Tiger Chen is a twenty something delivery boy. He's dissatisfied with his lot in life, and hungers for more. The last remaining student of the ancient martial art of Tai Chi, his master implores him to slow down and meditate, otherwise his chi will control him, and potentially lead him down a path of destruction. Of course, like many headstrong young men, he has to learn the hard way, underground fight club style.
Man of Tai Chi is an impressive directorial debut for Reeves. His love of martial arts films is evident here, and he shows a real skill for presenting fight scenes that feel frenetic but still read easily. Much of Man of Tai Chi is in Chinese, and feels very much like an authentic Hong Kong action film rather than a Western film pretending to be from the East. The way the film blends martial arts and crime elements are well done, though I can't help but feel like the detective subplot mostly subtracts from the more interesting story of Tiger, Donaka Mark (Keanu Reeves), and the history of a martial art that had become all but a pop culture joke, sold as an exercise program rather than an actual fighting style.
The inclusion of Keanu himself as the antagonist, Donaka, made for an unexpected twist, as it's so unusual to see him play anything other than the good guy. And while his fighting style is a bit stiff, he certainly portrays the ruthless Donaka remarkably well.
If you're a fan of martial arts films, you won't go wrong with Man of Tai Chi. It features satisfying fights, interesting enough plot twists, and a final boss fight that will give you more than something to talk about with friends long after those ghost palm prints on your torso have healed.
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