Redbelt (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
O Good
X OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / June 18, 2008

“Redbelt” should be admired to some degree. It is far from a typical martial arts movie. It’s a drama. Most “fighter movies” have the tired old “Rocky” scenario, where a fighter with heart isn’t quite good enough to keep from getting knocked around by life — or jerks. So, there’s a long training sequence and a big, final bout or tournament at the end of the movie where the fighter is vindicated with a hard-earned, well-deserved victory. We all cheer and go home happy.

David Mamet, writer and director of “Redbelt,” doesn’t travel those familiar, dusty roads. Nope. He gives us an unusual film that keeps making unexpected turns — not twists, necessarily — but deviations from the course we’re anticipating. In fact, because of this unique trait, “Redbelt” almost seems to meander.

But I still only ranked it as OK. Why? Most martial arts movies are similar to pornography: The plot is irrelevant, except for its function as a vehicle to deliver us lots of “action.” Yes, martial arts movies have simplistic conflicts of black-and-white good versus evil, which sets the stage for lots of kung-fu fighting and the like.

“Redbelt,” on the other hand, is a drama whose martial arts scenes are mere decoration, incidental trimmings. Almost every person who will want to see “Redbelt” will want to see a full-blown karate movie, something along the lines of a Jet Li film; therefore, most of those people will be disappointed. Expectations will be breached (unless you’ve read this review first), and you’ll probably feel dissatisfied. I did. Hence, the OK rating. Had I known “Redbelt” is a drama beforehand, I might have ranked it as Good.

Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) runs a tough, mixed-martial-arts academy that has prepared many a cop for street brawling. Indeed, Terry’s intense training is credited as being life-saving preparation for those in uniform. Like most martial arts movies, Terry is the unfailingly honorable, stringently principled master who won’t back down from anyone when “doing the right thing” is put in jeopardy.

But Terry’s school is struggling financially. And he makes matters worse by always trying to protect people, which oftentimes doesn’t involve using violence at all. It is in these entanglements (and I’m purposely being vague to avoid spoiling) that Terry gets drawn into deeper and deeper problems, like a person struggling to get out of quicksand. But Terry is a fighter, and “Redbelt” shows us whether he can fight his way out of his imploding life’s predicaments. There are several small surprises during the plot, so I’ll leave it at that.

But in short, if you’re looking for something like “Enter the Dragon” (1973), then you’re looking in the wrong genre. This puppy is a drama … an OK one.

Directed by David Mamet
Chiwetel Ejiofor / Tim Allen / Alice Braga
Drama / Martial Arts 99 min.
MPAA: R (for strong language)

U.S. Release Date: May 9, 2008
Copyright 2008: 290