Nick Bulum has written an article about the balance and motion in Man of Tai Chi for The Vulgar Cinema. It is a really good read. He appreciates both the film and Keanu Reeves’ directorial skills. He starts with the following and then takes a closer look at some specific scenes:
Man of Tai Chi is one of the best action films of recent years. The credit for much of its success must go to first-time director Keanu Reeves. Reeves may be a newcomer to the director’s chair, but he brings a distinct visual style and vocabulary to the project that belies his inexperience behind the camera. He and cinematographer Elliot Davis don’t just capture a series of astounding fights, they subtly underscore the themes of their film by consistently using framing techniques that are grounded in key tenets of Tai Chi itself: balance and motion.