Redbelt (2008)
Directed by David Mamet
Written by David Mamet
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alice Braga, Randy Couture, Joe Mantegna, Ricky Jay
Release Date May 9th, 2008
Published June 14th, 2008
David Mamet is one of the best screenwriters in the business. His hard boiled dialogue and twist filled suspense stories are often so layered it takes multiple viewings to discern. It is Mamet's reputation for quality work that makes his latest writer/director effort Redbelt so puzzling.
The story of a martial arts instructor drawn into a con that leads him into competing in a Mixed Martial Arts tournament has the requisite Mamet dialogues and twists but lacks suspense. Redbelt lacks suspense not because of a lacking script but rather it's shoddy, off putting craftsmanship.
Redbelt looks and feels as if it were slapped together on a deadline and shoved into theaters well before it was ready. Takes drag on too long. Dialogue sounds as if different scenes were cut together at random. Strong actors like Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emily Mortimer seem at a loss to find motivation and guiding principles for their performances.
In Redbelt Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a struggling martial arts instructor whose unique style is co opted by an actor played by Tim Allen. The actor wants to learn from the instructor and use his style in a movie. What looks like a windfall however becomes a double cross when the actor's manager played by Joe Montegna steals the instructors teachings and sells them to a shady pay per view fight promoter (Ricky Jay).
To win back what he lost, the instructor must take part in a tournament and win it all.
As I said, Redbelt has the elements that Mamet does so well. The problem is in the slapdash production. The look of the film is amateurish at times with odd angles and fuzzy cinematography. The editing is downright confusing with actors often seeming as if their conversations were cobbled together from different scenes.
Stunningly poor production dooms what otherwise might have been classic Mamet in all his manly, foul mouthed glory.
