X
- 2008
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 39 m
- 2008
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 39 m
Summary Set on the west side of the Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage fighters, cops, and special forces types, Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry, a jujitsu teacher who has avoided the prize-fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry a...
Directed By: David Mamet
Written By: David Mamet
- 2008
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 39 m
- 2008
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 39 m
Redbelt
69
6.4
Where to Watch
Summary Set on the west side of the Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage fighters, cops, and special forces types, Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry, a jujitsu teacher who has avoided the prize-fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry a...
Directed By: David Mamet
Written By: David Mamet
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
69
91% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
9% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
69
91% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
9% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The film unravels a bit in the last few moments, amid unanswered story questions and a simplistic climax, but until that moment, Redbelt is Mamet's richest film of the decade.
As the heart and soul of the film, Chiwetel Ejiofor once again impresses.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 19 User Ratings
6.4
42% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
53% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 19 User Ratings
6.4
42% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
53% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
This is another masterpiece from Mamet, who is an aficionado of jujitsu, which I gleaned from reading my film society's monthly flier here. It's also another tight screenplay with fight promoter and gangster jargon, but since Mamet is known for his gritty screenplays (i.e. "Sparta"), I would only expect this from such a meticulous craftsman. The acting by Ejiofor is superb and the plot and character development by Mamet is superb with the rest of the cast also. The female support roles are right on the mark here and the film (and the action and dramatic aspects of it especially) will definitely keep you on your seat's edge all the way to the end.
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Entertaining in a pulpy kind of way, like the fight films of the 1930s and '40s, and more accessible than most of Mamet's movies.
Thanks to Ejiofor's wonderful performance--his easy, commanding body language wordlessly convinces you of his character's nobility--and Mamet's knowing take on the arcane world of Brazilian jiujitsu, Redbelt never loses its muscular hold on your attention.
With his 10th feature--an entertaining tale of high-stakes martial arts--Mamet has infused the sleight of hand with a measure of two-fisted action.
One of the problems with the way Mamet resolves Mike's predicament is that it's ridiculously implausible - even in the context of a far-fetched fight story.
Mamet's trademark artificial, mutual-incomprehension dialogue and con-game plotting are ineptly matched to the action genre (and feel stale in any case), while the jiu-jitsu scenes are so incoherently shot and edited you can't tell if the fight choreography is any good or not.
I'm a big Mamet fan. But the story just doesn't string together on this one. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be an homage to a cheesy fight movie or a legit drama I was supposed to care about. At the end it just ended up feeling like a B movie caricature. Meh.
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One of Mamet's worst efforts. He certainly did bring an affinity for the martial arts, that portion is treated with the proper reverence, but the movie itself is a slipshod mess. Character motivations are as near to non-existent as well developed characters are, entire plot points are thrown out as soon as their introduced, it ticks off every trope in the book with little context to justify them, and then falls into an outright ridiculous ending (with characters reacting with no context and just another completely ignored plot point). Ejiofor is the sole saving grace in a film that is otherwise at home in straight to video sports schlock. Disappointed.
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Production Company
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date May 2, 2008
Duration 1 h 39 m
Rating R
Tagline There's always a way out. You just have to find it.
Awards
Black Reel Awards
• 1 Nomination
