The Keanu Reeves character he called a “Mephistophelian dark master”
Though the acting style of Keanu Reeves has been called into question on several occasions, there is no denying that the Canadian actor sure knows how to entertain an audience. Known for his wide-ranging character roles in several different cinematic genres, Reeves’ legacy as a hero of Hollywood has been assured for many decades.
After all, this is the man who has contributed to some of the most iconic cinematic events of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He’s played the ultra-cool yet dopey LAPD surfer-cop Johnny Utah, hacker-turned-The One Thomas Anderson/Neo in The Matrix, seemingly immortal hitman John Wick in the eponymous action franchise and occult detective John Constantine in the 2005 religious superhero movie.
In essence, Reeves has seen it all from an acting perspective and like many of the most prominent actors, he was once afforded the chance to take the directorial reins. The moment arrived in 2013 with the martial arts film Man of Tai Chi, starring Reeves, Tiger Chen, Iko Uwais, Karen Mok and Simon Yam, which focuses on a young martial artist who is forced into the world of underground fighting in order to repair his temple and save it from destruction.
We’re used to seeing Reeves in the hero role in many of his best movies, but Man of Tai Chi saw him play the main antagonist instead. Tiger Chen played the young martial artist, while Reeves portrayed Donaka Mark, the man behind an illegal fighting operation, who makes an offer to Tiger so vast in money that he knows he can’t refuse, considering his predicament.
Reeves once spoke with The Playlist about how he got involved in the film. The actor had been involved in the story with screenwriter Michael Cooney and Tiger Chen for many years, and having spent so much time with it, it “eventually suffused and filled” his mind to the point that he knew he wanted to direct it.
Knowing and loving the martial arts genre set Reeves well on his way to making his directorial debut, but then came the moment in which he took on the role of the main antagonist, too. According to Reeves, his early role in the film had been very different. “In the very beginning of the process, I was a guy named Mark, and Tiger was my dojo [instructor] and trained me to enter competitions,” Reeves explained. “I had a very supporting role.”
However, as the film progressed, its story “kept changing”, and eventually, the notion of an underground syndicate run by the villain Donaka Mark and Reeves knew that he would be capable of portraying him. “I just had a sense for his voice, this Mephistophelian dark master, and so we wanted to work together and act together,” Reeves noted, “And then when I started directing it, I thought I was the perfect casting.”
There were mixed results concerning Man of Tai Chi, though. When it was released in 2013, the initial critical response was one that lauded praise upon Reeves’ direction as well as the martial arts sequences. However, having cost $25m, a box office of just $5.5m left the film in definite bomb territory.
Still, Reeves would always have a fondness for his directorial debut and the chance he had to play a dark character of Mephistophelian proportions, harking back to the demonic figure of German folklore, made famous in the Faust legend.
