Man of Tai Chi
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Man of Tai Chi |
| Original title | Man of Tai Chi |
| Country of production |
China , USA |
| original language |
English , Mandarin |
| Publishing year | 2013 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Keanu Reeves |
| script | Michael G. Cooney |
| production |
Lemore Syvan , Daxing Zhang , Noah Weinzweig |
| music | Chan Kwong-wing |
| camera | Elliot Davis |
| cut | Derek Hui |
| occupation | |
| |
Man of Tai Chi is a Sino-American martial arts film starring Keanu Reeves , who also directed this production for the first time. Tiger Chen can be seen in the leading role that gives the title , and Iko Uwais , Karen Mok and Simon Yam in supporting roles . Man of Tai Chi is loosely based on Tiger Chen's own life story. The film opened in China on July 5, 2013 and in the US on November 1, 2013.
action
Tiger Chen is the only student of the Tai Chi master Yang. In his training, Tiger shows an extraordinary talent for fighting techniques, but his master fears for the character of his pupil, since it is difficult for him to convey the philosophical side of Tai Chi to Tiger. Tiger is keen to prove the effectiveness of the Tai Chi style as a martial art. That's why he's taking part in a local tournament.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong police are investigating the security firm of the enigmatic Donaka Mark, who is suspected of engaging in illegal underground fighting. The investigating officer Sun-Jing turns one of Donaka's fighters into his secret informant, who, however, is exposed and killed by Donaka. Although the case is closed for lack of evidence, Sun-Jing is still secretly investigating.
Since he lacks a fighter, Donaka invites Tiger to an alleged job interview after seeing him at the local tournament. Tiger earns his living as a bicycle courier and accepts the invitation to an interview in Hong Kong. On the spot, however, he is attacked by a stranger without warning, but he is able to defeat him. After this test, Tiger is greeted by Donaka, who offers to become part of his underground ring. Tiger refuses, although he is offered a lot of money. However, after Donaka ensures that legal obstacles are put in the way of the preservation of his master's temple, Tiger finally agrees to earn money for the continued operation of the temple.
Tiger fights very successfully underground and wins large sums of money. His technique is also improving. Soon he can finance the necessary work on the temple, quit his courier job and successfully advance to the top in the local tournament. With every victory, however, Tiger becomes more ruthless and more disgruntled. His master notices the change. However, when he warns Tiger of the consequences of his path, he is ignored.
Master Yang has to watch on TV how Tiger is seriously injured at the local tournament and then disqualified. The following joint training turns into a serious duel, in which Master Yang can assert himself against tigers despite his advanced age through the power of Tai Chi. Tiger turns away from his master.
An angry tiger demands an underground fight from Donaka. After defeating his opponent by the force of his anger, he is on the verge of killing him. When Tiger finally shrinks from it, a masked Donaka takes over the killing. Then Tiger wants to turn his back on the underground ring. Donaka finally confronts him with the fact that he secretly had the events in Tiger's life filmed. His real intent is to transform Tiger so that he becomes a killer in front of a live audience.
When Tiger is sent into an underground fight to the death, a police operation interrupts the confrontation. Donaka is able to flee from his arrest.
Tiger returns to the temple where Donaka is waiting for him. They hold their own fight to the death. At first Tiger seems inferior, but gains the upper hand when he thinks about the inner strengths of his training. Donaka ultimately attacks his opponent with a knife and rams it in Tiger's stomach. Still, Tiger can defeat Donaka with inner strength. As he dies, Donaka explains with satisfaction that Tiger actually has a killer in him.
Tiger and his master later reconcile. As part of a historical village, the temple is protected and opened to tourists at the same time. Tiger decides to open his own school to honor and pass on the teachings of his master.
production
After years of working on the script, the pre-production of the film began in 2008. It took five years to complete, not least because Keanu Reeves had taken roles in various films. The shooting took place in China and Hong Kong .
Handheld cameras were used in the battle scenes.
publication
The film premiered in 2013 with two screenings at the Beijing Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival . On September 27 of the same year, the film was released in the iTunes Store , then in US theaters on November 1.
Reviews
The film received an average of 70% positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes website . The website Metacritic , which also calculates an average value from collected reviews, awards the film 52 out of a possible 100 points.
Web links
- Man of Tai Chi in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Man of Tai Chi at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of Release for Man of Tai Chi . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , March 2014 (PDF; test number: 142 090 K).
- ^ Liz Shackleton: China's new global strategy . In: Screen Daily . July 6, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
- ↑ Al Young: Karen Mok Joins Keanu Reeves' MAN OF TAI CHI . In: Twitch . December 19, 2011. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
- ^ Gavin Lower: Village Roadshow Unit Puts IPO Plans on Hold . In: The Wall Street Journal , June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ↑ Mike Davidson: Keanu Reeves makes director debut with modern Kung Fu film. In: ca.reuters.com. Retrieved September 8, 2016 .
- ↑ Mike Davidson: Keanu Reeves spent five years on his latest film: Why? . In: The Christian Science Monitor . May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ↑ Mike Davidson: Keanu Reeves makes director debut with Kung Fu film . In: Reuters , May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ↑ Keanu Reeves: Man of Tai Chi. July 5, 2013, accessed September 8, 2016 .
- ↑ Man of Tai Chi . Rotten tomatoes. 1. November 2013.
