'Man of Tai Chi' review: Keanu Reeves fights and directs

Who knew that what Keanu Reeves really wanted was to play the villain in a Jean-Claude Van Damme picture? And direct it? "Man of Tai Chi" is a martial arts actioner that has the formulaic plot of a score of other films, many of which starred Van Damme.

This one centers on young Tai Chi master Tiger (Tiger Hu Chen), whose impressive skills attract the attention of Donaka Mark (Reeves), a mysterious rich guy who stages private off-the-books brawls matching fighters of various styles. The bloodier fights for Donaka soon infect Tiger's sanctioned bouts, and we wonder how low he will sink and when the inevitable fight with you-know-who will wrap this up.

Reeves is a competent director, packing this stylish-looking picture with well-staged and filmed fights. The magical martial arts stuff is kept to a minimum, the gravity-defying wirework less obvious.

As an actor, Reeves never quite got over his "Matrix"-inspired need to be "inscrutable." His clothes are black (he wears a black mask, in some scenes), his dialogue clipped and punchy. But the script here is pretty stale stuff, with an underdeveloped side story of the cop (Karen Mok) on Donaka's trail and dialogue (in English and Chinese) that is often banal.

Take away Reeves' involvement, and "Man of Tai Chi" would be indistinguishable from scores of martial arts program pictures, brutally efficient, in its way, formulaic in story and execution.

PLOT A young Tai Chi master gets seduced by an underground fight club.

RATING R (excessive violence)

SEE PHOTOSMovies we can't stop watching

CAST Keanu Reeves, Tiger Hu Chen, Karen Mok

LENGTH 1:45

BOTTOM LINE Well-staged fight scenes wrapped around a formulaic script.