Continuing this reoccuring theme of ass kicking into the month of romance, the Dissection looks at a film that was both directed and featuring Keanu Reeves. A movie that seems to ask “What if THE KARATE KID was made in the same vein as BLOODSPORT, and featured more ass kicking?” Well, you get this.
The Story
A young martial artist’s unparalleled Tai Chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club.
The Cast
Chen Hu as Tiger Chen Linhu, an innovator of a fighting form of Tai Chi and delivery man, given a seemingly golden opportunity…at first.
Keanu Reeves as Donaka Mark. A businessman who is highly respected in the east, but who’s desires are anything but.
Karen Mok as Sun Jing Shi, a cop who is driven to solve a puzzle involving disappearances and a secret fight club.
Yu Hai as Master Yang, the Master to Tiger Chen, and one who warns him of the path he finds himself on.
The Dissection
Tiger Chen (Chen) after a fight.
One thing to mention in the film is that the film starts a bit disorienting, in the sense that the audio is not constant. See, instead of separate audio tracks, one in English and another in Mandarin, this movie mixes the two together. One scene, that features Keanu meeting with his fighters, is done in English. The next scene, introducing Chen and his life, is done in Mandarin with translation on the bottom. It takes a bit to get used to, but it’s not a challenge to do so.
The plot of the movie is very much a good master vs evil master set up, as in the KARATE KID mention, though the main focus of the conflict and the friction lies with Chen and Donaka. You have the two forces that are connected to Chen, and how it plays with him getting pushed toward the bad guy and how it affects his life, and how it ultimately ends up leading to him being redeemed. Plus, the small cues with Chen and how he acts and appears throughout the film plays a bit but necessary role in helping the story.
For acting, it’s not much to describe. Keanu is Keanu, and a lot of his usual acting ticks can be forgiven as he plays a cold, calculating monster of a person in this, but even when it calls for some emotion, there’s not much there. The rest of the cast are serviceable, but nothing too noteworthy.
Donaka Mark (Reeves), watching chaos unfold.
Which brings us to the fight scenes, which there are plenty of, as this is a movie related to a underground club of fighting. The fights are really well done, and even when they are short fights made to advance the plot, they come off well shot and interesting. The fights themselves are very varied, and come in different forms through out the film.
There are a few flaws in the film, one being the CG used a few times in the film being so obvious and cartoony, it would make the Asylum blush, and issue with some of the fantastical elements of Tai Chi being introduced but never developed, and another being how the camera seems to frame people in the movie, but there’s few and far between. For a debut director and a movie with a good number of years in production behind it, it’s a good film.
The movie comes with a few extras. There’s a commentary track featuring Keanu and Chen not so much commenting on the movie, but rather just two guys watching the film. There’s also a making of video that highlights a bit of what went into making the film. and then there is also some trailers for other films. Also, the film has English and Spanish subtitles.
The Verdict
All in all, it’s a film that shows some dedication and craft work to it, and should be commended for it. For a first time director like Keanu, it has some rough edges, but overall it’s a pretty great first attempt. If you want another good action kick, this would be as good pick up.
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