Redbelt

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Redbelt

Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Mamet
Produced by Chrisann Verges
Written by David Mamet
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor
Tim Allen
Emily Mortimer
Alice Braga
Rodrigo Santoro
Joe Mantegna
Rebecca Pidgeon
Ricky Jay
John Machado
Cinematography Robert Elswit
Editing by Barbara Tulliver
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Running time 99 min
Country United States
Language English
Budget USD $7 Million
IMDb profile

Redbelt is a martial arts film written and directed by David Mamet. The film concerns Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and self-defense instructor who imparts upon his students the skills to survive on the street, rather than prevail in sports combat. A series of circumstances brings Terry in contact with popular movie hero Chet Frank (Tim Allen) and a legion of Hollywood movers and shakers. Terry soon finds himself the victim of a con and, combined with a destitute financial situation, is pressed to enter the ring for pride and profit. The film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on May 9, 2008.

Mamet has described Redbelt as a samurai film in the tradition of Kurosawa.[1]. He has employed the resources of several members of the MMA community in the making of the film; Randy Couture and Enson Inoue have acting roles in the film, as does Jean Jacques Machado's brother John Machado who also planned some of the fight choreography.

David Mamet has earned the rank of purple belt under the tutelage of Renato Magno, who also served as the film's jiu-jitsu consultant.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

Randy Couture and David Mamet at the premiere.
Randy Couture and David Mamet at the premiere.

The film was produced by Chrisann Verges. David Wasco served as production designer. Debra McGuire designed the costumes and Stephen Endelman provided the music. Cinematography was done by Robert Elswit and the film was edited by Barbara Tulliver. John Machado and Rico Chiapparelli were the fight choreographers. Chiwetel Ejiofor's stunt double was Aaron Toney and Tim Allen's stunt double was Todd Warren.[2] In an interview with Iain Blair of Reuters Life!, Mamet said he was interested in casting Chiwetel Ejiofor for his acting versatility after seeing his performances in Dirty Pretty Things and Kinky Boots, saying "It's impossible for one guy to be able to play both those parts."[3] David Mamet said that Ejiofor's preparation for the film included 12-hour days of physical training, although Ejiofor said that wasn't exactly the norm.[4] Production began around July 2007, with many of the action sequences being filmed at the Pyramid in Long Beach.[citation needed]

[edit] Marketing

Sony Pictures Classics co-founder and co-president Tom Bernard said there were two marketing campaigns for the film, "one directed at MMA guys and another at the more upscale theaters." Commercials and giveaway contests were run on Spike TV, and Mamet was invited to screen the film for members of New York's Lincoln Center.[5]

[edit] Critical reception

The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. As of May 18, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 72% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 103 reviews.[6] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.[7] The movie received an average score of 69.0% from 54 film critics according to Movie Tab.[8]

Many critics praised Chiwetel Ejiofor for his performance in the film.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

Los Angeles Times film critic Carina Chocano described the film as "tricky and engrossing" and "a contemporary noir with a samurai movie interior." Chocano wrote, "Ejiofor brings a calm magnetism and a beatific serenity to his roles that have the effect of knocking you flat -- there's something about this guy that's messianic." Chocano said Tim Allen's performance was restrained. Chocano wrote "the noir puzzle element is central to the story" and "suffice it to say things get complicated", saying "much of the pleasure is in the surprises."[19]

Several critics wrote that the story is reminiscent of films from earlier decades. Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film is "entertaining in a pulpy kind of way, like the fight films of the 1930s and '40s, and more accessible than most of Mamet's movies."[13] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe wrote "What Redbelt reminded me of more than anything else was a modern version of a classic film noir, particularly 1950's brilliantly seedy Night and the City, with its pro-wrestling subplot."[14] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called it "a satisfying, unexpectedly involving B-movie that owes as much to old Hollywood as to Greek tragedy."[18]

The ending of the film was criticized by several critics. Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club said "The film unravels a bit in the last few moments, amid unanswered story questions and a simplistic climax, but until that moment, Redbelt is Mamet's richest film of the decade."[15] Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer said "One of the problems with the way Mamet resolves Mike's predicament is that it's ridiculously implausible - even in the context of a far-fetched fight story."[16] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com said the final scene "might seem far-fetched on a pay-per-view wrestling broadcast."[17] Film critic James Berardinelli said "The plot is borderline ridiculous and certainly doesn't stand up to close (or even not-so-close) scrutiny, but there's a level of entertainment to be had watching it unfold in all its strangeness", but also said "taken at face value, there's a degree of satisfaction in the way Redbelt concludes."[20]

Regarding the fight scenes in the film, Rea wrote "Mamet is a master of talk, not action" and said "Redbelt's ultimate Ultimate Fight moment feels sorely lacking."[16] O'Hehir said "the jiu-jitsu scenes are so incoherently shot and edited you can't tell if the fight choreography is any good or not."[17] Berardinelli wrote "Anyone attending with the expectation that this is going to satisfy a primal desire for wall-to-wall combat will be sadly disappointed.[20]

In The Weekly Standard, Sonny Bunch wrote that the film's "heart is not in the twists and turns [...] but a careful character study of a man who lives a life based on honor, and the corrupting influence of money." Bunch said it "takes lack of exposition to a new extreme [...] How does Mamet tell us about Terry's character? Very subtly. Throughout the film we get hints about Terry's life [...] Mamet challenges us to figure out for ourselves what's going on in Terry's head."[21]

[edit] Box office performance

The film opened in limited release in the United States on May 2, 2008 and grossed $63,361 in 6 theaters, averaging $10,560 per theater. On May 9, 2008, the film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada, and grossed $1,012,435 in 1,379 theaters, ranking #11 at the box office and averaging $734 per theater.[22] As of May 29, 2008, it has grossed $2,241,688 in the United States and Canada.[23]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-goldstein19jun19,1,6821892.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true
  2. ^ Redbelt (2008) - Full cast and crew. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  3. ^ Iain Blair (2008-05-01). Iain Blair 3. Reuters Life!. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  4. ^ Brett Buckalew (2008-04-28). Q+A: Chiwetel Ejiofor. Metromix Chicago. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  5. ^ Chris Lee (2008-03-13). Mixed martial arts films have a chokehold on action. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  6. ^ Redbelt Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  7. ^ Redbelt (2008): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  8. ^ Redbelt Reviews - Movie Tab. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
  9. ^ Michael Rechtshaffen (2008-04-25). Bottom Line: Mamet takes up jiu-jitsu with honorable results.. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  10. ^ Michael Phillips (2008-05-09). 'Redbelt' is round 10 for Mamet, and it's better than a draw. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  11. ^ David Ansen (2008-05-08). Car and Driver, and Monkey. Newsweek. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  12. ^ Joe Morgenstern (2008-05-02). A Rejuvenated Downey Dazzles; Mamet's 'Redbelt' Is Martial Art. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  13. ^ a b Ruthe Stein (2008-05-09). Movie review: Mamet goes to mat in 'Redbelt'. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  14. ^ a b Ty Burr (2008-05-09). A moral dilemma from Mamet. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  15. ^ a b Tasha Robinson (2008-05-01). Redbelt. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  16. ^ a b c Steven Rea (2008-05-09). Tumbling to an implausible end. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  17. ^ a b c Andrew O'Hehir (2008-04-28). He conquered the World Trade Center. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  18. ^ a b Manohla Dargis (2008-05-02). In a Chokehold, on the Mat and in Life. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  19. ^ Carina Chocano (2008-05-02). David Mamet's contemporary noir film follows a moral code in and out of a jujitsu club.. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  20. ^ a b James Berardinelli. ReelViews Movie Review: Redbelt. ReelViews. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  21. ^ Sonny Bunch (2008-05-09). [http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/076xiell.asp Honor, Duty, Jiu-Jitsu David Mamet takes on mixed martial arts]. The Weekly Standard. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
  22. ^ Redbelt (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  23. ^ Redbelt (2008). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films Directed by David Mamet
House of Games (1987) • Things Change (1988) • Homicide (1991) • Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants (1996) • The Spanish Prisoner (1997) • The Winslow Boy (1999) • Catastrophe (2000) • State and Main (2000) • Heist (2001) • Spartan (2004) • Redbelt (2008) • Joan of Bark: The Dog that Saved France (2008)
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