Mike Ryan has put together a list of the ten most memorable movie characters of 2013 for The Huffington Post. Donaka Marks from Man of Tai Chi weighed in at number five. Ryan had the following to say about Donaka:
“You owe me a life” is my second most quoted line from any movie this year. I’m really not even sure what it means, but Keanu Reeves says it a lot during “Man of Tai Chi” and it’s kind of a fun thing to say when you don’t really have anything else to say. Here’s the problem, no one really saw “Man of Tai Chi,” so the general population is not really aware of all of the wonderful facial expressions and sounds that Keanu Reeves makes during this movie. There is one scene in particular in which Reeves’ Donaka Mark hears some news that is pleasing. Instead of smiling, along with maybe a fist pump as some sort of sign of personal satisfaction like a normal person, no — the camera zooms in on Reeves’ face as he bellows a noise that can only be written as, “EHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.” Someday, Donaka Mark, people will discover you. Someday, people will appreciate you for the gift you truly are.