By Geno McGahee
Keanu Reeves made his big splash into the film business with THE MATRIX series of films. He has had many hits since and now follows in the footsteps of other stars and has made his directorial debut in MAN OF TAI CHI and it was an impressive effort, especially when you consider that Reeves not only directs this film but he also has a substantial acting role in it as well.
Donaka Mark (Keanu Reeves) is a very wealthy man that runs an underground fight club. Donaka takes this business very seriously and when he encounters a snitch in the group, he murders him with fury, stabbing him multiple times in the chest and then slashing his throat. This leaves an opening for a fighter and that is when he discovers Tiger Chen Lin-Hu (Tiger Hu Chen), a master of Tai Chi that is doing some great things in the amateur fight game. He discovers that Chen is in need of money to save his temple and that brings him into this world of high stake prize fighting.
Chen fights various men of different styles and looks. This is very reminiscent of the 1980’s action films like BLOODSPORT where we get to see some tough looking and interesting characters battle it out. Chen has some tough fights but he pulls through and soon discovers that Donaka has been recording his matches and has been creating a pay per view of sorts, which creates some inner conflict within Chen.
As the underground fighting is going on, there is a problem. An ambitious investigator is desperately trying to take them down. Her contact was murdered and she is driven by both revenge and justice. Donaka is fully aware but is not concerned and maintains his business. She contacts Tiger Chen and things get a little complicated.
Tiger Chen continues his winning ways, but he is in for a surprise when he is put into a high stakes, fight to the death match, unbeknownst to him. He makes a stand inside the ring, defending himself and stating that he “won’t fight,” but he lays down the challenge to Donaka. Donaka takes him on but on his own terms and he proves to be an amazing fighter and the biggest challenge Tiger Chen could ever imagine.
MAN OF TAI CHI is a great fighting movie. The fight choreography is very well done and exciting. It has a great look and is shot very well and it was really one of Keanu Reeves’ better performances. I think that he saw this as his opportunity to be a bigger part of something and gave his best effort and it showed.
In the end, MAN OF TAI CHI is a winner. From start to finish, it brought nonstop action and an interesting storyline, filmed beautifully and interestingly. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 7/10
Buy MAN OF TAI CHI now from Anchor Bay Entertainment
