Man of Tai Chi (2013)
Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 8
It may not be groundbreaking, but Man of Tai Chi represents an agreeably old-fashioned picture for martial arts fans -- and a solid debut for first-time director Keanu Reeves.
Average Rating: 6/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 2
It may not be groundbreaking, but Man of Tai Chi represents an agreeably old-fashioned picture for martial arts fans -- and a solid debut for first-time director Keanu Reeves.
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Movie Info
Set in modern Beijing, MAN OF TAI CHI marks Keanu Reeves' directorial debut. The film, also starring Reeves, follows the spiritual journey of a young martial artist (played by Tiger Chen) whose unparalleled Tai Chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club. As the fights intensify, so does his will to survive. (c) RAdius-TWC
Nov 1, 2013 Limited
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All Critics (25) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (8)
[Establishes Reeves] as a deft helmer of cinematic combat ...
Top CriticThis hackneyed misfit resuscitates every cliché of the grade-B '80s Hong Kong martial arts programmer, even the plot parts that were already imitating bad American TV.
The third act marks a commendably goofy sea change in an otherwise agreeably average throwback.
Reeves' film offers serviceable action without doing much to introduce the world to the deeper complexities of tai chi. (A better title might have been "Game of Dearth.")
For anybody who can get into martial arts and doesn't demand a film that will break new ground the way, say, "The Raid: Redemption" did a couple of years ago, this is a rousing show.
An adequate and ambitious effort from a first-time director who could have enhanced his on-screen philosophical arguments with a bit more depth and done with a touch less of the admittedly riveting man-to-man melee.
Kung fu completists will want to check this off their lists, but even the most devoted Reeves fans will find it hard to sit through this mishmash.
Who knew that what Keanu Reeves really wanted was to play the villain in a movie Jean-Claude Van Damme made and remade half a dozen times? And direct it?
For his directorial debut, Keanu Reeves crafts an exquisitely entertaining martial arts picture aimed at the international market.
The film ultimately doesn't live up to this early potential, as Keanu Reeves loses his way in the third act with too many false climaxes.
By the movie's attractive but slightly hollow end, you are thoroughly entertained by this Hollywood A-lister's first feature, but frustratingly never floored by it
Keanu Reeves' Man of Tai Chi is Mortal Kombat with a touch of Zen
Man Of Tai Chi nevertheless feels like Reeves made exactly the movie he set out to make, assuming he didn't set out to create a movie that was 'good.'
Man Of Tai Chi is focused, flows at a quick pace, and displays the art from beautifully. Keanu channels the many martial arts films of old, learning from the true masters.
The picture isn't exactly an intellectual pursuit, but the essentials of brutality, choreography, and cinematographic patience are well cared for under Reeves's watch.
If you demand a strong narrative instead of simply preferring it then go ahead and cross this one off your list right now, but if you watch fight films primarily for the fights then Man of Tai Chi will not disappoint.
Reeves kicks off directorial career in style
You don't have to reinvent something if you can simply make entertaining instead, and "Man Of Tai Chi" is certainly that. I sincerely hope Reeves gets to make another movie, because this is a really solid debut.
The beautifully choreographed and shot fights make up for the predictable plot and stale acting.
Audience Reviews for Man of Tai Chi
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
Martial arts fans out there deserve better than an unimaginative effort which incorporates a series of monotonous/repetitive fight sequences. It's basically kind of like The Matrix minus the sci-fi but plus cheap production value & ridiculous attempts to try to make this feel serious. They have also used Mortal Kombat's famous 'finish him' quote a few times to remind us of how much they lack creativity.
Overall, Man of Tai Chi is an embarrassingly bad martial arts film.
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Man of Tai Chi follows a young martial artist's whose Tai Chi skills lands him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club. Where to begin? That's a tricky question since I can't think of a single thing that was done right in the script. The protagonist is just a plot device for fight scenes to occur. He's is specially created to have little conflict as possible thus meaning little for him to conquer. Sure the plot does hint the protagonist is dangerously becoming more brutal with every fight, but touches upon such conflict with little importance. Every supporting character is one dimensional. Supporting characters have little to no effects on the plot. Only serving as conveniences in case the hero does not know what to do. The closest a supporting character even comes to affecting the plot is a police woman whose terrible at her going after the antagonist. For half of the film the police woman doesn't remotely come close to reaching her goals. When she does something good she fails to capture the criminal she was after. The script has no life of any kind assembling as much formulaic, overused, outdated, and cliche plot points the writers could think off. The plot for Man of Tai Chi is poorly constructed and its script that has no sign of soul.
Now time to touch upon Keanu Reeves both as an actor and a director. As an actor he gives a performance that's even worse than his selected cast. Leading actor Tiger Chen is wooden, Karen Mok is a plank, Simon Yam is as good as a bark, and Keanu Reeves is lifeless as oak. None of the actors give any kind of performance that demand your sympathy. With wooden acting it detracts from the many fight scenes with no energy provided by the lifeless actors. Keanu Reeves knows how to film a fight scene which is why all of them are easy to view. Except what Reeves sacrifices as a storyteller is quality of the story. Now this wouldn't be a problem if it abundant of fight scenes were any good. Every single fight scene looks the same and offers no variety in the kind of fight we see. Most of the fight scenes are one on one playing out the same. The hero is overpowered in the beginning, slowly begins to get an advantage in the middle, and changes things in his favor near the end. The only change up in the formula is a one on two battle which suffer the same formula. Fight scenes that repeat the same formulaic beats is very repetitive no matter whose fighting with what techniques. Keanu Reeves seems to have a big ego. He plays the villain so to makes sure he gets across he is the villain thus why in his only lengthy fight scene Reeves only get hit one time and is defeated by deus es machina. Not to forget rising star Iko Uwais (who I called the next Jackie Chan) is wasted in his small role. Uwais doesn't get to fight or act in his extremely small part. The most he does is run around chasing after Tiger Chen and telling him to fight him. A bad use of good talent much like Keanu Reeves resources on making this film.
Man of Tai Chi is one of the most soulless Martial Art films ever made. The script lacks any shred of inspiration and its actor don't show signs of life in their performances. Keanu Reeves failure in showing any kind of competent directing skill will make him be know for now as The Man Who Killed Tai Chi and possibly his directing career.