Man Of Tai Chi does little to inspire confidence in that proclamation: Reeves` virgin project as a director is a kung fu beat-`em-up that has little going for it beyond an obvious reverence for its pugilistic subject matter.
The movie follows `Tiger` Chen Lin-Hu (Tiger Chen), a guy who couriers by day and kicks butt in martial arts tournaments on the side. His participation in the Wulin Wang martial arts tournament as a representative of the Ling Kong Tai Chi tradition soon draws the attention of Donaka Mark (Reeves), a shady businessman who runs a no-holds-barred underground fighting circuit. Donaka`s looking for a new headliner for his bloodsport, and Tiger`s growing involvement in the underground cage fights soon leads to a struggle between the light and dark sides of his inner being.
Tiger also ends up duelling a six-armed giant called Goro and an evil sorcerer called Shang Tsung, ultimately beating them in Mortal Kombat with his trademark finisher: the 88 Immortal Lotus Palm of Badassitudeâ€