Film Review

Redbelt

by Telly Davidson

David Mamet's latest film Redbelt, set in a decidedly unglamorous side of Los Angeles, is an involving character study about an African American Jiu-Jitsu master named Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor).  The disciplined and deeply principled Mike runs a respected self-defense Dojo near Hollywood which eventually attracts the attention of Hollywood fight promoters who want to turn Martial Arts competitions into the next WWE stunt shows for cable TV. An accident involving one of Mike’s best friends and students, a police officer, and fellow Gulf War vet named Joe Collins (an excellent, tensely drawn performance by Max Martini) that spirals ever deeper out of control forces Mike to “enter the dragon” at a penultimate – and rigged – ultimate fighting showdown.         
   
Redbelt deals in the typical Mamet themes of striving for the brass ring, masculinity, and flawed honor, with characters one foot in the demimonde and the other in respectable society. The movie is replete with small but pivotal performances by stars like Tim Allen and Joe Mantegna, plus veteran character actors David Paymer and Ricky Jay, all of whom do quite well. Not surprisingly, the film’s setups and blocking are stagy and less-than-cinematic until the tense and well-executed climax, which recalls films like Rocky and The Karate Kid in the best sense (and paying off handsomely). While Redbelt has less showoffy dialogue (and profanity) than most Mamet films and plays, it still has plenty of zingers that cut to the film’s zeitgeist.          
                    
One hopes that this movie will help kick the talented Chiwetel Ejiofor up several notches to where he is no longer Hollywood’s best kept secret -- particularly after his riveting supporting role in last year’s Talk to Me with Don Cheadle.   Emily Mortimer does wonderfully with a pivotal role as a timid young woman who seeks to study under Mike after having been brutally raped and beaten at knifepoint.  While colder and more clinical than seductive or mysterious, Redbelt follows the pattern of classic L.A. noir, taking us into a world where everyone has a touch of evil or corruption in them.