Redbelt (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Fate. It is fate which brings Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a mixed-martial arts instructor, a job on the set of a movie in 'Redbelt', written & directed by David Mamet. As of late, things had been iffy in his life. But just when things looked like they were turning around in his favor (job as a fight instructor for a movie production), some awful things occur, and he is forced to enter a jujitsu competition for some much needed $$. This description makes the movie sound dull; but it's anything but. Had it not been for the rushed, confusing anti-climax, this film 'could' have been right up there as one of my favorite films of the year.
The plot is quite labyrinthine. I'll try to condense & extrapolate what I can for you. Mike is the owner of a small studio that teaches, among other things, jujitsu. His main pupil is police officer Joe. Mike makes sure to teach him that it's more important to win or lose with honor, than to win for pure 'championship' satisfaction. Mike needs $$, but is too proud to enter demeaning MMA competitions; competitions that he would/could surely win. His wife, Sondra (a great Alice Braga) is more sensible about the situation. She loves him, but her patience with Mike is waning. One night, a distraught attorney (Emily Mortimer) barges into the studio. Rattled, she mistakes Officer Joe's attempt to take her coat with a possible attack on her. She grabs his gun, shoots, & shatters Mike's front window!
So now, Mike has another headache ... paying for a new window. Luck finally rears its head for him when he saves the life of action movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen) in a 'random' bar brawl. Eternally grateful, Chet asks Mike (and wife) to dinner at his luxurious home. They strike it off, & Chet even offers Mike a job as fight instructor on his latest movie. People, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Things begin to go terribly awry for poor Mike. And it's the female attorney (hiding a dark secret) who's kick-started the unfortunate series of events. Friends/family start to turn on him. He's forced to deal with a plethora of shady characters (fighters, loan sharks, event organizers, & Chet Allen's producer, played by a slimy Joe Mantegna). The police get involved; leading to blackmails, etc..
What it all comes down to, of course, is a big 'climactic' fight. Mike will 'have' to enter a MMA competition in order to salvage his life; even though it's against his principles. The film ends on a satisfactory note. But the manner in which it gets there is not as satisfactory. Nothing in the movie is straightforward. Nothing is as it seems. I get that. I enjoy that. But there are plot holes & confounding moments that get you head-scratching in ways you hoped it wouldn't. There was so much potential for this film to gain momentum & explode in cinematic ecstasy. Acting, action, drama ... it was all blending perfectly. People double-cross Mike. There are scams flying everywhere. But there's no weight behind the double-crossings/scams for us to sink our teeth into. And questions are left unanswered.
'Redbelt' reminds me of last yrs. 'Fracture' in that, while you're watching the film, you're loving it. But in retrospect, you wonder if you want to see it again. You wonder why person A did this, or why person B just didn't do that, etc. You realize that some things just don't add up (under scrutiny). The movie is so ridiculously entertaining that you poo poo it's weaknesses. Furthermore, Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance is so steady, so absorbing, so magnetic, that he casts a spell over us, as well. The script/dialogue is stellar. But Mamet's directing/writing style is so mannered that it takes able actors to transcend its deliberateness. Some of the actors seemed like they were just line reading, and I hate that; it negates emotional gravitas. Thank goodness for Ejiofor, Braga, Mortimer, and even Tim Allen; who were able to convince us (with ease) of their characters, or else the movie would be a lot less satisfying than it already is.
The plot is quite labyrinthine. I'll try to condense & extrapolate what I can for you. Mike is the owner of a small studio that teaches, among other things, jujitsu. His main pupil is police officer Joe. Mike makes sure to teach him that it's more important to win or lose with honor, than to win for pure 'championship' satisfaction. Mike needs $$, but is too proud to enter demeaning MMA competitions; competitions that he would/could surely win. His wife, Sondra (a great Alice Braga) is more sensible about the situation. She loves him, but her patience with Mike is waning. One night, a distraught attorney (Emily Mortimer) barges into the studio. Rattled, she mistakes Officer Joe's attempt to take her coat with a possible attack on her. She grabs his gun, shoots, & shatters Mike's front window!
So now, Mike has another headache ... paying for a new window. Luck finally rears its head for him when he saves the life of action movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen) in a 'random' bar brawl. Eternally grateful, Chet asks Mike (and wife) to dinner at his luxurious home. They strike it off, & Chet even offers Mike a job as fight instructor on his latest movie. People, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Things begin to go terribly awry for poor Mike. And it's the female attorney (hiding a dark secret) who's kick-started the unfortunate series of events. Friends/family start to turn on him. He's forced to deal with a plethora of shady characters (fighters, loan sharks, event organizers, & Chet Allen's producer, played by a slimy Joe Mantegna). The police get involved; leading to blackmails, etc..
What it all comes down to, of course, is a big 'climactic' fight. Mike will 'have' to enter a MMA competition in order to salvage his life; even though it's against his principles. The film ends on a satisfactory note. But the manner in which it gets there is not as satisfactory. Nothing in the movie is straightforward. Nothing is as it seems. I get that. I enjoy that. But there are plot holes & confounding moments that get you head-scratching in ways you hoped it wouldn't. There was so much potential for this film to gain momentum & explode in cinematic ecstasy. Acting, action, drama ... it was all blending perfectly. People double-cross Mike. There are scams flying everywhere. But there's no weight behind the double-crossings/scams for us to sink our teeth into. And questions are left unanswered.
'Redbelt' reminds me of last yrs. 'Fracture' in that, while you're watching the film, you're loving it. But in retrospect, you wonder if you want to see it again. You wonder why person A did this, or why person B just didn't do that, etc. You realize that some things just don't add up (under scrutiny). The movie is so ridiculously entertaining that you poo poo it's weaknesses. Furthermore, Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance is so steady, so absorbing, so magnetic, that he casts a spell over us, as well. The script/dialogue is stellar. But Mamet's directing/writing style is so mannered that it takes able actors to transcend its deliberateness. Some of the actors seemed like they were just line reading, and I hate that; it negates emotional gravitas. Thank goodness for Ejiofor, Braga, Mortimer, and even Tim Allen; who were able to convince us (with ease) of their characters, or else the movie would be a lot less satisfying than it already is.