Redbelt

David Mamet is back! If you do not know who Mamet is, go rent anything in his collection of movies. He has written some of the best scripts and directed some great movies and you should at the very least check out Glengarry Glenross, State and Main, The Heist and The Edge. While Mamet writes in every genre the two things his movies always feature are great scripts and awesome twists. For the last 4 or 5 years Mamet has been studying Jiu-Jitsu and so he wrote a movie about it. He mixed in the Mixed Martial arts world as well because it is coming into its own as a sport these days.

Mike Terry(The constantly amazing Chiwetel Ejiofor)is a man of principal and honor. He teaches Jui-Jitsu but he refuses to fight in Mixed Martial arts because competition weakens a fighter. He teaches his students that there is always an escape and that you use the your competitor's strength against him. He emphasises being clam, breathing and keeping the outside world outside of the ring. His wife, Sondra(Alice Braga), loves him but she knows they are in debt and wants him to get a loan from her brother who runs a Mixed Martial Arts company. Terry refuses but he is low on money. One fateful night, Laura Black(Emily Mortimor) comes into his work building and in a weird turn of events, Laura shoots out a window. That same night Terry saves big actor Chet Frank(Tim Allen) from a big bar brawl and is rewarded with a $20,000.00 watch and a possible job on Frank's new movie as a fight producer. Terry teaches a method of Jui-Jitsu where he puts three marbles, 2 white and 1 black, in a cup and if a competitor picks the black marble he will have a handicap like having one arm tied to his body for the fight. Terry sees that his methods have been stolen by the Mixed Martial arts company for the upcoming fight. Double dealing happens; a loan shark gets involved and ultimately Terry has to fight for survival.

If you don't like David Mamet movies chances are this one will not change your mind. However, it is the most accessible Mamet movie I have ever watched. There is nothing too complex and complicated and even the back stabbing is pretty well made obvious. This disappointed me a bit, only because when I see a Mamet movie I expect to be challenged. Redbelt is still an awesome movie, it just isn't a super awesome movie. Mamet really helped himself out this time around by casting Chiwetel Ejiofor in the lead role. Every time I see him in a movie I know he will bring something important to it and here be brings an amazing sense of levity to a role that doesn't have a whole lot of dialog. He nails every aspect of the character of Mike Terry. He is subtle when needed and intense when needed. He delivers Mamet's distinct dialog with ease, establishing himself as one of the best in the game right now. Everyone else does a great job, but they are all in the background of this movie. Mortimer continues to impress me and she really should be winning awards very soon. Of course, the real brilliance in a Mamet movie is David Mamet himself. As a director he really lets the movie speak for itself. He is confident in his dialog and he is confident in the performances and he is just there to set the pacing. The one major fight scene is paced beautifully and shot beautifully as well.

Redbelt is a movie about honor and survival; it is about staying focused being a good person. Bad things happen to Mike Terry, but it is up to him to overcome them, and it is up to him to defend the honor of Jui-Jitsu. Redbelt accomplishes all of its goals and does so briskly. I cannot find quotes to show how good Mamet is but the thing with Mamet dialog is that it sounds effortless. It sounds real, even though it is complex. Unlike someone like Aaron Sorkin or the new princess of writing Diablo Cody, you can actually hear yourself using Mamet's words. The beauty is in the simplicity of it. Mamet has scored yet again. It is a shame this movie has got an early May release. GO SEE IT!

Final Grade: A-