Watch: The Fight Scenes In Keanu Reeves' 'Man Of Tai Chi' Might Look Like This

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by Kevin Jagernauth
June 22, 2012 11:38 AM
2 Comments

Keanu Reeves has emerged as something of a tech nut. He recently used his extensive Rolodex to get an amazing array of filmmakers on camera to talk analog vs. digital in his very well-received documentary "Side By Side" (read our review here) and now it seems he's looking to change the game a bit on his directorial debut, "Man Of Tai Chi." In case you forget, lensing has already begun on the martial arts flick, in which he will star alongside Tiger Hu Chen, one of the stuntmen on "The Matrix" films, in the English- and Mandarin-language movie that Reeves has been promising will deliver high caliber action. And he's hoping to showcase the hand-to-hand combat in a wholly different way.

Twitch has come across a proof of concept video that show a fight scene and how Reeves will be utilizing the Bot & Dolly's Iris -- a pretty advanced looking, robotically controlled camera system -- to take viewers in, up and around the flying hands and feets. Reeves claims it will allow him to shoot these kind of scenes without utilizing CGI, which is fine, but the overall approach isn't exactly new, and we've kind of seen this roving camera approach (digital or not) in countless movies, including uh, "The Matrix."

But it's still a pretty good behind-the-scenes look at the movie, so give it a quick spin below. And frankly, this seems far more exciting than a "Bill & Ted's 3."

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2 Comments

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Bogart | June 24, 2012 8:30 PMReply

I think you're missing the point comparing this to the Matrix... Keanu himself states that the difference here is that it allows you to capture actual actors fighting in continuous, uninterrupted takes without resorting to CGI - which can't capture the physical nuances of two skilled martial-artists letting loose on each other. It's like comparing the spaceships in Event Horizon or even Prometheus with the lunar buggies in Moon or the Nostromo in Alien - practical effects just feel more real and weighty and thus help immerse the viewer, propelling them to invest in the scenes or film as a whole. That's how I take it anyway.
Glass | June 22, 2012 12:12 PMReply

Kinda cool. When the Matrix sequels had those big CGI fights with this roving effect, I would literally become sleepy. I don't know if this would be much better, but I remember the awesome freeway chase in Reloaded got me all excited, and then the movie failed again with that horrible Morpheus/Agent Whoever fight on top of the semi truck.