Review of Redbelt (2008) by Steven N — 11 May 2009

David Mamet's "Redbelt" is not at all like what I expected it to be, which is both good and bad. The best part of the movie is a truly spectacular performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who stars a down on his luck jiu-jitsu instructor who gets taken advantage of by some evil Hollywood types and eventually has to stand up for everything he believes in.

If you're a fan of Mixed Martial Arts and think that's what you're going to get here, think again. Comparing this film to the sport of MMA would be the equivalent of comparing Paris Hilton to acting - they just don't belong in the same sentence.

At its heart "Redbelt" is a samurai movie. It's about betrayal, redemption, and living your life by a strict code of ethics, no matter the cost. Mamet's dialouge is as sharp as ever, layered, dense, and engaging for the full ninety-nine minutes.

While I understand what David Mamet is trying to do here, I can't fully ignore some of the corniness of the film either. There are some real eye-rolling moments here. Stuff so corny you would think it just fell off the cob, and I can't help but think that the story could have been scaled down even more, and resulted in a more effective movie because of it.

Overall "Redbelt" is an engaging character piece, and because of that it gets a recommendation from me. I do however think it could have been a more successful movie with some rewrites.