History Film / ManOfTaiChi

* AerithAndBob: Most of the characters in this film have fairly typical Chinese names, and the various foreigners (Uri Romanoff, for instance) have names that fit their culture. This makes Tiger's name stand out. ''Donaka Mark'' is also playing with this trope since he's an American, but using the Chinese custom of listing his family name first (probably because he's lived in Hong Kong for over 15 years). Nobody on-screen calls him by his given name of Mark.

** Subverted and deconstructed. Tiger shows up to his "interview" in what is presumably his best suit. Subverted because it is not a nice suit by any means. Deconstructed because the beginning of the fight is almost exclusively his opponent controlling the fight by holding onto his necktie.

* TheBadGuyWins: Downplayed. Donaka manages to [[spoiler:get Tiger to kill. Even though he's the one killed, he doesn't seem to mind, as his goal was the corruption of an innocent. The fact his last line was seemingly gloating about being killed supports this]]. Though given that Tiger recovers from this act, and is moving on with his life by the end, means that Donaka ultimately failed to scar him forever.
** Also, [[spoiler:Tiger only killed out of self-defense as Donaka was clearly threatening his life.]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Sun Jing's car gets run off the road, flips ''many'' times down a hillside, and somehow looks 100% pristine immediately after, with no physical ailments when she moves as well.
** Donaka also [[spoiler: swims from Hong Kong to the mainland, and arrives with perfect hair.]]

* CoDragons: Donaka has an older gentleman who serves as a sort of BattleButler of his and TheCracker Pong, who serves as his eyes and ears.
* ColorMotif: When Tiger is using the serene style of Tai-Chi, he wears a gentle shade of blue, but when he gets increasingly more violent and brutal, he switches to black. [[spoiler: He switches back to blue by the film's end]]. Fittingly, Donaka Mark is frequently wearing black.
* CoolMask: Donaka Mark wears a black mask whenever he enters the ring. Tiger rips it off in the first moments of their bout.

* CurbStompBattle: Tiger begins his fight with mercenary Yuri Romanov by [[EyeScream gouging out his eyes with his thumbs]]. Things don't get better for Yuri. The previous fight with the BashBrothers starts as a CurbStompBattle for them, but mid-way through swiches to a CurbStompBattle for Tiger.

* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Tiger is alternating between no-holds-barred underground fights and a strictly regulated national tournament. As he becomes more used to fighting for his life, he begins to bring UnnecessaryRoughness into the tournament, which leads to his disqualification.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Due to its lethality. Tiger's master uses it against Tiger early on but doesn't connect and it still causes severe bruising and BloodFromTheMouth. It's only used in earnest [[spoiler:when Tiger kills Donaka]].

* DullSurprise: Donaka Mark, courtesy of Creator/KeanuReeves. In this case, however, it's used quite effectively, as it makes Mark come off as emotionally shallow and sociopathic.

* EmotionlessGirl: The announcer for the fights speaks in a monotone without ever changing her facial expression and shows no concern backing away from the engaging fighters. [[spoiler:Even as she's arrested, she simply stares at the officer pointing a gun at her, crosses her legs, and stops filing her nails.]]
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In the first few minutes of the movie, Donaka Mark enters a room with one of his fighters and proceeds to brutally stab the man to death as he comments that [[ARealManIsAKiller he is not a warrior, but a rat]]. Then he says he needs a new fighter, and gets in his sports car and drives off without a qualm. This scene tells you all you need to know about Donaka Mark.

* FinalBoss: Donaka Mark intended the Indonesian fighter to be one for Tiger, but ultimately takes the role himself.

* LetsGetDangerous: Tiger Chen fights more calm and restrained in the movie's early fights, but when he squares off against the BashBrothers (and is subsequently losing), he decides to go all out, and massacres both of them .

* MightyGlacier: Donaka, compared to Tiger. His attacks seem to do much more damage, but he's noticeably slower.

** The monk-like underground fighter doesn't react to most of Tiger's blows. Including a GroinAttack(combined with SickeningCrunch).

* OffscreenTeleportation: Tiger's first opponent set up by Donaka manages to appear behind Tiger despite him being in an open room, facing a mirror, because the camera is zoomed on his face, despite the camera also showing us that the room was empty instants earlier. Later in the same scene, Donaka's elderly minion appears in the room as soon as Tiger wins, albeit with a previously-hidden door behind him.
* OldMaster: Tiger's Tai Chi master is a fairly archetypal one.

* PetTheDog: The Indonesian fighter Tiger faces was perfectly okay with the idea of a DuelToTheDeath, but refuses to press the attack (despite Donaka's orders) once he realises Tiger has no interest in fighting him.

* SilentAntagonist: Most of the fighters Tiger battles either limit their conversation to "hi-yas" or don't speak at all. Most of Donaka Mark's other employees, are also eerily silent.

** MagicalSecurityCam: [[spoiler:During the montage video just before the big fight, several of the angles are the exact same ones the audience saw earlier in the film, mixed with realistic surveillance footage. In one shot, Tiger was walking directly towards the camera's location, which would've been in plain sight.]]

* UnnecessaryRoughness: Tiger gets thrown out of the national tournament he was competing in after he snaps and breaks an opponent's arm. It's the single biggest sign that his fights for Donaka are affecting his mind.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Donaka Mark. He's doubtless a sadistic sociopath, but there seems to be something else wrong with his psyche as well. He's emotionally stunted, speaks only in short commands, repeats himself often, and is rather awkward in general.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Donaka Mark. His name is Japanese-sounding (and it's possible it's presented Japanese-style, with his family name first), and he's played by ethnically ambiguous Keanu Reeves.

* SimpleYetAwesome: The film portrays Tai Chi in this manner which is consistent with real life. Most of Tiger's moves are fairly simple blocks and attacks and he generally avoids anything flashier but his incredible skill and athleticism as well as how the fights are filmed make it very much this trope.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Tiger Chen.

* KnifeNut: Donaka kills Chi-Tak with a knife, and later pulls one on Tiger during their climactic battle.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Right before the final fournament fight, we see a small video retelling Tiger Chen's story in a dramatic manner, greatly resembling a movie trailer. The video even ends with a TitleDrop ("Tiger Chen. Man of Tai Chi"), and Donaka Mark, played by Keanu Reeves (the movie's director), enters the room and asks if Tiger liked the video.

* BaldOfAwesome: Tiger's OldMaster sports this look.

* EvilCostumeSwitch: Tiger wears white at the start of the film like his master, only to begin wearing darker colors as he continues to compete. Before one of his final matches (where he's expected to kill) there's a [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black and red]] outfit hanging up for him to wear. {{Justified}} by the fact that Donaka Mark is selecting Tiger's clothes for him, and is using it to symbolise his descent into darkness.

* NotSoDifferent: As he falls into darkness, Tiger starts to resemble the BigBad Donaka more and more.

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:Turns out killing someone didn't corrupt Tiger. Why? Because Donaka forced him to do it in self-defense, not murdering a defeated opponent.]]

* FamousLastWords: "I knew you had it in you." Spoken by [[spoiler:Donaka Mark to Tiger Chen after Tiger fatally wounds him.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: starting in 2019, the Hong Kong police became the center of a global controversy because of their [[https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/09/hong-kong-arbitrary-arrests-brutal-beatings-and-torture-in-police-detention-revealed/ brutal reaction]] to pro-democracy protestors. Anyone watching this movie from 2020 onwards will therefore have trouble seeing them as the heroes!

* OminousLatinChanting: In the battle against the BashBrothers, Tiger is convinced to fight with all his strength, and after that decision is made, a ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic extremely potent]]'' latin chanting kicks in as he [[CurbStompBattle demolishes]] both opponents.

* AerithAndBob: Most of the characters in this film have fairly typical Chinese names, and the various foreigners (Uri Romanoff, for instance) have names that fit their culture. This makes Tiger's name stand out, and puts ''Donaka'' Mark's first name in a strange class all its own.

* YouAreAlreadyDead: The KiBlast technique The Master uses doesn't necessarily ''kill'' its opponents, but it damages them severely. In the spirit of the trope, it takes several seconds for the damage to register in the opponent. [[spoiler: Tiger uses a lethal variation to kill Donaka in the climax]].

* TheSociopath: Donaka Mark. He's a sadistic, murderous BloodKnight of the highest order, who displays almost no emotion other than the glee he takes in murder and corruption.

* LackOfEmpathy: Donaka Mark displays a severely limited affect and emotional range, empathising with no one, and always trying to drive his fighters to kill. The other people in his employ display a similar callousness.

* YouAreAlreadyDead: The technique The Master doesn't necessairly ''kill'' its opponents, but it damages them severely. In the spirit of the trope, it takes several seconds for the damage to register in the opponent. [[spoiler: Tiger uses a lethal variation to kill Donaka in the climax]].

* DisappointedInYou: Chong when he [[spoiler:sees Tiger going to the police]], he lets out a groan and seems bummed at the change of heart.

* EveryoneHasStandards: As Tiger gets more and more brutal in the legal fights the referee physically has to restrain him from attacking a downed opponent. After maiming another, the ref disqualifies him.

* AffablyEvil: The cameraguy. While chuckling at his antics it's easy to forget that he's tasked with keeping tabs on underground fighters 24/7. He even nonchalantly raps in the car just before [[spoiler: enacting the plan to kill the detective tailing him]].

** The monk-like underground fighter doesn't react to most of Tiger's blows. Including a GroinAttack.

* OminousLatinChanting: In the battle against the BashBrothers, Tiger is convinced to fight with all his strength, and after that decision is made, a ''[[CrowningMusicOfAwesome extremely potent]]'' latin chanting kicks in as he [[CurbStompBattle demolishes]] both opponents.

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Due to its lethality. Tiger's master uses it against Tiger early on but doesn't connect and it still causes severe bruising and BloodFromTheMouth. It's only used in earnest[[spoiler:when Tiger kills Donaka]].