Movie review: ‘Redbelt’ is Mamet’s existential Rocky
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
May 9, 2008 at 4:56am
By Matt Martin
David Mamet—the writer of such plays-turned-movies as Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo and the writer-director of The Spanish Prisoner and House of Games, among others—isn’t the first person for making a martial arts film. But with Mamet in charge, Redbelt is more than “just” a genre picture.
Here’s the plot: set on the west side of the Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage fighters, cops, and special forces types, it’s the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Gulf War veteran turned jujitsu teacher who has avoided the prize-fighting circuit, choosing instead to operate his self-defense studio with a samurai’s code. Terry and his wife, Sondra (Alice Braga), struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. On a dark, rainy night, an accident at the academy between an off-duty officer (Max Martini) and a an apparent junkie (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry’s life dramatically and introduce him to a world of promoters and to movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen), his agent (Joe Mantegna) and a crooked fight promoter (Ricky Jay). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life. Among his foes: Brazillian (John Machado) and Japanese (Enson Inoue) champs.
Like most of Mamet’s work, the plot is convoluted and twisty—almost too much so in this case. On the other hand, the ending is a little simplistic and some of the fight scenes are choppily edited. What’s more, the plot device that sets the whole thing is motion is simply unbelievable.
Still, you cant’ help but root for Terry, especially as played as a nobel, sweet everyman by the talented Ejiofor. The rest of the cast is also game, but the biggest surprise is Allen, who turns his family comedy image on his head as a spoiled, boozy action star. And the climactic fight scene is very rousing as our reluctant hero has to kick butt.
Think of Redbelt as Mamet’s existential Rocky.
Redbelt is rated R for strong language. Running time: 99 minutes. Macsimum rating: 5 out of 10. You can check out the film’s trailer on the QuickTime movie trailer site.
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
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