Man of Tai Chi 2013.
Man of Tai Chi is a 2013 Chinese-American martial arts film directed by and starring Keanu Reeves in his directorial debut, and co-stars Tiger Chen, Iko Uwais, Karen Mok and Simon Yam. A multilingual film featuring dialogue in Mandarin, English and Hong Kong Cantonese, it revolves around a young martial artist who is pushed by the need of money to enter the world of underground fighting. The film was released in China on 5 July 2013 and in the USA on 1 November 2013. Despite the critics praising Reeves’s direction and the fight sequences, the film bombed at the box office.
Plot.
HKPD officer Sun-Jing Shi leads an investigation into Security System Alliance (SSA), a private security firm owned by the mysterious Donaka Mark. Suspecting Donaka of hosting an illegal fighting operation, Sun-Jing turns one of his fighters into a mole who gets killed by him. Without any evidence, Superintendent Wong orders the case closed, but Sun-Jing secretly continues investigating. Donaka then sees Tiger, a young, working-class disciple of tai chi at a Wu Lin Wang Competition, gets impressed with his fighting skills and sends him a job offer at SSA. Tired of his menial courier job, Tiger flies to Hong Kong for the job interview which turns out to be a test of his combat ability.
He passes the test and is welcomed by Donaka who offers him great financial rewards for joining his underground fighting ring. Tiger refuses as fighting for money would compromise his honor, and leaves. Soon after, land inspectors declare the tai chi temple belonging to Tiger’s master structurally unsafe and plan to evict its occupants to demolish the temple for real estate development. Tiger seeks help from Qing Sha, a paralegal friend, and finds a means to save the temple through historic preservation and government protection. However, the need of money for repairing the temple within a month’s time prompts Tiger to accept Donaka’s offer.
After each fight, which is a form of modern gladiatorial combat enjoyed by rich individuals, Tiger wins larger sums of money. He quits his job, buys his parents presents, and begins having the temple repaired. With time, Tiger develops a more efficient and brutal style. Noticing the change in him, Master Yang warns Tiger; however, intoxicated with the new life, Tiger ignores the warning. In the Wu Lin Competition, Tiger viciously injures his opponent and is disqualified. When Tiger comes back to train at the temple, a fight ensues and Master Yang is forced to use his internal Chi energies to palm-strike Tiger, reminding him that he is yet to completely master tai chi.
Tiger ignores his advice to meditate, and finds out that the authority has rejected his petition to gain historical protection for the temple due to his actions at the Wu Lin Competition, which are against his temple’s philosophy. An enraged Tiger demands a fight and Donaka has him face a mercenary named Uri Romanov. Using his rage, he quickly defeats Uri and almost kills him, but relents at the end. Donaka finishes off Uri. Realizing how much he has changed, Tiger declares his intention to stop participating in underground fighting and contacts Sun-Jing, unaware of the constant surveillance Donaka had put him under for a long time.
