Genres

Visitors Review

tieman64 2012-05-25 11:16:46

Watch it once, hate it, wait a year, watch it again

All the Mamet elements are here: comedians cast against type, anarrative conceived as a giant con game, implausible twists and turns,a central character obsessed with professionalism and personal mastery,a theme which itself mirrors Mamet's own approach to writing, each filmseen as a personal attempt to master not only words, but thefallibility and efficiency of words.And like most Mamet films, the first hour is a blast. Mamet injectseach scene with his own brand of originality, skewing the dialogue everso slightly. You're aways aware that you're watching something you'veseen before, but from a slightly skewed and unique angle. For Mamet,storytelling isn't about content, it's about form, rhythm and thesubversion of expectations.Unfortunately, as with most David Mamet films, the final act fizzlesout. What started out as a brilliantly subtle little thriller,degenerates into a simple fist fight. But if the last 20 minutes of thefilm don't work visually, they at least work thematically. Here we havethe warrior/writer standing up for his values, his own personal code,while the corrupt sports industry, businessmen, and by extensionHollywood, fall at the feet of his ninja linguistics. He may not winthe cash prize, but he's remains true to his art. To the masters whocame before. Mamet bows and puts down his pen.8/10 - As enjoyment of Mamet's films depends on discovering how hisstories unfold, I shall not mention "Redbelt's" plot. Suffice to saythat the first hour of this film is absolutely brilliant, whilst thefinal 20 minutes should have been better.Worth one viewing. With a bigger budget and a better final act, thiscould have been an exceptional picture.

leeryder 2012-05-24 16:24:18

Character Counts

This movie shows that, above all else, Character counts.Mamet has shown once again how he is a master Director and Writer inRedbelt. But I cannot stress enough how this movie shows how muchcharacter accounts for in our lives.. or at least, should.It is almost as if Chewitel, in this film, released a "behind thescenes" life of his character "The Operative", from Serenity. Of who"he" is as a man, and of whom he strives to be.. despite lifes up's anddown's.. despite the good.. and the bad of those we know. Above allelse, it is, it seems, who we are as people.. as our souls allow, thatmatters the most.And in this spirit, Mamet has captured the prize.. and the turmoil ofmankind.

2012-05-23 06:42:02

Redbelt Review

This review is from: Redbelt (DVD) This DVD arrived on time in excellent condition. Great earthy, gritty martial arts movie.

bobqb14 2012-05-22 13:03:30

Just plain boringly awful

Although this movie was well acted, it was slow moving and an almostridiculous plot. The ending was ridiculous and made little to no sensebecause of the way it was structured. It was advertised as a fightingMMA movie and there was very very little of that in the actual movie,just a plain awful thought out idea!!! Not even worth spending 8dollars on, in fact I wish I could write the director and writer to askfor my money back, what a plain awful film!!!! There's been multiplegood , entertaining movies about kick-boxing and MMA, this is NOT oneof them, it shows little of what the sport is really about and thefight scenes, when they actually happen, are all a blur so you can'teven hardly pay attention to them. I understand trying to make anartistic film, but you know what....Rocky was a very artistic film andit had great fight scenes and the plot actually went somewhereplausible! This movie is not worth seeing in the least bit!

2012-05-19 15:24:21

this movie just doesn't deliver

I just saw this yesterday and wished I read through these commentsbecause I would've stayed at home.The beginning of the movie showed a lot of promise. Ambiguouscharacters, unraveling, with Mamet at the director's chair.But that unraveling is what didn't translate at all to me. I could notfor the life of me figure out why his friend commits suicide. Thereason the film gives is because of a watch that was stolen or pawned,what the hell? And as far as the "climax" of the film, why did thefight to the death exist? To get money for his friend's widowed wife?Out of vengeance for his girlfriend's betrayal? To get back at theBrazilian "mafia" for setting up the fight and stealing his proverb? If it was for the last reason stated, then great, but it just seemedway too ambiguous and exhausting to look deeper, at that point, I justwanted the movie to end. But if that's the case, it all seemed tocontradict the main character's "integrity" which he seemed so intenton defending at all costs. And also, he shouldn't have gotten theRedbelt if that were the case.

2012-05-19 10:37:50

Redbelt

A friend let me borrow the film, Redbelt, as he knew I am a huge mixed martial arts fan. I am not sure how I missed this film, considering how many good actors there are in the film, plus being directed by David Mamet. Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Martial Arts master, who owns his own Jiu-Jitsu studio in Los Angeles, California. He believes in honor, integrity, hard work, and a purity in the practice of martial arts. Events are set in motion one rainy night, that eventually leads Mike to challenge the corrupt side of martial arts on the prize fighting circuit. Mike does a great job as the lead actor, playing a believable jiu-jitsu master, and a man torn between his honor and doing what it takes to survive financially. Various supporting actors also do fantastic work in helping progressing the storyline. Tim Allen, in a role far removed from Santa Clause, plays an action movie star who "befriends" Mike and his Brazilian wife (Alice Braga). Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna, and Rodrigo Santoro also appear in the film as corrupt promoters and Hollywood agents. Randy Couture also plays a television commentator on the fighting circuit. And there is also Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, an ex-championship boxer who plays a Hollywood stunt/fight director. David Mamet does an intriguing job of taking us to the underworld of dirty promoting. I am hard pressed to believe that this is happening currently in Mixed Martial Arts events, but I suppose if it was/is in boxing, it could happen to MMA. In the Special Features section, we do find out that David Mamet is a practioner of jiu-jitsu, which makes the film that much more believalbe. I thought the jiu-jitsu scenes were very believable, with many moves and countermoves being observed. The only reason this film does not get 4 stars from me, is because of the ending. From the various reviews, people seem to like it or hate it. For me, it just falls apart in the last 10 minutes, and what transpires is very unlikely to happen at any large event. In a Q&A in the special section, David addresses what happens, but he really does not answer the question fully. When "dirty" promoters have large sums of money to lose, I am sure they will take measures to make sure that nothing happens to interrupt their greedy profits.Special Features on the DVD:* "Commentary with David Mamet and Randy Couture"* "Behind-The-Scenes of Redbelt" : A look at how David and his crew searched for their actors, and the various levels of production that went into the film.* "Inside Mixed Martial Arts" : This segment goes into the history of jiu-jitsu and how it is incorporated into the film.* "Q & A with Director David Mamet" : some good information about the various scenes and actors from David.* "An Interview with Dana White" : interview with UFC President.* "Fighter Profiles" : profiles of the various fighters/actors in the film.* "The Magic of Cyril Takayama" : backstory on the magician in the film.* "Theatrical Trailer"* "Previews" Redbelt is a very interesting look into the world of mixed martial arts, and especially jiu-jitsu. Great story, great acting, and some cool martial arts and fight scenes. And the Special Features section of the DVD is very good, with additional information that helps the film.

2012-05-17 16:46:22

Worst movie ever made

This movie was horribly pretentious and the weird doubling of lines made me gag. For instance, "I want to win a belt." Then suddenly the character would say it again for no reason, "I want to win a belt." It was even more fun when the line included cussing,and so the actor would repeat swearing, which was not necessary. The plot line actually made no sense, and it was really disjointed. For example, one minute we're in a seedy bar, and the next there's a girl at the dojo who wants to take martial arts (sort of). I hope this guy doesn't make films anymore, it was the biggest piece of junk I've ever seen, and I really wanted to like it. It was funny to watch the featurettes to see all the actors praise the writer, when it was horrible writing. The Santa Claus made more sense.BTW, from a teacher who teaches grappling, BJJ, and filipino martial arts. A lot of the fight scenes are actually Filipino Martial Arts - the ground fighting is BJJ. The weapon fights are all FMA.

rjyelverton 2012-05-17 08:52:12

A great fight film

Director and playwright David Mamet has earned his critical cred bycreating works such as the blistering actor's showcase "Glengarry GlenRoss" and densely plotted films like the comedy "State and Main." He isa master of plotting. Moving his characters like chess pieces, toyingwith the viewer, creating worlds of treachery and conspiracy. Hismovies are games that tease and toy with the audience. He is also amaster of dialogue more interested in capturing the disjointed nonsequitur filled way people actually speak than with conveyingexposition.For his latest effort he lends his talents to the kind of film usuallypopulated by the likes of late night cable staple Don "The Dragon"Wilson. "Redbelt" tells the story of jiu-jitsu teacher Mike Terry(Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his efforts to remain true to his principles.Terry is very good at what he does and has gained notoriety among LosAngeles fight promoters, but refuses to enter into the glitzy world oftelevised mixed martial arts bouts. He desires to pass along hisknowledge to those in need of it, but avoid fighting for show.But Terry is in a Mamet film where everyone conspires against you anddraws you toward inevitable confrontation. From the very first moments,the film creates unease in the viewer and moves with urgency. Fightersgrapple, a gun appears, and a sudden violent act occurs that sets thewhole film in motion. The principled hero will be forced into animpossible situation and his belief that every trap can be escaped willbe tested.The film is perhaps too enslaved to genre conventions and it revealsthis in the final third as it enters the more melodramatic world of theimpossible fight against the evil villains. Still this is certainly oneof the best fight films I have ever seen and Mamet's plotting, asalways, amazes. The film does not desire more than to tell anentertaining story well and at that it succeeds.

joemamaohio 2012-05-10 03:24:34

My Review

MMA instructor Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) always makes the rightdecisions in life. He's generous, caring, compassionate and pretty muchflawlessly perfect.Things start going array, however, when a series of events propel himinto a do-or-die fight in the MMA ring - a fight that he's never donehimself."Redbelt" was an alright movie, but I didn't like how Mike was just soperfect. He always did the right things, made all the right decisions,and was really boring. The acting wasn't anything to write home abouteither, and the ending seemed rushed and cut short. It was a prettydecent story, but I've seen better MMA movies (like "Never Back Down").Still, as I said, it wasn't bad and worth a viewing.

2012-05-09 14:02:06

Surprising and excellent

This review is from: Redbelt (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) David Mamet's fight picture.Mamet movies I've seen (written and/or directed), as just now revealed to me by IMDB:The Winslow BoyRonin (I had no idea!)Wag the DogThe Edge (!)Glengarry Glen RossThe UntouchablesThe VerdictSo, as it turns out, I've liked most of the movies of his I've seen. In fact, all of the above rank at least in my "hey that was pretty ok" level. Ronin I love.Redbelt ranks similarly to Ronin, helped by it's main character's adherence to a samurai-like code. Mike Terry is an honorable man running a small jui-jutsu dojo in LA. He has a dedicated student, a police officer, in whom he has instilled the same sense of honor. His wife runs a textile/clothing design business and helps him stay afloat. He is well-known and respected within the martial arts world, but has never found great financial success, and refuses to compete. A series of fortuitous and tragic events and people test his code of honor to the furthest degree.The movie is carried equally by its writing and acting. It's a fight movie, and you figure the quiet master will have to fight in the end, but Mamet's screenplay takes interesting routes to get there. The time spent with Mike Terry (the truly great Chiwetel Ejiofor) makes the choices and conclusions feeled earned rather than obvious. Chiwetel is supported by a uniformly excellent cast, including Tim Allen in a serious role, Emily Mortimer, Joe "Fat Tony" Mantegna, and Max Martini (who does a lot with a relatively small amount of screen time as the cop student).I read some reviews that complained about the ending and some of the story's loose ends not being tied up, but I think each of those elements was consistent with the way the story was told and needn't have been elaborated on. (One example: it is hinted that Terry has a military past and has overcome an alcohol addiction, but, while never elaborated on, we see the sort of man it has made Terry, and these hints do strengthen the character without needing to be spelled out.)As far as the visuals go, the beginning really stood out to me. Very moody noir-ish stuff in the rain. The rest of the cinematography doesn't draw attention to itself (to me, anyway), but the direction allows many lingering shots that afforded some great introspective work from Chiwetel.I recommend it.

2012-05-08 23:24:30

An Exciting Venture Into Many Worlds of Film & Ideology

We need more writers like David Mamet. We need a guy who can define his characters so well admist a labyrinth of seedy developments. This man has proven through his plays, his screenplays, and his few directorial efforts that we want to see the brushstrokes as well as the finished painting. REDBELT is among his best work, in any field.It's impossible to narrow most of Mamet's work into one description, but I think the one that fits best is "samurai film noir". REDBELT is an interesting blend of Akira Kurosawa and...well, David Mamet. I refuse to compare this to kind of complicated storytelling to Dashell Hammett or Quentin Tarantino, because frankly Mamet deserves his own genre like those great writers.Chitwetel Ejoifor plays Mike Terry, an instructor whose Brazilian jiu-jitsu dojo in Los Angeles is in dire straits. There is not enough money to keep the business open. The American public is more into the televised sport of mixed martial arts ("MMA"), rather than the methodology behind the combat. Terry's own traditional beliefs haven't helped, either. His code of honor --- which teaches that sports weaken a fighter --- is an admirable but crippling quality. It's the struggle between commerce and tradition that fuels most of REDBELT.The movie begins rather strangely. The opening credits feature Asian percussion and instruments, across blood-red letters. We feel like we're watching a samurai combat picture. Mike Terry is coaching his two grappling students with such intensity, constantly reitereating "Find your escape" and "You know this! Very Good!" While this is going on, a disturbed woman is driving in heavy rain, looking for a place to pick up some drugs (I think). It'd be impossible to explain what happens next, but try to imagine how in the world this opening sequences concludes with a misfired gunshot into Mike Terry's dojo window. Confused? Well, that's David Mamet for you.Oh, that's just the first 15 minutes. It's hard to tell where the thrust of REDBELT begins, because in typical Mamet fashion, we meet a multitude of interesting characters and learn a great deal of information...and it's all important by the end. The disturbed woman is Laura Black (played by the always-solid Emily Mortimer), who becomes a part-time student of Terry's. These scenes are very crucial, because without them, we wouldn't learn Terry's code in convincing fashion. It's a great credit to Ejoifor that the code of honor doesn't feel forcefed down our throasts. He embodies this character with total conviction, as if he lives every second to this way of life. There's a harrowing scene when Terry violently forces the uneasy Laura to face her fears, and brutally escape Terry's grasp. It's powerful, moving, and convincing. Their relationship is perhaps the most developed, but it's certainly not the only one Mamet throws at us.There are several other story threads, each with deceptive significance. In a surprising dramatic turn, Tim Allen plays Chet Frank, an action star whose latest trip to the bar turns into a brawl. Mike Terry's intervention to save Chet opens up new doors for him to enter the moviemaking industry, and perhaps offer legitimate consultation on Chet's action sequences for his next movie. It's great to watch our self-righteous protagonist justify his involvement with a commerical enterprise, and struggle to keep his honor while dancing with some of Chet's possibly corruptive devils. Fans of Mamet's work will love to see the reliable Ricky Jay and Joe Mantegna ooze as smooth manipulators of the confidence game. Watching these two veterans play all angles at such rapid pace can't be the sole work of a writer's script; Mantegna & Jay deserve just as much credit.The bar where Terry saved Chet is run by Bruno Silva, a fight promoter who's been after a man of Terry's skills for some time, to give televised MMA some new life. You've probably seen the relucant athlete versus the sleazy promoter in other sports movies, but thanks to Ejoifor and Rodrigo Santoro (as Bruno), the delivery is crisp and engaging. How Silva taunts and attempts to use Mike Terry is murky at first, genius when it develops, and slightly underwhelming when the twist is explained.There are other pieces of this delicious pie that I haven't discussed. Watching David Mamet weave his screenplay's multiple threads together is a thrilling delight, and only suffers when the third act is reached. Due to plot developments that I will not give away, Mike Terry is forced to fight in an MMA undercard tournament. The tournament is given an extra promotional boost when one of Terry's ideas (based on an ancient teaching tool) is prostituted into an industry he swore to ignore. How Terry is forced to enter this world makes sense. The betrayals he undures are acceptable. The significance of the final showdown is satisfactory.Where David Mamet screws up is in his execution. Before placing his hero into the inevitable contest, Mamet first shows us an MMA fight between two unimportant martial artists. It's nice to learn how the fights are regulated, but the sequence goes on for five minutes...way too long, and distracting from the main story. When Mike Terry learns how he has been used, there is way too much information to take in at once. The twists are fine; the pacing and delivery are off.And when David Mamet chooses to close his story with a fight scene, it's a thrilling piece of action, but slightly hypocritical to Mike Terry's battle to avoid commerical fighting. And the conclusion is thematically satisfying, but played rather melodramatically. Again, great ideas are marred by uncalculated pace. We could've had a masterpiece if Mamet had utilitzed a more appropriate style. If it weren't for the superb performance by Chiwetel Ejoifor, REDBELT's closing scenes would've collapsed. Thankfully, a solid idea was redeemed by a terrific actor, even when a director didn't choose his shots correctly.Those last few paragraphs may sound like deal breakers, but I've only devoted so much attention to them because a masterpiece was on the brink, and instead David Mamet has left us with an imperfect albeit excellent drama. His ambition and slow progression of the plot & characters is absorbing for most of the picture. When REDBELT reaches its final stretch, your mind is forced to selectively keep & remove certain bits of information.If you can forgive REDBELT for its great ideas that don't reach their full potential, then this is an excellent film well worth your time. But if your the type of moviegoer who believes that the bottom of the 9th inning is all that matters, then you might wanna pass it up.What do I think? --- I believe REDBELT is another strong work from David Mamet, a terrific blend of samurai pictures & film noir, a movie full of exciting ideas and interesting characters, and (in spite of its flaws) one of 2008's best movies.OVERALL = 9.0 / 10......***1/2 out of 4***If you're into DVD features, the commentary track with David Mamet and former MMA champion Randy Couture is a pleasant listen, with great bits of detail for those who may not understand the world of mixed martial arts. It's a quality-over-quantity package.***

2012-05-08 08:40:26

More a Riveting Character Study than an Action film

Mixed Martial Arts have been in the spotlight ever since the emergence of UFC and some Hollywood films such as the Karate Kid clone "Never Back Down" (which I have also reviewed) have attempted to capitalize on its popularity. Writer/director David Mamet's "REDBELT" may well be the best U.S. filmmakers have come up with in regards to the world of Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. The film is about honor and integrity, it cleverly blends the Japanese "code of the Samurai" into the dark side of the world of corruption in competitive sports. The film offers something to think about and for martial artists, it can get under your skin. Mike Terry (Cheitel Ejiofor) is a well-respected but struggling teacher of Jiu-Jitsu. Terry has his own code of honor and would rather be poor than to compromise his integrity, much to the dismay of his wife Sondra (Alice Braga). His life intertwines with a student/policeman, a fragile young attorney (Emily Mortimer) and a hotshot actor named Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Frank becomes a witness to Terry's fighting skills when he assists him resolve a barroom brawl, and offers him and his wife a business arrangement. However, things go from bad to worst, his ideas are stolen and certain things may well force Terry to compete for money--something he does not believe in.Rather than focusing on dynamic, jaw-dropping action sequences, "Redbelt" is more a riveting character study of one man. The film may be simple in terms of plot and some key elements may be a little unoriginal, but the storytelling is structured well and the script does provide the necessary emotions to add to its effectiveness. The old adage; "Good Guys finish last..." may come to mind, but what that phrase doesn't complete is that "..but good guys also guarantees their soul.." and I believe in that. The film is nicely paced and the proceedings does exactly what it is trying to say. While Terry is admired by students and other folks, his strong integrity may just hamper his success when it comes to the real world of money and material needs. Mike Terry is a man torn between his principles and his obligations. I truly love his principle of "competition is not a fight, I teach my students to prevail but not necessarily to fight". I also admired Mamet's definition of what exactly a "black belt" represents philosophically and that a belt is just something to hold up your pants. The film is a real densely executed character study and the spirit of martial arts, and of course, textbook manipulations would occur that would lead to its gripping encounter. The film does offer some of the most realistic fight sequences I've seen on camera. The moves are on display as Terry fights for his goal, although Asian martial arts films will provide a more entertaining experience. I've read that actor Cheitel Ejiofor trained in London, under Carlos Gracie in his academy, and the man definitely owned his role. This was a very good advantage as it did help the actor be more convincing in his role, since he did train in one of the best schools of Jiu-Jitsu. He knows the moves and it showed that he does, I bet the stunt coordinators appreciated this fact as it would be easier to choreograph the art's very complex moves. REDBELT also delves into the spirit of Jiu-Jitsu as well as the way of the samurai, and it also explores the corruption of money-driven competition; "everything that involves money is fixed" (we all know this but we just tend to deny it). The film shows money-driven competition's ugly face, and it is a very bleak view that is similar to the world of boxing. Quite a real gutsy move in the part of David Mamet. Surprisingly, Tim Allen does a great job as Chet Frank, at first impression, I thought he was miscast but he fit his role. Emily Mortimer may seemed a little "doopie" in the beginning but she also contributes to the film's emotional impact. The film does have a solid cast that reflects its solid direction. Mamet definitely knew what he wanted to do with the film, the man wants to communicate the integrity and honor of a good man in a very cynical and materialistic world and he does so; the film is structured well and the writing is sharp. The circumstances that led to Mike being pushed to a corner was convincing enough and the links between the characters were credible. The spirit of Jiu-Jitsu is treated as if it is "hallowed ground" when it is within the confines of Terry's school; men and women can find themselves inside while leaving the real world behind. The film's climax may leave some audiences asking for more and some may even say it seems a bit too cheesy, but if you were paying attention to its entirety, it does make a fitting ending. The climactic fight that occurs outside the ring does effectively represent just what Mike Terry stands for. "RedBelt" may not have that many sequences of fisticuffs and those who are looking for an abundance of choreographed martial arts are better off looking elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a character-driven, thinking man's martial arts drama, then this film will not disappoint. REDBELT effectively portrays the beliefs and the philosophy of martial arts. As someone often told me; "the measure of a man is not to be judged with the size of his wallet, but what he holds in his heart; if he works hard enough and never compromises his beliefs and integrity, then he is beautiful..."Recommended! [4- Stars]

2012-05-04 19:58:07

An Intelligent Film involving the world of MMA

I went into this film with apprehension. I'm not a fan of MMA or Ultimate Fighting. I can't stand it. I've always been a Boxing fan, and will always be a boxing fan. So I heard this was an "MMA Movie" and I wasn't sure whether or not I would like it or not, but I like David Mamet's films, and there were several actors that I'm a fan of including Children of Men's Chiwetel Eijefor.I have to say I was blown away by this. This is NOT an MMA movie. This is an intelligent film that happens to involve MMA. If you're looking for a dumbed down movie that treats the audience like an idiot, and has a fight every five minutes or so, go rent Never Back Down. That's probably more to your liking.This is a Grown Folks movie involving MMA. Chiwetel Eijefor plays a man who trains cops to survive. he doesn't train them to compete in tournaments, or to be the toughest guy in the world. He trains them to come home alive, if they happen to run into trouble on the streets while doing their job. And the film is about what happens when this man of honor is put in a situation where he is being asked to forsake his honor and his code that he lives by.It also stars Max Martini (CBS' The Unit) in a pivotal role in the film.I'm not going to give anything away, but I would advise you to skip the movie trailer because it gives away just about EVERY big thing in the movie including part of the climax.Don't watch this if you're expecting a whole bunch of fighting. This isn't about the fight. This is a very special movie that I've already watched about five times since buying the Blu Ray.There's some very good extras on there as well, including a director's commentary by David Mamet, and a featurette that showcases the Asian Magician in the movie, who is a real life magician.The picture quality and audio quality on this Bluray is fantastic! Buying this film is a no-brainer. You have to do it. You won't be sorry.I can't recommend this any more highly than I am.

Chris Knipp 2012-05-04 15:37:54

Mamet creates a real hero

If you know your Mamet you can watch 'Redbelt' for the significant waysin which it's un-Mamet-like and it will be more enjoyable. If you don'tknow your Mamet, you're likely to find it just as baffling andoff-putting as 'Heist,' 'Spartan,' 'The Spanish Prisoner,' etc.,because the plot still moves forward, especially at the beginning, by aseries of baffling twists. (It pays to keep coming back.)Mamet's dialog with its pauses and repetitions and non-sequiturs is sofamously mannered and self-conscious you can picture it on the page ofscript even as the actors speak it. Such artificiality works better inprinciple on stage. The greater issue when Mamet writes and directs hisown movie is the story line. His plot twists are so purely clever, socompletely arbitrary, it's hard to take them seriously. The result isenjoyable in a head-trip kind of way, but ultimately cold anduninvolving. As David Edelstein says in his nonetheless favorablereview of 'Redbelt,' its plot is "so bizarrely convoluted it barelyholds together on a narrative level." Maybe Edelstein's right that thisis typical of fight movies; it's even more typical of Mamet. Hisdouble-crosses, often involving Hollywood people and crooked promoters,are more rapid-fire and intricate than the usual genre equivalents. But coming after the cold blur of Mamet's 2004 'Spartan,' 'Redbelt'seems unusually fresh and strong. Some have just attributed this toMamet's doing a "noir," a "prize fight story," even a "Rocky," with"mixed martial arts" (jujitsu really) the updated replacement ofboxing--and this time not even getting in the way of the (for him) newgenre. But I think the important difference is Mamet's departure notfrom previous genres or the conventions of this one, but from his usualcynicism, which makes the ending far less routine and mechanical than'Spartan's,' less cold and clever than any of his previous endingswere.Genre elements are still definitely there. You can see 'Redbelt,' for awhile anyway, as a grownup 'Karate Kid', with Chiwetel Ejiofor the Mr.Miyagi and a cop named Joey his Daniel-san.There are two interpretations of this comparison. Either the dip intoold fashioned B-picture structures makes 'Redbelt' a winner, moreforceful and accessible than Mamet's usual hide-and-seek bluffs. Or theMamet mannerisms are absurd in an otherwise conventional action settingand it's a flop. (Those who complain the fights aren't specific enoughare surely missing how well the passive, defensive methods of jujitsuare defined and illustrated in the film early on so they can beappreciated later.)The skeleton of the fight story trajectory is unquestionably there, butwith a difference. The movie (apparently) ends with a big staged publiccompetition surrounded by the paraphernalia of audience and promotionand suspense about outcome. Like an old-style boxing flick the movierefers to gambling, fixed fights, payoffs, prizes. But first of allthis isn't about boxing--"Boxing's dead," one of the promoterssays--and Mamet even takes a lot of personal pleasure in working withthis different sport, using his own knowledge from five years oftraining in it. But more than that, the difference in the sport and the hero'sdedication to it significantly change the framework and the ending.Unlike just any conventional athlete, Mike Terry (Ejiofor) practicesand teaches a Brazilian form of jujitsu--his wife Sondra (Alice Braga)is Brazilian--and therefore follows the Bushido code. This is not onlynot boxing. It's a philosophy, and as we know, its focus is not winninga staged contest but triumphing over any enemy in a conflict. 'Redbelt'is a martial arts movie with a hero who succeeds to the end in stayingoutside any system. Mike never intends to and does not participate in apromoted public fight (though Mamet just barely dodges that--with hisusual slickness in plot twists).This is where Mamet completely deviates from his usual world of onecynical double-cross after another. Unlike the underdog, Mike hasnothing to prove. His dojo is financially unsuccessful not because he'ssome kind of hitherto floundering loser but simply because he is--hemust be--indifferent to money. He is in peak condition and never loses,but when he triumphs it's only to make a point, not prove himself. Thismay link him with Mr. Miyagi. But unlike Miyagi, Mike fights, anddefeats, a lot of people on-screen. This is so much an action movie andEjiofor is so convincing that the dialog very rarely sounds manneredthis time.If you understand what Mamet's doing and how that's different this timefrom both Mamet's routines and the sports genre film, the ending ins'thasty or confused so much as emotionally satisfying and right. If youinsist, you can say it's just 'Rocky' for grownups who like Easternphilosophy; but that's something awfully new for this writer/director.As usual for Mamet, 'Redbelt' isn't realistic. But this time he isn'tjust being clever: the movie leads not to "Ah ha!" but simply asatisfied "Ah!" This time Mamet doesn't give us a manipulated characterwho does or doesn't survive: he gives us a real hero. This is where theexcellent Ejiofor is so essential and so cool. Mike is a characterMamet never conceived before--and a hero more convincing in his ironresiliency than is usual, thanks to the calm intensity and inner peacethe actor effortlessly projects.There are plenty of other reasons in the cast for being happy. Everyoneis unusually good and those characters who seem cheap and slick arethat way because they're from the world of cheap and slick people.Those who come closer to Mike Terry like his wife and the initiallydodgy woman lawyer Laura Black (Emily Mortimer) who becomes his partnerin conflict, and his black belt, Joe Ryan (Max Martini) are thoroughlywarm and convincing.

azwaan 2012-05-02 12:41:01

A different but superb martial arts movie.

I must admit , this is a first for me i normally hate the whole dramathing around a martial flick , but this got me all warm hearted. I hadnever noticed Chiwetel Ejiofor in any movie prior to this one but I'mhappy i did now ,as he did one heck of a job representing the name ofJiu Jitsu and the honor code with it. This movie really expressed thecommercial side of this era , and how it blind even dedicatedprofessionals along its path. And that sometimes we do need someone tostep up and remind all that some things have no price. A greatconspiracy plot and a dedicated cast make this movie one to watch andmost likely remembered by most.9/10

ElijahCSkuggs 2012-05-02 01:01:13

MMA Mamet Style

For a fan of MMA like myself, I've been really drooling for a good MMAflick. To satisfy my MMA urges I've put myself through cheesy BasRutten flicks (The Eliminator and even The Vault), amazingdocumentaries (The Smashing Machine), and even rare Japanese flicks(Nagurimono). So this has been a long time coming. A well-made flick,with a well-known director and accomplished actors, this has to begood, right? Well, no, not really. But luck be true, REDBELT was a verygood film.The story follows a thoughtful Jiu Jitsu instructor who ends up runninginto some good luck. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long, and in orderto set things right, he will need to cross examine himself and thepeople around him. Respect, honor, greed, back-stabbing and gratituderule this film, turning it into an intriguing, emotional andentertaining movie.With fantastic acting by most, smart, realistic writing, and someemotional scenes, REDBELT delivers an especially big wallop on theintimate side. Though, with hyper editing and jerky camera-work used for the MMAscenes, the movie tends not to work as well as I would have liked. Fora knowledgeable MMA fan, you'll pick up on all the moves, but forsomeone who doesn't know about MMA and it's techniques, it may seemlike a mess. However, the film is definitely not a mess. Yeah, the ending was a tadtoo unbelievable, and though the movie shines through it's writing andrealistic situations, some scenes felt a little sappy. But the end ofthe ending was fantastic.Red Belt doesn't fail at being an action flick; it just succeeds moreso at being an entertaining drama with an MMA theme. This is an easymovie to recommend, since it's easily recommendable to all people whobelieve in having good morals. The movie would have been perfect if El Guapo was in it. ;)

collipal-1 2012-04-30 22:53:31

Another excellent movie from Mamet

I have always enjoyed the movies from director and screenwriter DavidMamet,because of their ingenious ideas,sharp dialogues and detailedperformances.However,there were a few occasions in which I was notcompletely satisfied with the mechanic of the stories.In other words,onvarious occasions I could note the gears from the story turning inorder to getting to the specific point Mamet wants to lead.That's not afatal fail,and that does not avoid them from being excellent movies,butthat thing makes them to be a little bit rigid.Redbelt represents asignificant thematic innovation on his career,offering a veryinteresting re-interpretation of the martial arts movies; or,bettersaid,from the concepts of honour and nobility on which are based someof the best movies from that genre.Besides,in Redbelt,Mamet left hisold tricks aside,so because,of that,the movie feels less rigid thanother films from his filmography.As a final result,we have afascinating movie and I think it is one of his best films,by my humblepoint of view.Redbelt is the nearest to an action movie directed byMamet.Spartan was near from that genre,but I think this time we have amore concrete combination of suspense,story and violence.Of course thatby saying "action genre",I am not talking about hollow male fantasieswith invincible heroes and a lot of special effects.Mamet is moreinterested on the intellectual aspect of the action and I think thebest confrontations from this movie are on the main character'smind.What takes me to the great Chiwetel Ejiofor.In his relativelyshort career,he has consecrated himself as one of the best contemporaryactors; one of those interpreters who have talent for facing anyrole,like the exuberant travesty from Kinky Boots to the shy conciergefrom Dirty Pretty Things.I hope to see someday his huge talent to berecognized by awards,but what is more important than that is that healways brings phenomenal performances,as we can see on Redbelt.Hisacting on this movie is simultaneously detailed,deep and credible.Therest of the cast is also very solid,and the members who mostly standout are Tim Allen,who surprised me very much with an excellentperformance,and Emily Mortimer,who is simply perfect.The screenplay isbrilliant and the best element from it is the way in which it shows theinteractions between the characters.The only fail from it is that theending is a little bit predictable.But that is something minor in sightof all the positive elements from this movie.Redbelt is an excellentmovie which deserves a very enthusiastic recommendation because of itsgreat screenplay,its perfect performances,and for being veryentertaining from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.

bob the moo 2012-04-30 06:37:24

Not classic Mamet but still hard not to enjoy

Mike Terry is a martial arts instructor with his own,financially-failing business, which is carried by the more successfulbusiness of his fashion-designer wife. His training approach is purefighting and, as such, he has never competed and has developed his owntraining techniques based on handicap. When a woman comes into hisestablishment at the end of a rainy night, a simple error that isaccepted as such by all involves, starts a chain of minor events thatsees both Mike and his wife potentially on the road to relative successand prosperity. However everything can change and the purity of Mike'slife and teachings are put under strain.Redbelt reached the UK recently and offered me two reliable things inwhat appeared to be a genre movie in a genre that rarely offers much.This genre was modern American martial arts and, having just wasted mytime on Never Back Down, it was only the presence of both Mamet andEjiofor that made me think that this would be much more than that. Andindeed that was the case because Mamet has managed to deliver more orless a genre movie but informed with the intelligence and uniquedialogue style of his writing to be much more than the basic plotsuggests it should be. In terms of narrative then, there are weaknessesand it is not at all a tidy or totally logical affair – those lookingfor this will be disappointed. Likewise, those coming to Redbeltthinking it is what it appears to be on the face of it (another film inthe mould of Never Back Down) will be disappointing that it is not allabout the fighting and that the martial arts action is a distant secondto the characters themselves.Mamet doesn't forget this though and his writing has all the pitch,pace and rhythm that we have become accustom to. It is not his finestwork by any means but it is still very good and it is impressive theway that he can draw you in with the style and rhythm of the dialogueas much as the substance of it. The actors are important then and thisis why someone as talented as Ejiofor is on board. He may not betotally convincing when it comes to the fighting but he knows his wayaround a script and a character and he does a great job at the heart ofthe film, making us care for him and empathise with his situations andsubsequent decisions. He is well supported by Braga who turns in aperformance that shows she is not just doing well because of her notunimpressive looks. Likewise Mortimer is good, even if neither hasanywhere near the presence or material of Ejiofor. The support cast arefilled out with regulars such as Paymer, Mantegna, Pidgeon, Jay andothers, while Tim Allen manages to ease out a performance that is notbrilliant but at least does not disrupt or distract in the way that hiscomedy suggested to me he might. More than any of the supporting castthough, it is Mamet that looms large over it all, with his directionfitting (although some will hate it for the handling of the fights) andhis script being typically his.Redbelt is not a perfect film, nor is it amazingly tight or engaging inthe way that some of Mamet's best work has been. Nor is it a typicallyb-movie genre film either, which again will leave those on the otherextreme disappointed with it (although it is their own fault for notknowing who David Mamet is I guess). However the film is still engagingand enjoyable for the pace, rhythm and robustness of the delivery fromscript through performances to the feel of the piece – all of which domake up for weaknesses in the narrative, which is probably its weakestaspect. Not classic Mamet but still hard not to enjoy.

2012-04-28 12:51:52

There May Always Be An Escape, How About An Ending...

The story of an underdog is one that always seems to resonate with movie audiences, most likely because at one time or another in our lives we have all been in that position, so we know what it feels like and can easily relate to it. In writer/director David Mamet's recently released "Redbelt" we are given the typical Hollywood underdog story; however, that's not good enough for a David Mamet movie, there must always be something more going on than what meets the eye. So, does "Redbelt" successfully push itself beyond the standard limits of an underdog story, or do the added subtexts cause the movie to ultimately suffer in the end?"Redbelt" is the story of an idealistic Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiorfor), who lives his life according to a strict code of honor reminiscent of the samurai. After one fateful night, Mike comes to the aid of actor Chet Frank (Tim Allen) moments before the fading action star is about to be pummeled in a bar brawl. Feeling gratitude towards Mike for his heroic deed, Chet befriends the Jiu-Jitsu instructor; however, what appeared to be a kind gesture on Chet's part may have been nothing more than a manipulative ruse to gain access to some of Mike's training techniques for use in rigged televised MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fights, which Chet has a vested interest in. With this apparent betrayal at the hands of a dishonorable man, Mike is determined to set things right once more and earn his honor back.This movie was kind of an odd experience for me, on the one hand it was a fairly decent drama, full of twists and turns, betrayal, and a good share of accurately depicted Jiu-Jitsu (the accuracy statement is based on what I've read about the movie, I personally wouldn't know for sure). On the other hand, the movie is full of convenient coincidences; plot threads left completely unresolved, and an ending that is so horribly filmed and surprisingly simplistic that the movie seems to fall apart completely in the closing moments. With numerous positive elements working in the movie's favor against some undeniably problematic negative elements I found myself moderately enjoying approximately half of the movie, but wishing the other half would have been a bit more refined, especially from a writer and director of David Mamet's caliber.Speaking of David Mamet, I am not one of his biggest fans, and whenever a new movie or project is announced that he will be working on I don't anxiously await for it to be completed. I admit that I have enjoyed several of the movies and TV projects that he has written, or at least worked on, over the years ("The Shield", "Hannibal", etc.); however, after watching his last movie "Spartan" that he both wrote and directed, I came to the conclusion that even though the movie was decent, it just didn't really work for me and if this was evidence of what a film written and directed by Mamet was going to be like, then I could easily wait for DVD or never see it at all and still be perfectly fine. With all that being said, when I saw the trailers for "Redbelt" I was very intrigued by the story and the cast chosen to flesh out the roles, but when I heard that this was another movie written and directed by David Mamet I kind of lost interest, and as I said would be the case, decided to wait for DVD. The movie still looked interesting enough to warrant a viewing, which is why I wouldn't have been content to just let this movie pass me by.The screenplay for "Redbelt" is a very well written drama that digs into the world of martial arts academies and televised fighting circuits. The story is the epitome of the classic underdog tale, as Mike takes on the likes of those much richer and more powerful than he could ever hope to be in order to regain the honor he feels he has lost due to his betrayal at the hands of actor Chet Frank and his cohorts. As sharp as the writing by Mamet is in this film, with its intricate web of deception and intrigue, for some unexplained reason, the climax becomes far too simplified, leaving many plot lines introduced earlier in the movie unresolved; plus, the camerawork for the final fight scene is some of the worst I have seen in a movie. I realize that David Mamet is much more skilled with drama than action, and I give him credit for including as many fight scenes as he did in this movie; however, the earlier fight scenes were filmed in a way that the audience was close to the action and could easily see what exactly was going on throughout the course of the fight. When it comes to the end of the movie, a majority of the time the camera is positioned in what feels like the other side of the arena, causing me, the viewer, to not be able to see much of what is going on. There are a few moments within that final fight where the camerawork is much better, but the jarring cutbacks to the distant shot completely disrupt whatever momentum the fight scene had. I am really surprised by David Mamet's apparent inability to resolve his movie in a more satisfactory way, even though I am not his biggest fan I am smart enough to realize that he is a man that knows how to finish a movie properly, but for some reason he just chose not to do it here, and the movie definitely suffers for it.As far as the acting in the film goes, everyone did an absolutely great job. Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Four Brothers") was almost inspiring in his utmost commitment to his code of honor and inability to see the bad in others. I knew that Chiwetel was a very good actor, but I wasn't sure if he could carry a movie on his own. For an actor that mostly spends his time in supporting roles, his jump into the lead role was surprisingly smooth, and his good-natured character most likely assisted in making him more relatable to the audience. Another performance worthy of praise was that of funny man Tim Allen ("The Santa Clause"), who was an odd choice for such a dramatic role, but his performance was quite possibly one of the best, if not the best, in his entire career as an actor. I had never seen Tim play a serious role before, not to mention a semi-villainous one, yet Tim nails the part perfectly, never once showing a hint of the comedian we've all known for years. Filling out the rest of the supporting cast we have Emily Mortimer ("The Pink Panther") who plays a traumatized lawyer, Joe Mantegna ("The Last Don") as Chet's manager, and Ricky Jay who is a staple of many David Mamet films and TV episodes as an under-handed fight promoter. UFC fighter Randy Couture ("The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior") shows up in a surprisingly good performance as a fight commentator working in the MMA fighting circuit that Mike is attempting to expose as a fraud.In the end, "Redbelt" was still an average movie, but the problematic conclusion causes the experience to be far less enjoyable than it started out to be. Perhaps if David Mamet could have taken a little more time in tying up loose ends, instead of setting up cameras in some of the worst positions imaginable for a fight scene, the ending would have worked much better and the film would have benefited considerably."Redbelt" is rated R for violence and language.

williamperno 2012-04-28 01:53:40

Brilliant

This is an excellent film and deserves more credit than it has gottenso far. I was completely unaware of this films existence before i wasgiven the opportunity to view the movie after its theatrical release. Iwould maybe blame poor advertising, not enough exposure. I wasexpecting another cheezy story surrounded by a Martial Arts theme thereseems to be so many now with all the teen movies especially, waistingall of our time and money. Redbelt however was an entertaining breathof fresh air and excitement. The movie itself does leave some plotquestions but you will be far from disappointed. The story is great andtwisting and Chiwetel Ejiofor does what i would describe as anabsolutely amazing performance in his character as Mike Terry. I hopeto see him more as the lead roll in upcoming movies, good acting ishard to come by. I was very impressed and again surprised how i couldhave possibly over looked such a good movie. I believe the DVD releasewill be sometime in Aug. This is absolutely a movie your going to wantto check out and i wouldn't wait for the rainy day to do it.