Best Keanu: “You’re nothing.”

During the climax of Man of Tai Chi, when Keanu Reeves’ evil character Donaka Mark fights the hero Tiger Chen, he says, “you’re nothing.” At which point, my mind strayed to that wisdom Ram Dass used to convey: the trick is becoming nobody, free of ego.

Tiger Chen seemed to have a similar wisdom, as he flipped Mark’s insult by saying slowly, “I am nothing.”

There’s this kind of lesson dotted throughout Man of Tai Chi, as it punctuates the film’s central theme: that spiritual gifts should not be misused, even if the immediate intent is to do good.

This movie is another one that made me love this little pet project of watching every single Keanu Reeves film. You’re never really sure what you’re going to get with Keanu. In this case, it’s a lot of stylized martial arts, with a little bit of suspense thrown in. The action sequences are fun to watch, even for someone like me who still claims to not like action movies. Like with John Wick, this film has proven me wrong.

When the truth of what’s going on in Man of Tai Chi is revealed, it feels doubly sinister. Not only is the hero Chen facing moral compromise, but his audience must also fall on the negative side of ethical, which leaves one feeling a little less-than-okay about what’s going on.

It is just a movie, but it also reminds us of the power of the rich to manipulate those with less. Manipulate them not into doing good, but to fall deeper into a morally questionable hole.

Keanu’s somewhat believable as the (very) bad guy in this film. Chen is very believable as the student of tai chi learning the hard way how best to use his gifts. Keanu directed this film too, which I imagine must have been a trip since most of the dialogue is in Mandarin (which Keanu, to my knowledge, does not speak or understand). It’s a respectable foray into the world of directing, I suppose, but knowing as little as I do about that craft I’ll just say it shows once again how much mileage Keanu got out of his Matrix experience, with Chen a veteran of that production as well.

August 2022