The formula Reeves concocts is pretty simple: gather the greatest martial
arts choreographers and fighters in the world, draft a simple old school plot
that just barely connects each battle, then stand back and watch the feet and
fists fly. Reeves reunites with Tiger Hu Chen and Yuen Woo-Ping, his trainer
and fight choreographer respectively on The Matrix, and delivers a pure
Hong Kong brawler with a slick, contemporary look. Hu Chen stars as Chen
Lin-Hu, a package delivery boy by day, and a fierce student of tai chi in his
spare time. Yes, tai chi, the gentle, relaxing martial art rows of senior
citizens practice at retirement homes everywhere. While his ancient sensei
urges him to use it only for meditation and finding his spiritual balance, Chen
recognizes its physical power and fights in a nationally-televised tournament
to help spread the word about this unknown style of combat. He proves to be a
little too good at his job and catches the attention of bored businessman
Donaka Mark, played by Reeves himself.
Donaka runs an underground fight club and let's just say that showing brutal
domination is the way to stay in his good graces. In the very first fight we
witness, a victor refuses to deal a killing blow, leading to Donaka bellowing
"FINISH HIM!!!” When he refuses to do so, a guy dressed like Vega from
Street Fighter emerges and snaps the loser's neck, followed by Donaka killing
the winner in cold blood. Not the safest place to work, to say the least.
Donaka's become tired of watching the same old fighters using the same techniques,
but when he sees Chen on TV he immediately sets out to recruit him.
Seduced as much by the riches as the thrill of endless combat, Chen slowly
turns from innocent student to merciless purveyor of violence while Donaka and
a wealthy elite-class watch on closed circuit television. Of course it's
obvious that there's something not quite right about Donaka and his mysterious
empire, but it's confirmed by the presence of a detective (Karen Mok), looking
to take him down. As he becomes more twisted, Chen's life begins to crumble
around him and in desperation asks for more dangerous, more lucrative fights,
to which Donaka eagerly responds "Then a fight you will have!"
Reeves isn't attempting to reinvent the wheel here. He's clearly looking to
craft a very specific sort of action film, the kind he and other fans of the
genre likely grew up on. We know the detective character as soon as we see her,
and Chen's fall from grace and eventual redemption are pretty much written in
stone, just as we know Chen will eventually be forced into a final showdown
with Donaka. To that end, Reeves is out-of-his-mind comical as Donaka, playing
him as a maniacal Bond villain ramped up a thousand degrees. It wouldn't be a
total surprise to learn that Reeves studied the throaty delivery of Street
Fighter's M. Bison in coming up with his character. Every line of dialogue is a
hoot, and Reeves is clearly relishing in playing such an over the top bad guy.
Tiger Hu Chen is probably better served doing jump kicks than acting, but he's
efficient at presenting Chen as a naive innocent seduced by power and
wealth.
While Reeves was unable to deliver the swooping and incredibly expensive
camera rig he had initially planned, he more than delivers on the promise of
40+ minutes of martial arts action, choreographed with predictable beauty and
flair by Woo-Ping. While he doesn't have the same extravagant resources as when
he choreographed the stunning sequences for The Grandmaster, Woo-Ping
manages to capture the subtle, elegant movements of tai chi and give them an
unexpected ferocity. The fighting is fast, physical, and encompasses a number
of diverse techniques so that it rarely gets repetitive. The only exception is
in the location of each encounter, with most of the combat taking place in a rarely
boring, dull room that looks like a storage locker. Fortunately they spice
things up a bit more towards the end which goes a long way in forgiving the
rather straight-forward plotting. Sadly, there's a gigantic missed opportunity
when The
Raid: Redemption's Iko Uwais turns up for what should have been an
unforgettable battle opposite Hu Chen, but instead it's a major disappointment.
Hopefully there's a longer cut of it ready for the Blu-Ray release. 
When the final boss battle does eventually happen, in the midst of an
ancient temple no less, Reeves doesn't embarrass himself opposite the faster,
more experienced Hu Chen. On a physical level it doesn't compare to the other
fights, nor should it really, but it works in an extremely simple good vs. evil
way. Again, Reeves' ambitions are small but he scores a knock out against those
goals. He's looking to bring his western viewpoint to eastern martial
arts movies, and while his actual directing ability is modest, Reeves is smart
enough to rely on those who know the genre better than almost anyone. For those
who are in this for the fighting alone, they'll find no shortage of it in Man
of Tai Chi. In a head-to-head death match against other recent films
looking to capture the same kung fu spirit, Reeves' Man of Tai Chi
stands victorious. Man of Tai Chi is available now On Demand here.
