Red Belt

I just rented this Red Belt movie last night. It's a David Mamet script and production, but not exactly his usual talking tough guy drama. Instead, star Chiwetel Ejiofor (the badguy agent from Serenity) carries the film with his calm, nuanced performance as a talented jiu-jitsu instructor with amazing integrity. There were also some strong supporting performances, including Tim Allen playing a serious and unflattering role as a corrupt version of himself.

Although this could have easily been a generic martial arts movie, there is a heavy emphasis on the tension between honor and practicality, focusing on the corrupt elements of the Mixed Martial Arts fighting circuit. The movie even takes thinly-veiled shots at the dominant Gracie clan of Brazilian judo/jiu-jitsu fame and also a blatant critique of how movies are made.

The plot is interesting and tightly crafted, but there are a few too many coincidences/conspiracies, all just to set up a standard martial arts tournament with a minor twist. And yet, with all of this set up, the movie explodes into a very unexpected finale, complete with a satisfying finish to an otherwise downbeat and cynical movie.

The acting is strong, the fight scenes are great, and the script redeems itself in the end. Whether you like Mamet or not, you should give Red Belt a look. I give Red Belt 4 stars on our AT scale.

I love Mamet. Thanks for the heads up; this would have gone completely under my radar.

Just saw this a few weeks ago. You nailed it with your review Shellhead. Nice.