Man of Tai Chi (TBC) – Directed by and starring Keanu Reeves with Tiger Hu Chen and Karen Mok
There is more than one battle going on in this fighting flick: a struggle for money, honour, tradition and ultimately, life. That’s the tale that unfolds for this young Tai Chi talent.
Chen Lin-Hu (Tiger), a practitioner of the ‘lost art of Tai Chi’, is fighting to save the sacred temple in which he practices from demolition. In search of money to save his masters’ temple, Lin-Hu meets a fighting kingpin, Donaka Mark (Reeves), who seizes the opportunity to lure him into his underworld with the promise of that much-needed cash. But with wealth and fame a one-inch punch away, Lin-Hu begins to struggle with his martial arts traditions, causing friction between himself and his respected master.
However, Lin-Hu begins to contend in underground combat and quickly finds that Mark wants more than a submission for a fighter to be crowned victorious. He wants blood. He wants death.
Reeves’ directorial debut was always going to be scrutinised, and the introduction of Tiger Hu Chen onto our screens is a welcome one. But this will probably be the only decision Reeves will be given credit for. The movie is visually interesting, but as viewers will probably compare it to visual treats such as ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Crouching Tiger…’, you’ll probably respond to Mark’s line in the movie “You owe me a life” with “you owe me 105 minutes of mine back.”
Man of Tai Chi hits cinemas this Thursday 3rd October.
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