From Point Break and Speed to the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, the actor Keanu Reeves has made the action movie his own. Now, for the first time, he goes behind the camera, directing Man of Tai Chi, the story of a young martial artist (Tiger Hu Chen) and his induction into the world of underground fight clubs.
How would you describe Man of Tai Chi?
It’s a story about a young man in contemporary Beijing who gets involved in underground fighting, being manipulated by my character to save his temple. We follow him on this journey of innocence – in a way he’s a simple delivery guy on the one hand, but on the other hand he’s a very skilled martial artist in tai chi. As he goes on this journey to save his temple and go into underground fighting, his power rises. We see this loss of innocence in the journey of this man who ultimately has to confront himself.
How did you both get involved in the project?
The lead actor, Tiger Hu Chen, is a gentleman I worked with on The Matrix films. And chatting with him over the years we became friends. And after we finished the films, we stayed in touch. He started to do some acting – he was a stuntman at the time – and we stayed friends and wanted to do something together. Over the course of five years, we developed a story, which is what became Man of Tai Chi. And that’s how that started.
What was it you love about kung-fu movies?
Kung-fu movies are beautiful. I was a typical kid. I saw the Bruce Lee films – I remember seeing a film called Five Fingers of Death in Times Square in New York when I was a little kid. That was something exotic, wonderful, empowering. There was something that was overcoming. And then The Matrix was my introduction to the kung-fu side of things – although I’d done some action films before then. It’s like play. It’s like playing. There’s something childlike about it. They’re fake fights. That’s fun! But they can hurt.
What was the craziest part of the shoot?
I guess every film has its madness. It was a multi-language crew. We filmed for more than 105 days. We filmed in Beijing, we filmed in Hong Kong, we were on the street, we had sets we built. So every day, it was movie challenges – and every day those challenges are crazy. You’re trying to have a plan and be organised, and life is not always like that. But sometimes it is. I guess the hurricane in Hong Kong counts as a little crazy.
Given your work on A Scanner Darkly and The Matrix trilogy, it seems that you’re an actor who likes to be at the cutting edge of technology.
It’s kind of happened that way. It’s an accident. I am fascinated by it, but in the past I’ve been lucky to be in those kinds of experiences. Now that I’ve done it, it is something that I think about differently and am interested in.
Will you direct again?
I’d like to, I just need to find a story to tell. I don’t have the story to tell yet. But I’d love to, I would hope to – but I need to find that story.
You’re 49 now. Did you ever get a midlife crisis?
I had the classic 40 meltdown. I did. It’s embarrassing. It was pretty funny. But then I recovered. To me, it was like a second adolescence. Like when you’re an adolescent, so many things change in your body that affect your physical self and your emotional self. To me, I felt like that was happening at that age. That something was changing.
What was changing?
Hormonally, my body was changing, my mind was changing, and so my relationship to myself and the world around me came to this assault of finiteness. It was also the end of the projection of my younger self. I came to the place where I thought: “I don’t know where I am anymore but where have I come from and what am I doing? And my eyes one day will not open!” So that had all of these kinds of consequences. It was quite enjoyable.
• Man of Tai Chi opens in UAE cinemas tomorrow
artslife@thenational.ae
Command%20Z
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
England v South Africa Test series:
First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs
Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs
Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31
Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Company%20profile
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Results:
5pm: Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Tahoonah, Richard Mullen (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m | Winner: Ajwad, Gerald Avranche, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: Duc De Faust, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m | Winner: Shareef KB, Fabrice Veron, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,500m | Winner: Bainoona, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
AIR
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