The story revolves around a series of action and excitement events in a film full of surprises where there is a young man who works in the delivery of orders and very proficient in martial arts, but when it comes to the demolition of his holy temple struggling and working to raise money so as not to destroy the temple and offer him a man to fight in a fighting club And accept the offer to collect money.
As a martial arts action film, Man of Tai Chi is fun enough -- the fights are engaging, Chen's moves are breathtaking, and Keanu Reeves goes full Keanu Reeves.
Reeves has clearly seen many Hong Kong films, and with the help of two veterans, Hollywood cinematographer Elliot Davis and HK editor Derek Hui, he's replicated one.
Pro forma, sure, but briskly paced. For the most part, the fight scenes are grounded in physical potential, but there are shots and edits that have simple physical magic to them.
Cinematographer Elliot Davis films the fight scenes with thrilling immediacy: lots of long takes, so you realize you are actually seeing these guys actually do this, as opposed to watching something pieced together later in the editing room.
[Director Keanu Reeves] cuts too much, but he respects the fighters' abilities - and the viewers' desire to see them.
The Film Stage
June 23, 2016
Yes, it's irreverent at times, but Man Of Tai Chi exudes confidence in its silliness, too, never actually treating the subject of martial arts as light or inconsequential.
The brutally efficient shooting style Reeves employs to film master choreographer Yuen Woo Ping's breathtaking fights is refreshingly grounded and old-school kinetic.
