A cornball martial arts flick by playwright/film director David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross) might sound like a joke, but Redbelt—revolving around a noble jujitsu teacher named Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who is forced to participate in a competition he considers demeaning to his art--is presented with the utmost seriousness…which makes it all the more ridiculous. This being Mamet, the script serves up a bit of sleight-of-hand and misdirection--involving a pill-addicted lawyer (Emily Mortimer) and a Hollywood star (Tim Allen) whom the hero saves from a beating—but the main plot follows the traditional formula of the honorable fighter manipulated (in this case, because of a threat to one of his students) by unsavory promoters into entering a tournament against his will. The match, of course, is rigged, yet Terry manages to emerge--through a series of events that shatter credulity--with his honor intact and his status enhanced. Mamet, a student of jujitsu, obviously wants to protest turning the sport into crass wrestling-style entertainment, but he's unable to transform the clunky clichés of the martial arts genre into dramatic gold with only some idiosyncratic dialogue and tricky plot twists. Redbelt might have worked as parody, but instead is little more than a Chuck Norris-like fisticuffs flick presented with the solemnity of a Shakespearean tragedy. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director David Mamet and costar Randy Couture, a 26-minute Q&A with Mamet, the 19-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “Inside Mixed Martial Arts” (19 min.), an interview with UFC president Dana White (16 min.), “The Magic of Cyril Takayama” featurette on the costar (5 min.), four minutes of fighter profiles, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is the BD Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)
Redbelt
Sony, 99 min., R, DVD: $27.98, Blu-ray: $38.99, Aug. 26 Volume 23, Issue 4
Redbelt
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