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Keanu Reeves is back! After two or three years away from mainstream cinema, Keanu Reeves is back on the big screen with his own directorial debut, which is exciting news for all Levi's fans, but then we'll also find out that Levi's The return posture is somewhat unexpected. It was my first time as a director, and the starring was Chen Hu, who was not well-known and was not an idol. The content of the film was cross-cultural Tai Chi Kungfu. Apart from that, there were almost no stunts and no dazzling gimmicks. "Man of Tai Chi" is not a work in line with Keanu Reeves' "superstar status", but it is with this low-budget film that Keanu Reeves proved to fans and the media that he himself is not He is just an ordinary actor with a handsome appearance, and has enough thinking and ability to use the film to express his thoughts. Even after watching the film, we may feel that Keanu Reeves's debut is far away. Exceeded our expectations before entering theaters, and the level of completeness the film presents and the seriousness with which the director puts into it is enough to keep us respectful.
"Tai Chi Man" actually contains a simple story. When Chen Linhu appeared on the stage, he faced the teacher's teaching to "control one's own qi". Practicing martial arts is a process of internal and external cultivation, and the young and vigorous Chen Linhu After sharpening his martial arts, he must face the tempering of the soul. The hard life, the love for martial arts, and the deep affection for the sweetheart are all enough to make people stronger and lead them to the abyss. Chen Linhu's fights in the underground boxing ring and the national martial arts competitions gave birth to the split between good and evil in his heart. The cross editing of this section is concise and clean, and the son of Tai Chi, who used to have clear eyes, has become turbid. Chen Hu, who is not an actor, is obviously not good at acting, but his stern and stern personality is exactly the same as Chen Linhu's state at this time. It is no wonder that Keanu Reeves said that this is a "tailor-made" film for Chen Hu. The temperament and state and the story fit perfectly, quiet and silent, ready to go. Under the little temptation of the villain played by Keanu Reeves, this silence eventually accumulates into an imminent evil. Chen Linhu used one-versus-two in the arena, sharp camera lens and extremely gorgeous lighting, to render the most important node of Chen Linhu's character transformation into a grand ceremony, just like the black magic of summoning Satan, Chen Linhu's dark side finally took over. The upper hand even devoured his daily life, leading to his foul out in the tournament.
In this degenerate journey of characters whose characters are gradually distorted, Keanu Reeves, who is both the film director and the villain in the film, has interestingly formed a dual identity. As the character, Keanu Reeves leads Chen Linhu to the darkness, Keanu Reeves, the director, rescued him from it, not only to understand the true meaning of Tai Chi, but also to complete his personal growth. It has to be said that Keanu Reeves has really worked hard in his understanding of Tai Chi and oriental culture, Chen Linhu's anxious entanglement between good and evil, the differences and contradictions between tradition and modernity, and the external form of the film, The run-in and collision between Western perspectives and Eastern stories is precisely explained under the concept of Tai Chi. The contradiction between good and evil, Taoism and the city has been finally resolved in Chen Linhu, and this solution does not rely on the binary opposition of either one or the other. Chen Linhu cannot completely eliminate evil, and will inevitably eventually Contend; the tradition represented by Taoism and the modernity represented by the city cannot deny each other, and finally move towards harmony, which is undoubtedly the essence of Taiji culture. Of course, it is undeniable that the story Keanu Reeves used is somewhat blunt, but as a "foreign monk", faced with a complex proposition that few people from the country can explain clearly, his Tai Chi "Tai Chi" "Xia" is already far beyond the passing level.
Of course, such an evaluation of "Man of Tai Chi" is not an exaggeration, especially in the face of the hustle and bustle of the domestic film market. The simplicity of "Man of Tai Chi" almost makes people feel that it has a "cottage" style. Except for Keanu Reeves, many domestic actors, Chen Hu, who is starring for the first time, even the title of the film can't even inspire people. Interest. Fortunately, "Man of Tai Chi" has its own "internal show". Although Chen Hu is too unfamiliar to the audience, he is already an expert. The experience of the action creator of "The Matrix" and "Kill Bill" has already Enough "big name", and under the guidance of the eighth master Yuan Heping, the action scenes of punching to the flesh almost covered every node of the whole film. In addition, Chen Guangrong and the "God of Japanese Film Art" Tan Tian Yangping also joined the story. With a multi-level aesthetic space, just look at the color change of the clothes that the villain prepared for him when Chen Linhu fought in the underground boxing ring several times, from yellow to black, the meaning of which is self-evident. Keanu Reeves has built the most solid foundation for "Man of Tai Chi" with his years of experience in Hollywood, all of which ensure that "Man of Tai Chi" can never be a bad movie. Film. But not every good film can get the same amount of box-office recognition. This is a truth that will never change in the film market. In this era when the fragrance of wine is afraid of deep alleys, the reason why "The Man of Tai Chi" is difficult to go far is not necessary. More to say, Keanu Reeves has a jar of good wine, and he owes those few shouts.
Keanu Reeves is back, but not as an idol actor. This time, Reeves is back with his own team, his own film, his own story and a beautiful way of telling a story. It also unabashedly aimed at the fat meat of the Chinese film market. Of course, not everyone can eat this piece of meat. On the one hand, Hollywood is eyeing it, and on the other hand, there are domestic bad films that are popular at the box office against word-of-mouth. The chaotic Chinese film market is enough to give Keanu Reeves a headache, but fortunately, gold always shines. The "Neixiu" and "simplicity" of "Man of Tai Chi" will become a problem that Keanu Reeves will continue to balance as a director. Between his own movie dreams and the popular taste of movie audiences, Keanu Reeves also There is a good Tai Chi push hands fight between you and me.
Originally published in "Yingbo·Influence", 2013 Issue No. 8, with deletions and revisions
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