Alexi Tan was educated in London and later completed his graduate studies at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He started his career in film as a stills photographer.

In 2000, Alexi directed his first short film, "17.17", a six-minute experimental short which premiered at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. After his first exposure to the film world, he discovered where his true passion and talent laid. In 2002, Alexi moved to Asia to pursue his career in film directing. At that time, he also began directing TV commercials and music videos, which won numerous international awards.

In 2003, he directed "Double Blade", a 15-minute short film shot entirely in Los Angeles. It starred Taiwanese pop sensation Jay Chou ("Initial D", "Curse of the Golden Flower") and a Hollywood cast featuring Leila Arcieri and Danny Trejo. Among the crew that Alexi assembled was Andrzej Sekula, the cinematographer of "Pulp Fiction". "Double Blade" caught the attention of filmmakers John Woo and Terence Chang. They agreed to produce Alexi's first feature film, "Blood Brothers".