If you’re a David Mamet fan then you don’t need to read any further; you’re going to see this movie no matter what I write. I loved it completely. There, now you can go out and see it for yourself.
Now, for the people that have never heard of David Mamet, the ones that think that Tim Allen is a terrible actor, or maybe they think it’s just going to be a fighting movie. Come with me and I’ll tell you about one of the great movies of 2008.
Did you like The Usual Suspects? Yeah? It was good huh? David Mamet had a similar movie come out at the same time called The Spanish Prisoner. And guess what? It was better. Well… I think it was better. David Mamet also wrote other classics such as Glengarry Glen Ross, Ronin, the Untouchables, and House of Games (his directorial debut).
Redbelt is about Mike Terry (the magnificent Chiwetel Ejiofor), a jujitsu instructor who is all about the way of the warrior, you know, honor, doing what’s right, the golden rule, all that stuff. His business is failing, but he refuses to start competing for money because “It makes one weak”. After a series of seemingly innocent exchanges (a Mamet staple) he finds himself in the place he never wanted to be. “There’s always an escape” is what he tells his students, but what will he do when he gets tested himself?
I’m not a fan of the Ultimate Fighting scene. I appreciate the art of a good fight, but I don’t need to see someone just get pummeled. The fighting in this movie is not hyper-fighting, this is the real deal. The movie begins with two of Mike Terry’s students sparring, with Mike telling them what moves to perform. It might sound boring to some people, but I was hooked right away. If you’re not riveted by the first scene you might as well walk out and watch “What Happens In Vegas” instead. Something so simple has been made interesting through Mamet’s dialog. Mamet has always been great at dialog, but this is probably his most dialog light movie. He won’t hold your hand through the film, he won’t explain anything that can be explained with actions instead. Mamet doesn’t treat us like kids. We don’t need a secondary actor explaining that the other guy is a bad dude, we know it just by the way he carries himself.
Okay, let’s get this Tim Allen thing out of the way. He is in the movie, he plays a famous actor currently filming an action movie, but don’t let that turn you off from seeing this. Just because someone is known for doing comedy doesn’t mean they can’t hold their own with real dramatic actors. I’ve always believed that some of the best actors are the ones that start out doing comedy, or more specifically improv. Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Jon Lovitz, Will Farrell, and even Adam Sandler have all proven they can do good drama. I’d go so far to say that if the abismal Rob Schneider was cast in a drama I’m sure he’d do an excellent job. Before anyone writes a comment about Jimmy Fallon I’d like to remind them that I can’t consider him a comedian since he’s never made me laugh. Anyways, don’t let the fact that you hate The Santa Clause trilogy as a reason to stay away.
There’s so many great actors in this movie. Tim Allen was one of my favorites besides Ejiofor. Emily Mortimer and Alice Braga as the two main women were spectacular as well. Seriously, there’s so many great actors doing their thing here that I can’t even mention them all. Ricky Jay1 did weird me out a bit, he seemed to be reading from a cue card at points. But upon reflection of his character it was just right.
Mamet writes a lot about what it is to be a man, and I know that most men will love this movie because of that (and the few awesome fight scenes). But I believe it has something to offer to the women as well. If you’re a woman and saw the movie please leave a comment below and let us know what your thoughts were.
1. Ricky Jay is a Mamet regular and master magician, which is good since deception and misdirection are themes in most of Mamet’s writing
P.S. I just remembered… The ending is preposterous. It could never happen, but even so, I stuck with it to the end to see where it went. It was still ridiculous, but it somehow worked. Oh man, just thinking about the last shot makes me want to hug Chiwetel Ejiofor.
