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Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emily Mortimer, Alice Braga, Tim Allen, Joe Mantegna ... see more see more... , Rodrigo Santoro , Ricky Jay , Max Martini , Matt Cable , Jose Pablo Cantillo , Rebecca Pidgeon , Luciana Souza , Randy Couture , Cathy Cahlin Ryan , Cyril Takayama , Scott Barry , Matt Malloy , Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini , John Machado , Richard Wilke , Carole De Souza Correa , Jack Wallace , Jake M. Johnson , Dennis Keefer , Robert Reinis , Dominic Hoffman , Michael Kenner , Mike Genovese , Bob Jennings , David Paymer , Kimko , Jennifer Grey , Linda Kimbrough , Steve DeCastro , Ed O'Neill , Enson Inoue , Allison Karman , Damon Herriman , Renato Magno , Rico Chiapparelli , Martin Desideriom , Frank Trigg , Gilbert Gomez , Kei Hirayama , Vincent Guastaferro , Mike Goldberg , Jean Jacques Machado , Josh Rafferty , J.J. Johnston , Christina Grance , Galen Tong , Tony Mamet , Justin David Fair , Chris Kaldor , Scott Ferrall , Simon Rhee , Troy M. Gilbert , Danny Inosanto , Gene Lebell , Rona Lee Cohen , Mordechai Finley , Arvan Morgan , Peter Smith , Scott Voss , Chris Lisciandro , Tino Struckmann , Adam Treanor , Clay Woods , Masato Baba , Darren Endo , Kene Kubo , Jason Osajima , Byron Yamada , Bryan Yamami

Tim Allen and Chiwetel Ejiofor co-star in writer/director David Mamet's martial arts drama Redbelt. Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, a jujitsu master who co-runs a very modest martial arts studio in Los Ange... read more read more...les with his bossy wife, Sondra (Alice Braga). Mike demonstrates an unwavering commitment to his craft and draws a cadre of defiantly loyal pupils including Joe (Max Martini), an LAPD cop. All told, it appears that he has chosen a peaceful and conflict-free path in life. The dedicated martial artist's fate takes an unanticipated turn, however, one evening when a young woman named Laura (Emily Mortimer) bursts into the academy in a state of near hysteria, and reaches for a policeman's gun when he tries to restrain her. One thing leads to another, and before long, Laura is regularly receiving martial arts lessons from Mike. As master begins to teach pupil and his martial arts philosophies emerge, his path also crisscrosses with that of a Hollywood movie star, Chet Frank (Tim Allen), when he saves the fellow from a beating at a local club and gets invited (along with Sondra) to Chet's house for dinner. Chet extends gestures of friendship, and Mike's guard breaks down; he speaks openly and candidly of a special martial arts method he employs that requires one of the participants to "assume a handicap." In time, the association with Chet leads to involvement in the motion-picture industry, and relations with a bevy of characters who aren't exactly what they seem -- including a pay-per-view fight mogul (Ricky Jay) and Chet's slimy and manipulative manager (Joe Mantegna). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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63% liked it

21,303 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

139 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: David Mamet

Release Date: April 7, 2008

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DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (1,998)

  • MrMarakai
    August 19, 2011
    MrMarakai
    After the arguably awful "Spartan", writer/director David Mamet delivered this. It could be called a genre picture but if you know Mamet, you'll know he doesn't really follow conventions.
    Mixed-martial-arts instructor Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has money problems. He could ea... read morern $50,000 in a competition, but honour precludes him from fighting for money. Then a series of chance encounters leaves him no choice but to step into the ring.
    The film opens dramatically, introducing several of it's key characters in quick succession and manages to maintain this drama for a lenghty period. In fact, for almost the entire film. The acting is marvellous with Chiwetel Ejiofor's central, dynamic performance a real highlight. He's a fine actor, deserving of more major leading roles. As always, David Mamet's dialogue is sharp and natural, helping his characters come to life. At first, so many strands to the story are introduced, with no explanation, before eventually bringing them all cleverly together. Mamet is known for his writing skills and again they are on display here. Despite the undeniable power though, as it progresses, it starts to veer toward the formulaic side (which I suppose is difficult considering it's subject) and ties it's many strands up rather quickly, in a nice red bow (or quite literally 'belt'). It was far too neatly done and gave the feeling of being rushed, letting down an otherwise superb film.
    Although flawed, it's still absorbing and one of David Mamet's better films. It's not a major demerit but I found it to be a bit short, I was enjoying it so much that I could have done with an extra half an hour. Then again, maybe there is no higher compliment than this.
  • adammahler1
    March 19, 2011
    adammahler1
    A Mamet work that is not made in the rhythm of dialogue. It's a melodrama and when the movie does exposition, it's like a joke on melodramas, past and present ( -- it reminded me of the "Wally Beery wrestling picture" the studio boss wanted Barton Fink to write). But when the mov... read moreie does silences and implications, disparate characters and their problems seem part of the same real world. Ejiofor is amazing and for all the power and magnetism he brings to the surface of the movie, as an avatar of honor and purity, the real pull of this story is in the undertow. This is, I think, a very sad movie. No matter what points the hero scores for authenticity and fidelity to principles, there is not enough time before the buzzer sounds. It's as if he and his old master cry that there is even such a thing as a redbelt, for their ideal will always be greater than the world they know and greater than they themselves, who are part of that world. When the hero repeats, "There is no situation that you could not escape from. There is no situation that you could not turn to your advantage," any adult knows that's not true. Not only is this credo anti-noir, it's anti-Greek tragedy. The credo becomes like a losing declaration of faith for the hero, and I know Mamet doesn't believe it. He may believe that listening to the wolves when *they* say there's no escape is to feed yourself to the wolves without a fight.
  • lewiskendell
    March 3, 2011
    lewiskendell
    "There is no situation that you could not escape from. There is no situation that you could not turn to your advantage."

    is not your typical martial arts movie, though it heavily features mixed martial arts and jujitsu. It's more about the philosophy and ideals behind martial a... read morerts, and how far one man will go to honor those ideals.

    It's also a bit underwhelming. I'm a big fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor, he may be one of my favorite actors. He's perfect for the understated "quiet strength" type of roles, which is definitely the kind he has here. I really like Emily Mortimer, as well. She never fails to impress me, and should have a much higher profile that what she has.

    The problem isn't with either of them or the other actors, it stems from the fact that the story and the script seem to have needed some more revisions to fully realize the ideas they were aiming for. Ejiofor, Mortimer, and the rest just don't get a lot to work with.

    Characters seem underdeveloped, and the plot moves in fits and starts. Don't get me wrong, Redbelt isn't a bad film. But there's so much unrealized promise here that it leaves me feeling disappointed in some ways.

    I want to give Redbelt high marks for its ambitions, but I have to give it an average score for its actual execution. I still recommend it, I just wish I could recommend it much more strongly.
  • deano
    April 9, 2009
    deano
    I'm wondering what if director David Mamet remade The Karate Kid? Well, this drama-action movie is as close as the master wordsmith is going to get - not so much wax on-wax off, as wax lyrical. Redbelt shares thematic ground with Mamet's sorely underrated Spartan... read more: both are examinations and celebrations of men out of time, whose codes don't mesh with the harsh realities of the modern world. Standing out in a cracking cast, Chiwetel Ejiofor is electric as a man being slowly driven to breaking point.
  • kenstachnik
    April 1, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Mamet makes a film and nimble and graceful as the art form at it's center.
  • ceWEBrity
    March 30, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    Thematically impressive and powerfully acted. It's interesting to watch the actors David Mamet assembles and see how well they handle his unique, mannered dialogue. Chiwetel Ejiofor is great, and I've really started to take notice of him - anyone who goes from drag queen to marti... read moreal artist to insurgency leader without losing an ounce of credibility has some definite acting clout. Alice Braga is also a surprising standout here, with a commanding voice that deftly maneuvers lots of tricky dialogue. It is a shame that the movie completely loses interest in her by the final twenty minutes. Not everyone fares perfectly; Tim Allen is depthless and Emily Mortimer gets lost in her character, giving a surprisingly washed-out performance.

    Unlike most, I like the ending. It's a nifty little attack on capitalism and exploitation and the people who are aware of them, but placed in a position of utter powerlessness to reform the systems. Virtuosos of what was once an art form paraded around as a selling point. Redbelt would seem to make an attack on commercialized martial arts, but in casting two UFC personalities, was this too weighed down by promises to influential financiers? The ending is different, though not completely removed, from the movie's initial dissertations on honor and principle, and it takes an admirable stance on Mike Terry's unflinching asceticism. Redbelt is not ignorant to the real world, but it understands the power of integrity and that there are still people who hold it as an important value.

    All that aside, though, I did find the film somewhat inert. It took me a day to conjure up anything to say about it. Perhaps it was a baseline disinterest in the material, but Redbelt just didn't resonate with me personally. I recommend it, though with a certain caution: don't come here looking for too many fight scenes or over-the-top screeds about honor.
  • fb619846742
    November 7, 2008
    fb619846742
    A solid, non formulaic martial-arts movie that is more focused on an internal moral dilemma than a physical slugfest. Ejiofor is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, his poise is tough to beat, and his silent beast of a performance here is remarkable. Allen is also a fine ... read morefit as the celebrity. The score deserves an Oscar, extremely well implemented. Not everything works at the end, but most of it does, making this a solid recommendation.
  • kiriyamakazou
    October 30, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    David Mamet offers up a deep bit of martial arts drama, only to be damaged by the fact that he is David Mamet. This leads to some convoluted plot involving deception and twists which are unnecessary in exploration of the main character or the films themes. Simpler could have been... read more better and so could some probing into the supporting cast. Especially Tim Allen who shows he IS an actor with a wonderfully understated performance. The film is hard to get into at first as you struggle to see where it's coming from. Once all is revealed though it becomes easier to take in, though the ending after the final fight was all a bit gag inducing for myself.
  • TheMachinist
    October 25, 2008
    TheMachinist
    "There is no situation you cannot escape from. There is no situation that you cannot turn to your advantage"

    David Mamet's newest effort was a nice suprise. I knew nothing about it but when I studied a bit about his filmography I found this one.

    Don't expect that it's all about... read more martial arts and non-stop fighting on the screen. It's mostly a drama with a lot of the philosophy behind the martial arts. "Redbelt" doesn't have a complex story but in the end it fits the pieces in a good way.

    "Redbelt" needs multiple viewings to really understand what it's all about. Running on less than 100 minutes, it's beautifully paced but so much good stuff is put into it that you want to see it again. The actors performances are also brilliant.

    "Everything in life, the money's in the rematch"

    In my opinion, "Redbelt" is a very realistic film about the martial arts world. It's smart and it leaves the viewer to decide what it is all about.

    "It's alright. There's no one here but the fighters"
  • Chiefilms
    September 8, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Extremely dialogue driven, not much action nor martial arts, more of an intellectual movie about pride and honor, stuff like that that, but the fighting in the movie is very effective. This movie was not marketed well or described well, its difficult to outline a plot for this f... read moreilm. My favorite part about the film is Chiwetel Ejiofor's acting, he did a great job that shows potential stardom. Tim Allen dropping f-bombs is a suprise, I laughed everytime he said it because I thought of either Home Improvement or The Santa Clause when he used profanity.

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Critic Reviews

Stephen Hunter
May 9, 2008
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

What is memorable is the film's portrait of a man of honor in a sleazy world, possibly a metaphor for the struggle of the artist to stay honorable in a world of backbiting, betrayal and hunger for eas... Full Review

Peter Howell
May 9, 2008
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

The glue that holds it together is Ejiofor's muscular performance as a man whose principles may be about to feel the brass knuckles of reality. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
May 9, 2008
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

Mamet's love for the sport comes through in every frame. Full Review

James Berardinelli
May 9, 2008
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

It's neither uninteresting nor unentertaining, but the plot is as threadbare as an old carpet and Mamet's narrative contortions will leave many viewers scratching their heads. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 9, 2008
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Ejiofor, a marvelously focused actor whose range and intensity are given a faintly inscrutable edge here, holds the center of the screen. Full Review

Colin Covert
May 9, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Redbelt ranks as one of Mamet's lesser efforts as writer and director. Full Review

Tom Long
May 9, 2008
Tom Long, Detroit News

Incompetently made and covered in corn, this is a martial arts movie that makes you yearn for The Karate Kid. Yes, that movie was corny, as well, but at least it was fun. Redbelt isn't fun, just laugh... Full Review

Roger Ebert
May 9, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

So gifted is Mamet as a writer and director that he can fascinate us even when he's pulling rabbits out of an empty hat. Full Review

J. R. Jones
May 9, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

A sour little 70s-style David Mamet play about the lies, calculations, and ice-cold politics of Hollywood. Full Review

Ty Burr
May 9, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

While Redbelt may be a character study in search of a movie, that character feels fresh and real. Full Review

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