User reviews

If you know your Mamet you can watch 'Redbelt' for the significant ways in which it's un-Mamet-like and it will be more enjoyable. If you don't know your Mamet, you're likely to find it just as baffling and off-putting as 'Heist,' 'Spartan,' 'The Spanish Prisoner,' etc., because the plot still moves forward, especially at the beginning, by a series of baffling twists. (It pays to keep coming back.)

Mamet's dialog with its pauses and repetitions and non-sequiturs is so famously mannered and self-conscious you can picture it on the page of script even as the actors speak it. Such artificiality works better in principle on stage. The greater issue when Mamet writes and directs his own movie is the story line. His plot twists are so purely clever, so completely arbitrary, it's hard to take them seriously. The result is enjoyable in a head-trip kind of way, but ultimately cold and uninvolving. As David Edelstein says in his nonetheless favorable review of 'Redbelt,' its plot is "so bizarrely convoluted it barely holds together on a narrative level." Maybe Edelstein's right that this is typical of fight movies; it's even more typical of Mamet. His double-crosses, often involving Hollywood people and crooked promoters, are more rapid-fire and intricate than the usual genre equivalents.

But coming after the cold blur of Mamet's 2004 'Spartan,' 'Redbelt' seems unusually fresh and strong. Some have just attributed this to Mamet's doing a "noir," a "prize fight story," even a "Rocky," with "mixed martial arts" (jujitsu really) the updated replacement of boxing--and this time not even getting in the way of the (for him) new genre. But I think the important difference is Mamet's departure not from previous genres or the conventions of this one, but from his usual cynicism, which makes the ending far less routine and mechanical than 'Spartan's,' less cold and clever than any of his previous endings were.

Genre elements are still definitely there. You can see 'Redbelt,' for a while anyway, as a grownup 'Karate Kid', with Chiwetel Ejiofor the Mr. Miyagi and a cop named Joey his Daniel-san.

There are two interpretations of this comparison. Either the dip into old fashioned B-picture structures makes 'Redbelt' a winner, more forceful and accessible than Mamet's usual hide-and-seek bluffs. Or the Mamet mannerisms are absurd in an otherwise conventional action setting and it's a flop. (Those who complain the fights aren't specific enough are surely missing how well the passive, defensive methods of jujitsu are defined and illustrated in the film early on so they can be appreciated later.)

The skeleton of the fight story trajectory is unquestionably there, but with a difference. The movie (apparently) ends with a big staged public competition surrounded by the paraphernalia of audience and promotion and suspense about outcome. Like an old-style boxing flick the movie refers to gambling, fixed fights, payoffs, prizes. But first of all this isn't about boxing--"Boxing's dead," one of the promoters says--and Mamet even takes a lot of personal pleasure in working with this different sport, using his own knowledge from five years of training in it.

But more than that, the difference in the sport and the hero's dedication to it significantly change the framework and the ending. Unlike just any conventional athlete, Mike Terry (Ejiofor) practices and teaches a Brazilian form of jujitsu--his wife Sondra (Alice Braga) is Brazilian--and therefore follows the Bushido code. This is not only not boxing. It's a philosophy, and as we know, its focus is not winning a staged contest but triumphing over any enemy in a conflict. 'Redbelt' is a martial arts movie with a hero who succeeds to the end in staying outside any system. Mike never intends to and does not participate in a promoted public fight (though Mamet just barely dodges that--with his usual slickness in plot twists).

This is where Mamet completely deviates from his usual world of one cynical double-cross after another. Unlike the underdog, Mike has nothing to prove. His dojo is financially unsuccessful not because he's some kind of hitherto floundering loser but simply because he is--he must be--indifferent to money. He is in peak condition and never loses, but when he triumphs it's only to make a point, not prove himself. This may link him with Mr. Miyagi. But unlike Miyagi, Mike fights, and defeats, a lot of people on-screen. This is so much an action movie and Ejiofor is so convincing that the dialog very rarely sounds mannered this time.

If you understand what Mamet's doing and how that's different this time from both Mamet's routines and the sports genre film, the ending ins't hasty or confused so much as emotionally satisfying and right. If you insist, you can say it's just 'Rocky' for grownups who like Eastern philosophy; but that's something awfully new for this writer/director. As usual for Mamet, 'Redbelt' isn't realistic. But this time he isn't just being clever: the movie leads not to "Ah ha!" but simply a satisfied "Ah!" This time Mamet doesn't give us a manipulated character who does or doesn't survive: he gives us a real hero. This is where the excellent Ejiofor is so essential and so cool. Mike is a character Mamet never conceived before--and a hero more convincing in his iron resiliency than is usual, thanks to the calm intensity and inner peace the actor effortlessly projects.

There are plenty of other reasons in the cast for being happy. Everyone is unusually good and those characters who seem cheap and slick are that way because they're from the world of cheap and slick people. Those who come closer to Mike Terry like his wife and the initially dodgy woman lawyer Laura Black (Emily Mortimer) who becomes his partner in conflict, and his black belt, Joe Ryan (Max Martini) are thoroughly warm and convincing.

David Mamet is back with his new film Redbelt. After four years away from Hollywood, producing the television show "The Unit," Mamet has followed up his solid thriller Spartan with a drama of intelligence that only he can capture. Complete with the trademark, metered language—every word timed and delivered with precision—this tale may be billed as a mixed martial arts actioner, but it is so much more. The sport itself lends heavily to the plot for sure, but rather than with its moves and choreography, it is the underlying sense of honor that becomes the central focus. Beginning as a straight-forward drama of faith and morality, culminating into what appears to be this Jiu-Jitsu instructor's big chance at success and wealth to keep his fledgling gym in business, Mamet's story soon gets the rug pulled out from under it, fast and hard. I will admit to not having expected the sharp turn of events halfway through as everything Mike Terry has built his life upon ends up leading to his demise, eventually finding him on the edge of throwing all he believes in away forever. A film of respect and sacrifice, greed and deceit, Redbelt goes places you will not be ready for, yet it is handled deftly, causing all the machinations to fall into place and show their true worth in the progression of the story. It all happens for a reason; life sometimes deals you pain and leaves you in a choke hold about to lose air, but as Terry tells his students, there is always an escape.

I don't want to ruin anything with this film, because truthfully it caught me off-guard. Maybe the turn was hinted in the trailer, I don't remember, but it is better to go in following the plot threads and watching it all unravel. With that said, I do have a problem with the ending. Not so much the tone and end result, but in the way it all transpires. I believe it is a perfect conclusion if not played out too easily without explaining the motivations behind two Jiu-Jitsu champions and their actions. To do what they do, it would almost mean they knew what was going on with the tournament, that they knew what Terry was about to tell the world before he spoke…I just don't see how that can be true. Maybe Mamet just wanted to stick to a minimalist approach and allow it all to occur in sequence, and it is a powerful progression, it's just filled with that one problem which could have possibly been rectified, but maybe it was and I missed it. I don't want to accuse the filmmaker of a plot-hole if he actually did cover it up, I just can't remember it happening. It's the one blight on an otherwise stellar film.

The script is a huge part of the success and really that is where Mamet either flourishes or fails. At times he can be too cute or too overwrought, but at other instances he can be at the top of the industry. I generally find his smaller works, based off his own plays, as his best work, but this one is definitely on par. The ability to take us on this journey with two halves of good times and the fall from them is a feat that usually fails due to contrivances and blatant tells. Maybe I was tired or just too caught up in the acting and fight sequences, but it really surprised me in a good way; I didn't see it coming at all.

Credit should go to the performers too for keeping their end of the game high quality. You believe all involved just as Mike Terry does throughout and when it hits him, the revelation is astounding. I believe that is due to the brilliant turn from Chiwetel Ejiofor in this lead role. Supposedly he had never had any formal martial arts training beforehand, but when you see him encompass Terry, you won't believe that. He really pulls off the realism and the energy and the stoic calm of being in control at all times, not competing because that forum only weakens you. Eijiofor carries the film on his back as he enters the world of Hollywood business and behind closed-door deals before attempting to claw his way out. Despite the opportunity presented him, he never falters from the passion he has in the sport and the willingness to help anyone in need. A true hero, Mike Terry continues on his path of righteousness, pushing the anger away and clearing his mind to prevail.

The rest of the cast—consisting of many Mamet regulars like wife Rebecca Pidgeon, David Paymer, and Ricky Jay in small roles—take the words and nail each reading. Max Martini stands out as Terry's star pupil and backbone emotionally to the story; Alice Braga is good as the wife finding that standing by her man may not be the way to succeed financially in life; Emily Mortimer is fantastic as the troubled attorney who's accidental introduction to the gym puts everything into motion; and Tim Allen shows that maybe he still has some good serious turns in him if only he can get some time off from children's fare. Along with the acting comes some amazing choreography fight-wise too. The camera usually stays in close-up, but there aren't too many sharp cuts, allowing the full fight to play out as realistically as possible. Sure we get the one man fighting a gang and winning, but he never prevails unscathed, allowing us to believe what we are seeing.

I believe David Mamet did a great job with this film. He managed to show a true art and soul of a real martial artist. This film is not about training, action and competition. It is more about a life of a man who has to challenge his own ideals and manage the turmoil that he is going through. This film is also refreshing due to its Brazilian touch. :-) Casting is great with only one exception - Rodrigo Santoro: I personally don't think he was the right choice for the role he played. Maybe he wasn't "dangerous" enough, don't know, but just didn't fit in right. Otherwise the script is well written and message delivered.

May not be the greatest movie, but definitely deserves to be watched.

Just when one would expect 'Redbelt' to following a predictable path we are thrown off with a twist. Mamet tells a very layered story and most of the twists make sense. There are a few plot holes and perhaps the film could have used some energy boost. The pacing is arguably a tad slow in the beginning but as the events progress the viewer gets more and more drawn in. Mamet also brilliantly involves jiu-jitsu in the main story (unlike other martial arts film where the art is used merely as a device). The film is about honour (as the principles of Jiu Jitsu goes) and sacrifice but 'Redbelt' refuses to tread the clichéd path where the protagonist forcefully preaches the message to the viewer. The fights are well choreographed. The cinematography could have been better during the fight sequences. Mamet's cast is terrific. Chiwetel Ejiofor is exceptional as the noble and dignified Mike Terry. Terry ain't the clichéd hero. He is deeply passionate about jiu-jitsu but who won't resort to anger or bloodshed to achieve his means. He is willing to help anyone and he will do it through correct measures rather than the quick but 'wrong' way. Max Martini and Alice Braga are good. Emily Mortimer is fabulous. Tim Allen stands out in a small role. 'Redbelt' tells the story of a real(istic) hero who is not willing to give up his integrity or sacrifice his honour at any cost, who truly respects his passion and understands it.

I saw this movie and was very pleasantly surprised. I really liked this movie. Although at first I didn't know why.

After all, the script, as narrative, is full of holes. Big holes. Without going into details, the initial scene with shot fired has been accurately described as full of holes as swiss cheese. Yet this scene is a key part of the movie, referenced again and again. This is not good.

The title, pictures, and promos were all fundamentally misleading. I went expecting a martial arts film. But it turns out to be a drama. If you are looking for martial arts action, you'll come away very, very disappointed. This too is not good.

The final sequence is utterly incredible. This has been pointed out again and again. This is a basic plot failure. And this too is not good.

And yet ... and yet I came away really, really feeling good about this movie I had just seen. Why?

Well, first, if you view the script not as a narrative, but as a sequence of loosely connected scenes designed to evoke one emotion or thought or the other ... like tableaux vivants, or what TS Eliot called objective correlatives ... well, it works. For example, we have a main character stripped of everything in a series of narratively impossible scenes; and yet the emotions involved in "losing everything" are conveyed powerfully and evocatively. Likewise the ending redemptive sequence is narratively incredible; but emotionally very, very satisfying. This is all to the good.

The characters, acting, and characterizations were all excellent. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry was superb. And the Mike Terry character is simply a delight, likable, appealing, interesting. Tim Allen was successfully cast against type. Ricky Jay's Marty Brown the sports promoter is utterly slimy and yet I couldn't take my eyes off of him. After every scene, I felt like running to the restroom to wash my hands and face and ears. He is sliminess personified. But all the characters were well drawn whether likable or disgusting. All to the good.

The cinematography and scenes were well drawn and well depicted. There were some really gripping, evocative shots I especially like: such as the Tim Allen character in dark profile. All to the good.

All in all, I'd say if you like emotion and objective correlatives, I think you'll like this movie. Don't go looking for martial arts, and don't go looking for a sound narrative; but if you want good, solid punch, you've come to the right place.

I just saw this movie yesterday at the Tribeca Film Festival, NYC. I have never posted a review at IMDb before, in spite of being a loyal visitor to this website for 10 years now. However, after watching Redbelt, I have been forced to say something.

In short the film is about a martial arts instructor who is too idealistic for the real world around him. Thats why he stays safely behind the confines of his teaching academy. One night though, a series of events changes everything and he is forced to come out into the open and confront the consequences of the ripple effect.

This confrontation, in the hands of David Mamet becomes white hot and you can feel the tension of the film in your pulse. The audience applauded many scenes and in the end I think the standing ovation must have lasted five minutes or more. Many people also felt that this film should have been considered for the Cadillac Award, and were disappointed that Redbelt was ineligible for the top competition honor.

As always taut screenplay and cracking dialogues were the hallmark of the film, like any other Mamet movie or play. During the course of the film I couldn't help but wonder at the raw intensity that Mamet manages to bring to his films. I have not been able to pin point so far, but I do see parallels between the protagonists of his earlier film Spartan (played by Val Kilmer) and Redbelt (played to greatness by the ever brilliant Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Overall an amazing film and Mamet fans won't be disappointed.

Advertising an all-star cast, the trailer for Red Belt, and two generous reviews from otherwise reliable TV sources, inspired hope in me that Red Belt might reset the bar for martial arts action films, marking an end to the Bruce Lee era, exiting that dragon and entering a new era of fight realism adjoined to excellence in cinema. I believe David Mamet wanted to make such a movie in Red Belt, and failed.

Key themes in Red Belt, and the overriding moral dilemma confronted by the lead character, simply did not amount to much. They present a character, Mike Terry, self-defense instructor, man with profound conviction to his principles, place him in a silly, laughable, and totally unbelievable situation, and gets worse from here.

There are few fight scenes in Red Belt, and this was okay by me because the goal, I thought, was to make a real movie, unlike film fodder from Charles Norris et al,where plots are the meek excuse for flashy, over-choreographed fight action at every street corner, and good guys always prevail.

Sadly, problems for Red Belt begin at the plot, which was not terribly engaging or inspiring, and riddled with more holes than gay porn. Some plot development was just plain silly, and other story lines, like the idea that professional fighters in the violent cage of MMA, would sign onto a fight card and willingly subject themselves to a severe physical handicap - an arm tied down to the waist,and face a fighter sans handicap, or that a state regulatory agency would give the stamp of approval to such an event, is absurd, if not downright boneheaded. The whole idea of pitting unequals against each other, is contrary to the essence of MMA, where men bring their very best against that of other men. How Mamet lost sight of this is beyond me.

Besides the plot's fatal flaws, the fight scenes are sabotaged by poor camera angles, and less than thrilling technique. No disrespect to the fight choreographers, Rico Chiapparelli and John Machado, both of whom could beat me down with a mild case of halitosis,the fight scenes in Red Belt could have been more dynamic and still manage to capture realism. Even the two fight scenes critical to the plot, were dull. MMA and BJJ enthusiasts will be disappointed.

A few twists of the camera lens, an omoplata here, a gogoplata there, could not have rescued Red Belt from its flawed plot, but would have made a difference to appreciating the fight aspect of the film. And, for BJJ & MMA fans, who I gather make up a noteworthy fraction of Red Belt's audience, more dynamic fight action would have shaken some focus off the insufferable plot,and offered something worthwhile to jabber upon. At this end, the trick that Mamet missed was to achieve interesting, exciting fight action, and unfortunately,as fight action goes, Red Belt taps to a submission in the first round,via guillotine choke.

I am a fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mike Terry, lead character), and I would not have gone to Red Belt had he, or an actor of his caliber not starred in the movie. In this role I found myself liking him, but feeling relatively neutral about it. This I am sure is due to the plot issues, and unimpressive script. It is not bad writing, nor is it good, and I expected better from a Mamet film. And Ejiofor, should he want to go down the path of action star,deserves a better vehicle.

The tag line for Red Belt, "There is always a way out. You just have to find it," is a hokey rip from BJJ academies. It is cheesy to build a script upon cliché. They also abuse the axiomatic wit that martial artists say about the colored belt system, that belts are symbolic and, "just hold up your pants" - a poor choice to embrace twice, and canned lines of this ilk are no help to an already struggling script.

Red Belt did have an all-star cast including cameos by notable MMA/BJJ enthusiasts from the acting world, and all-stars from the MMA world. But,no outstanding performances, not even Ejiofor.

I need to be fair and note that I was expecting the MMA guys to be awkward and stiff under the lens, but they were not half-bad, and exceeding my expectations. I enjoyed seeing familiar faces, like Frank 'TTs' Trigg who showed up in a couple scenes, but no lines despite showing crossover talent at other venues. Randy Couture was surprisingly good. Not great, but good. And I'm not just saying that to spare myself a beating from a man who is arguably the biggest bad-ass to ever pummel the planet.

I would be remiss not to say that I did not hear one mention of the Gracie family in Red Belt. There is something just wrong about that. The movie, at its end, was all about paying homage and honor to a grand master, and dismissing the Gracie name is the equivalent to not mentioning Bruce Lee in a documentary about martial arts movies. I suspect personal rivalries are behind this decision.

Time to ring the bell on the final round: - MMA & BJJ fans will be disappointed by the fight scenes. - Fight movie fans will be disappointed that the movie is shy on fight action. -General movie fans will be unimpressed by the script,and aghast at the plot. -Star power could not rescue this movie.

Borrowing on the tag line, for Red Belt there may have been a way out (from the curse of sub-par martial arts movies), but they did not find it.

Unanimous Decision: Red Belt deserves a Yellow Belt.

I've never rented a DVD that I had to take several attempts to see before. This hero's struggle was so painful to me personally that I had to take several runs at it. I'm a little surprised I made it through. Chiwetel Ejiofor as the main character, Mike Terry, is so perfect for the role it begs the question, Was this guy really just acting? The whole point of this movie, an homage to the purity of a certain sort of warrior spirit, is so unexpectedly plausible that I was taken aback. I thought David Mamet who had been involved in "Spartan", "Heist", "Ronin", and "Wag the Dog" to name a few other movies, was more predictably conventional and commercial.

This movie probably won't make a lot of money but it's a truly beautiful exploration of the potential for nobility in modern life. I kinda doubt whether they plan a sequel as the point has been made and it would take a truly extraordinary script to follow this little tour de force, but if there is one, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

This is certainly an entertaining movie. The action was really fun to watch. There was nothing unbelievable, which was a nice change for a martial arts film. The acting was even good. The issue I had, was it was a little shaky coming down the runway. You had characters dropping out, and a little of the dialog was strange. Overall, I would recommend it. Nice to watch. On a personal preference level, not a fan of the ending, but I may be alone on that. This is not like any other film I have seen. I give it a 9 for originality. I give it a 8 for action. I give it a 7 for plot, and a 4 for ending. Thanks, I hope you enjoy(ed) the movie!!

I almost did not watch this film. I have been burned by David Mamet in the past. In fact, I still believe that "Spartan" was the worst film ever made. But boy did he make up for it with this one. The film centers around Mike Terry, an idealist, who runs his own dojo and trains students fighting skills and souls. His wife believes Mike is addicted to poverty, but really, he is addicted to honor. Financial and ethical problems result in Mike having to do what he never has done before, fight in a competition. The action scenes are great. The international talent is wonderful. The attention to detail, first class. You will recognize many people from the world of MMA here, including Frank Trigg and Randy Couture, but the actor that plays Mike Terry is what makes the film shine, excellent job. Take it from someone that is not a Mamet shill, this film rocks!

"There is no situation that you could not escape from. There is no situation that you could not turn to your advantage."

 is not your typical martial arts movie, though it heavily features mixed martial arts and jujitsu. It's more about the philosophy and ideals behind martial arts, and how far one man will go to honor those ideals. 

It's also a bit underwhelming. I'm a big fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor, he may be one of my favorite actors. He's perfect for the understated "quiet strength" type of roles, which is definitely the kind he has here. I really like Emily Mortimer, as well. She never fails to impress me, and should have a much higher profile that what she has. 

The problem isn't with either of them or the other actors, it stems from the fact that the story and the script seem to have needed some more revisions to fully realize the ideas they were aiming for. Ejiofor, Mortimer, and the rest just don't get a lot to work with. 

Characters seem underdeveloped, and the plot moves in fits and starts. Don't get me wrong, Redbelt isn't a bad film. But there's so much unrealized promise here that it leaves me feeling disappointed in some ways. 

I want to give Redbelt high marks for its ambitions, but I have to give it an average score for its actual execution. I still recommend it, I just wish I could recommend it much more strongly.

I'm a huge MMA fan and was looking forward to this so much. The result akin to leaving a restaurant after an evening meal still hungry. It just doesn't scratch the itch. Mamet wrote and directed this one and he did a bad job on both parts.

The cast was good on paper. The acting from Chiwetel Ejiofor was one of the films leading lights. He brought sincereness, warmth and good old fashion likability to the films main character who's personal code was based on honour. The other actors did nothing to inspire or impress me which is a shame considering the cast. This leads me to question Mamet's direction of them. Maybe he was within himself too much to lead the cast or gave them bad direction.

The story I can appreciate on some levels. The main character has a clear ethical code which dictates his actions. There were less obvious meanings to characters motivations and actions. It's all well and good not spoon feeding audiences and giving them credit for intelligence to work things out. However when that comes at the cost of an unclear, flimsy, disjointed story telling then just give me Rocky with MMA. Sadly I feel Mamet was too into his own story to take a step back and evaluate what's going on from an audiences point of view. He was trying to be too fancy and deep and just missed the mark.

Production values were OK but the movie never really sprung to life. Not enough action for me. The action present left me numb. Even the last action sequence left me flat and disappointed. There was never anything that made you sit up and draw you in which means you're never going to get a climax to the film.

As it stands Never Back Down is a better MMA film. I live in hope of an MMA film that delivers high on realistic action with strong characters and good story telling.

Mamet discovers cinema.

Let's face it, we need as many serious writers as we can get, even pompous mannered ones. But we all know, and now Mamet himself does, that cinematic devices have almost no similarity to theatrical ones. At least in the modern era. His movies have been better radio plays than movies.

Now he decides to get serious and channels as many great cinematic traditions as he can fit in a single film.

We have the Raging Bull, flying eye sort of movie, where the camera engages in the space of the action. Scorcese hardly invented this, but he and Stallone merged it with the fight movie.

We have the Zen visual, where the character is supposed to have some transcendental value and we "see" it in the environment he sheds.

We have the modern fold where you have a public performance that validates your existence; we have the performance fold — usually a sports movie, where the good guy wins, natch; we have the movie which features movie people and the writing of the movie similar to what we see; and we have the notion of the content of the medium fighting the medium itself, here TeeVee.

Mamet chooses to use all three of the big strokes and all three of the folds. It seems a bit desperate.

I think you might be better off watching Raging Bull with Ghost Dog.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who's really came into his own in the last few years) is a Jujitsu trainer who's trying to keep honor, and stand his ground, keeping his values intact even though circumstances seem to be conspiring against him in David Mamet's newest film. The film revolves around Mixed martial arts, but if you watch it hoping for an action packed extravaganza, you'll be sorely disappointed. While it does have a few (very few) rock solid fight scenes, this film aims higher and generally succeeds as a absorbing, gripping character study about morality replete with typically great dialog courtesy of Mamet. Their are some scenes that tend to stretch credibility (especially the ending), but for the most part the film succeeds admirably and I enjoyed it immensely.

My Grade: B+

DVD Extras: Commentary with David Mamet & Randy Couture; a 19 minute behind the scenes featurette; Inside mixed martial arts; Q&A with Mamet; an interview with Dana white; fighter profiles; the magic of Cyril Takayama featurette; theatrical trailer for this film; corporate schilling for Blu-ray; and trailers for "Married Life", "Standard Operating Procedure", "the Wackness", "Baghead", "the children of Huang Shi", "When did you last see your father?", "Brick Lane", "the Counterfeiters", "the Band's Visit", "Cj7", "Persepolis", "the art of war 2", & "Felon"

For a fan of MMA like myself, I've been really drooling for a good MMA flick. To satisfy my MMA urges I've put myself through cheesy Bas Rutten flicks (The Eliminator and even The Vault), amazing documentaries (The Smashing Machine), and even rare Japanese flicks (Nagurimono). So this has been a long time coming. A well-made flick, with a well-known director and accomplished actors, this has to be good, right? Well, no, not really. But luck be true, REDBELT was a very good film.

The story follows a thoughtful Jiu Jitsu instructor who ends up running into some good luck. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long, and in order to set things right, he will need to cross examine himself and the people around him. Respect, honor, greed, back-stabbing and gratitude rule this film, turning it into an intriguing, emotional and entertaining movie.

With fantastic acting by most, smart, realistic writing, and some emotional scenes, REDBELT delivers an especially big wallop on the intimate side.

Though, with hyper editing and jerky camera-work used for the MMA scenes, the movie tends not to work as well as I would have liked. For a knowledgeable MMA fan, you'll pick up on all the moves, but for someone who doesn't know about MMA and it's techniques, it may seem like a mess.

However, the film is definitely not a mess. Yeah, the ending was a tad too unbelievable, and though the movie shines through it's writing and realistic situations, some scenes felt a little sappy. But the end of the ending was fantastic.

Red Belt doesn't fail at being an action flick; it just succeeds more so at being an entertaining drama with an MMA theme. This is an easy movie to recommend, since it's easily recommendable to all people who believe in having good morals.

The movie would have been perfect if El Guapo was in it. ;)

Last night, I attended the premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Writer director David Mamet gave a brief introduction before presenting what he is known for, a very intriguing story with several characters that have their own agendas and who will deceive to get what they want.

The protagonist is Mike Terry as played with smoldering intensity by Chiwetel Ejiorfor, who've I've seen before in supporting roles in "American Gangster" and "Talk to Me." Generally, he's generally is every single scene and the audience will discover the plot twists the same time he does.

The first scene begins with Ejiofor as a jujitsu instructor, shouting "Breath, breathe, there is always a way out," as he oversees two contestants Max Martini and Jose Pablo Cantino having quite an intense workout that almost has fatal consequences until Ejorfor intervenes. Once that's over, a neurotic Emily Mortimer enters and the surprises really begin from that point forward.

Ejiofor's wife is played by Alice Braja, niece of Sonia, and we quickly learn that the jujitsu we just saw was Brazilian style. I will include here all songs heard in this are modern bossa nova really adding a Brazilian ambiance to the tone of the film. That the martial art technique was originally developed in Japan, there's that element as well.

Tim Allen gives a very non-comedic performance and in fact has just a supporting role in this. I will give no spoilers as the main fun of a David Mamet script is discovering the plot twists and for those who like that, will not be disappointed.

So, from the man who gave the public "The Verdict", "Glendarry Glen Ross", "Wag the Dog", "Ronin" among many others, a thoughtful and very entertaining movie.

This story twists and turns so much that in some areas does not make sense.

What should have been a good story just sort of fell apart for small reasons.

Bad luck, good luck, no luck, revenge, fight, honor...whatever.

Maybe it's just me, but I was looking for some martial arts fighting in a martial arts movie, not just some wrestling.

I've seen better moves in The Karate Kid series.

Ed Oneil's character didn't even have to be there - as with plenty of the cast...they were pretty much useless or underdeveloped characters.

This story needed 20 more minutes to properly end it and structure it - but like so many I watched this week, fell short.

A useless suicide, legal cases that don't have any merit, scenes that don't go anywhere...that right...it's a David Mamet film - you should expect that.

just watched this last night. the dialogues are a joke. the whole crowd in the cinema was laughing its arse off at the pseudophilosophic trash that just kept on coming. the plot just jumps into a story that just isn't one. as for the fight scenes, the director obviously tried to create an immediate sense of the fight by using close up camera work and a blurry effect. admittedly jiu jitsu probably isn't easy to portray as epically as say taekwondo or karate. but even the supposedly epic showdown at the end had more of a drunk bar fight. and the moral of the story? you can redeem yourself and make all that has gone wrong good again if you only beat one corrupt guy to a pulp. what a waste of time!