'Matrix' Reeves plays crime boss villain in 'Man of Tai Chi'
By Li Anlan |
July 7, 2013, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HOLLYWOOD action superstar Keanu Reeves makes his directorial debut - and stars as the crime boss villain - in the martial arts thriller "Man of Tai Chi" , (太极侠 "Tai Chi Xia") that made its worldwide premier on Friday in China.
The US China coproduction is aimed at Chinese audience, stars overwhelmingly Chinese actors and was filmed in Beijing and Hong Kong. It's mostly in Mandarin with some Cantonese; Reeves speaks English. The film has English subtitles. The date for US release has not been set.
Set in modern-day Beijing, the film revolves around a young martial arts practitioner Chen Lin-hu, whose unparalleled tai chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club of brutal bouts in shipping crates. He must decide between being a pit fighter, lured by wealth, glamor and power and its opposite - following spiritual mastery of tai chi, which represents Chinese philosophy.
Chen is played by Chinese American Tiger Chen, a Hollywood martial arts stunt man and choreographer. The Eurasian-type villain known only as Donaku is played by Canadian-born Reeves. He's the crime boss who runs the underground fight club and wants to keep Chen, an ordinary delivery man, trapped in the fight underworld.
Famous actress Karen Mok plays the police woman Juan Xiu who is investigating the illegal fighting.
The film also addresses the nature of tai chi, "yin-yang," duality and harmony. It also demonstrates that tai chi - apparently a dramatic hybrid was developed for the film - is far more than a slow-motion exercise for the elderly.
The trailer was shown at the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival and Shanghai Daily interviewed Reeves about the film, the transition from actor to director, and playing a villain.
Reeves himself is known for his good-guy roles, such as Neo in the "Matrix" series (first film released in 1999), and the 48-year-old actor said that playing a villain is very different.
"For me villains can be very profound, but they have simpler obligations (than heroes)," Reeves said. "Villains oftentimes know what they want. The heroes oftentimes don't know what they want, or they come into a situation where they have to come to a realization (of what they want) or take responsibility," he said. "In order to have drama, you have conflict, whether it's internal or physical. So I would say there is a different kind of sophistication (in being a villain)."
The film was shot mostly in Beijing, for 104 days, and then in Hong Kong.
It is a co-production by China Film Group, Wanda Media, Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Universal Pictures.
Reeves called the transition from actor to director "a fun and amazing process," saying he enjoyed all aspects, from casting and directing to shooting and cinematography.
"Developing the script was really collaborative," he said. "I love trying to build a world of film."
Reeves said the film was inspired by Chen, the lead actor who is a martial arts choreographer in Hollywood and was on the martial arts team in the "Matrix" trilogy. But the film is not biographical, Chen is not playing himself and he is not the protagonist in "Tai Chi Xia," Reeves said, "but it (martial arts and underground fighting) is something he knows about."
To prepare for the film, Reeves himself researched tai chi and did some training, such as basic "pushing hands" and other classic motions.
"One of the things tai chi offered as is great storytelling in dualities, yin and yang," Reeves said. "In the film, you have the dark master himself, who is the villain and the light master Chen, who incorporates light and dark and is in balance.
"We also talk about balance in the film and the integrations of past traditions and modern-day practice."
To illustrate this duality, Chen is a delivery man who practices a type of tai chi called "ling kong jin" (that can knock people over without physical contact) and goes to underground fight clubs at night.
"We wanted to have this idea of underground fighting, and underground fighting offers simplicity. It's fighting for money, but on the other side, with tai chi practice, fighting is dishonorable," Reeves said.
Speaking of Karen Mok, who plays a police officer, the director called her "very natural, beautiful and tough ... She carries a gun, she shoots someone and she's awesome," he said.
Action star
Reeves is famous for his role in films such as "Speed" (1994, directed by Jan de Bont), as well as the Matrix series. His directorial debut is in the same genre.
"I wasn't concerned about the genre. In course of time, I started to think about directing, but I knew that I could only do it right if I have a story to tell," he said.
"As time went by, we were developing the story for 'Tai Chi Xia' and it became a story I wanted to tell. It just so happened to be a kung fu film."
Reeves has seen a lot of kung fu movies, but not much tai chi, though he has seen "Tai Chi Master" (1993) with Jet Li.
Later this year, another Asian action adventure film starring Reeves will be released. Directed by Carl Erik Rinsch, the film "47 Ronin" adapts the true story of a group of samurai in early 18th-century Japan who avenge the murder of their master.
"It (the coincidence) just happened, it was completely unplanned," Reeves said of having two action movies with Asian themes coming out in the same year.
Next he plans to do a revenge action film "John Wick" about a hit man in New York.
As for directing, Reeves said, "I just have to find a story, I don't have a story yet. I always want to do something different."
As for box office in China and reviews of "Man of Tai Chi," Reeves said, "I just have hope. As a storyteller, you hope people will respond to the film and the story. I hope to be able to entertain and also give something to the audience, something positive."
As for unfavorable reviews, he said, "Whenever you get a bad review, it sucks."
The US China coproduction is aimed at Chinese audience, stars overwhelmingly Chinese actors and was filmed in Beijing and Hong Kong. It's mostly in Mandarin with some Cantonese; Reeves speaks English. The film has English subtitles. The date for US release has not been set.
Set in modern-day Beijing, the film revolves around a young martial arts practitioner Chen Lin-hu, whose unparalleled tai chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club of brutal bouts in shipping crates. He must decide between being a pit fighter, lured by wealth, glamor and power and its opposite - following spiritual mastery of tai chi, which represents Chinese philosophy.
Chen is played by Chinese American Tiger Chen, a Hollywood martial arts stunt man and choreographer. The Eurasian-type villain known only as Donaku is played by Canadian-born Reeves. He's the crime boss who runs the underground fight club and wants to keep Chen, an ordinary delivery man, trapped in the fight underworld.
Famous actress Karen Mok plays the police woman Juan Xiu who is investigating the illegal fighting.
The film also addresses the nature of tai chi, "yin-yang," duality and harmony. It also demonstrates that tai chi - apparently a dramatic hybrid was developed for the film - is far more than a slow-motion exercise for the elderly.
The trailer was shown at the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival and Shanghai Daily interviewed Reeves about the film, the transition from actor to director, and playing a villain.
Reeves himself is known for his good-guy roles, such as Neo in the "Matrix" series (first film released in 1999), and the 48-year-old actor said that playing a villain is very different.
"For me villains can be very profound, but they have simpler obligations (than heroes)," Reeves said. "Villains oftentimes know what they want. The heroes oftentimes don't know what they want, or they come into a situation where they have to come to a realization (of what they want) or take responsibility," he said. "In order to have drama, you have conflict, whether it's internal or physical. So I would say there is a different kind of sophistication (in being a villain)."
The film was shot mostly in Beijing, for 104 days, and then in Hong Kong.
It is a co-production by China Film Group, Wanda Media, Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Universal Pictures.
Reeves called the transition from actor to director "a fun and amazing process," saying he enjoyed all aspects, from casting and directing to shooting and cinematography.
"Developing the script was really collaborative," he said. "I love trying to build a world of film."
Reeves said the film was inspired by Chen, the lead actor who is a martial arts choreographer in Hollywood and was on the martial arts team in the "Matrix" trilogy. But the film is not biographical, Chen is not playing himself and he is not the protagonist in "Tai Chi Xia," Reeves said, "but it (martial arts and underground fighting) is something he knows about."
To prepare for the film, Reeves himself researched tai chi and did some training, such as basic "pushing hands" and other classic motions.
"One of the things tai chi offered as is great storytelling in dualities, yin and yang," Reeves said. "In the film, you have the dark master himself, who is the villain and the light master Chen, who incorporates light and dark and is in balance.
"We also talk about balance in the film and the integrations of past traditions and modern-day practice."
To illustrate this duality, Chen is a delivery man who practices a type of tai chi called "ling kong jin" (that can knock people over without physical contact) and goes to underground fight clubs at night.
"We wanted to have this idea of underground fighting, and underground fighting offers simplicity. It's fighting for money, but on the other side, with tai chi practice, fighting is dishonorable," Reeves said.
Speaking of Karen Mok, who plays a police officer, the director called her "very natural, beautiful and tough ... She carries a gun, she shoots someone and she's awesome," he said.
Action star
Reeves is famous for his role in films such as "Speed" (1994, directed by Jan de Bont), as well as the Matrix series. His directorial debut is in the same genre.
"I wasn't concerned about the genre. In course of time, I started to think about directing, but I knew that I could only do it right if I have a story to tell," he said.
"As time went by, we were developing the story for 'Tai Chi Xia' and it became a story I wanted to tell. It just so happened to be a kung fu film."
Reeves has seen a lot of kung fu movies, but not much tai chi, though he has seen "Tai Chi Master" (1993) with Jet Li.
Later this year, another Asian action adventure film starring Reeves will be released. Directed by Carl Erik Rinsch, the film "47 Ronin" adapts the true story of a group of samurai in early 18th-century Japan who avenge the murder of their master.
"It (the coincidence) just happened, it was completely unplanned," Reeves said of having two action movies with Asian themes coming out in the same year.
Next he plans to do a revenge action film "John Wick" about a hit man in New York.
As for directing, Reeves said, "I just have to find a story, I don't have a story yet. I always want to do something different."
As for box office in China and reviews of "Man of Tai Chi," Reeves said, "I just have hope. As a storyteller, you hope people will respond to the film and the story. I hope to be able to entertain and also give something to the audience, something positive."
As for unfavorable reviews, he said, "Whenever you get a bad review, it sucks."
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