout the movie was not impressive.I must say that I was initially a bit excited about seeing Karen Mok, Simon Yam, Iko Uwais, Tiger Hu Chen and Keanu Reeves together in a martial arts movie.
And as I mentioned above then Keanu Reeves was nowhere near his usual performance level in "Man of Tai Chi".The martial arts in the movie was quite good, and there was a lot of it.
Most likely if you're watching Man of Tai Chi you're one of two things or both; either a kung-fu/martial arts movie enthusiast or a fan of Keanu Reeves.
This is a martial arts film directed by Keanu Reeves about delivery man Chen Lin-Hu (Tiger Hu Chen) who is skillful in Tai Chi that was led to join an illegal fight club, headed by Donaka Mark (Keanu Reeves).
Chen needs the money from the club to save his master's ancient temple from being razed, but Mark eventually wants Chen to start fighting battles that only ends in the death of the opponent, which is something that goes against the Tai Chi philosophy that Chen was taught.While a good message delivered about the meditation and philosophy of the Tai Chi skill, with plenty of martial arts action mixed in, this movie lacks a compelling story and good acting.
Keanu Reeves is decent as villain.Man if Tai Chi can viewed as strictly one-time watch.
I really wanted to like Keanu Reeves first movie as a director.
As for the acting, it's bad: a little more charisma in Tiger Hu Chen, the hero, would do no harm, just as Keanu Reeves in the role of the villain, a little more villainy and malice also would not hurt.Reeves is an avid fan of martial arts films and also a practitioner, and with this debut shows he has the ability to be behind a camera, at least in this genre.
Refreshing."Man of Tai Chi", Reeves' element film directorial debut makes a big difference.
The plot is about Tiger, a student of Tai Chi, who is noticed by Keanu Reeves and drawn into an underground fight club.
So, in conclusion, Keanu Reeves delivers in the fight department, but overall the movie isn't as fun as just going back and watching older martial arts classics..
There's a lot of fighting, I cared about the actors and I love Keanu Reeves as the bad guy in this film.
"does it matter?" Had it not been for the last fight of the movie, I would have said that, although omnipresent through the nature of his role (Donaka Mark), Keanu Reeves is the great absent of the film.
I really want to like Keanu Reeves, hoping in whatever film he does next would be great...
I think that some of the fighting that Keanu Reeves does is very impressive I admire the kind of control that the actors have to be so exacting and yet not kill one another.Because life is so difficult for so many people we like to watch fighting films because it helps us to keep going.
'MAN OF TAI CHI': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five) Keanu Reeves makes his directorial debut with this Chinese-American multilingual martial arts film.
Reeves co-stars in the movie as it's main villain and his friend stuntman Tiger Hu Chen (who inspired the story) stars as the film's Tai Chi trained hero.
Man of Tai Chi is a good to go movie with a simple plot, good action scenes, etc.
All in all a good film with amazing fighting and nice to see Keanu and Chen back together!!