Chiwetel Ejiofor gets choked in "Redbelt"
(Credit: Sony Classics)
- Photos:
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- Running time:
- 99 minutes
- Rated:
- R
- Cast:
- Chiwetel Ejiofor -
- Mike Terry
- Tim Allen -
- Frank
- Emily Mortimer -
- Ricky Jay -
- Randy Couture -
- Dylan Flynn
- Director:
- David Mamet
- Genre:
- Drama
- Official Movie Web Site:
- http://www.sonyclassics.com/redbelt/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(1 rating)
Big question: After "Never Back Down," can writer-director David Mamet's "Redbelt" prove it's not late to the MMA party?
Catch it: Ejiofor ("American Gangster," "Kinky Boots") deserves to be a consistent leading man, and he's just right for Mike because the actor understands the difference between a stare and a blank stare. Mamet's a master of words—even if he sometimes overdoes it—and not only is "Redbelt" a thinking-man's combat movie, it's a pleasure to see such firm, intelligent control taken over subject matter that can easily descend into stupidity.
Skip it: If you think people in the fighting world are unable to create a decent turn of phrase. To emphasize the modern appeal of MMA compared to other contact sports, one guy claims, "Boxing is as dead as Woodrow Wilson." Who doesn't love presidential smack-talk?
Bottom line: Mamet writes himself into a corner he can't fight his way out of, winding up with a contrived conclusion and an even goofier ending. Yet the movie compels as a story of the struggles and consequences of being a good, honest man in a world that rarely rewards either attribute.
Bonus: One character claims that the video of Mike kicking ass in a bar is better than "Titanic." Considering the clip is short, well-acted and has an unpredictable ending, who's going to disagree?
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