Redbelt (R-2008)

Screenwriter/director David Mamet explores the corrupt world of prize-fighting, using Mixed Martial Arts as the setting, in this gripping drama. Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an honorable jiu-jitsu instructor struggling to make ends meet as his gym is struggling. An incident in his gym starts a chain of events that have him faced with the prospect of losing everything. Reluctantly, he accepts a proposal to enter the undercard of a mixed martial arts event, where he comes face to face with the corruption that exists in the fight game. Despite being rooted in martial arts, this is not an action film, by any means. It is a slow moving, yet riveting human drama of a man faced with the dilemma of doing what is right, against heavy pressures to take the easy way out. Ejiofor, a very unknown actor, is straddled with the task of carrying this film as he appears in almost every scene and he pulls it off beautifully. His struggles, his confusion, his agony are all written on his face and there to illustrate the tough choices he faces. The plot has several twists, some of which are shocking, which help keep your interest in this movie glued, even as the plot itself moves along slowly. While it seems there are several subplots going on, the strings of these all get tied together, showing them to be all related. Mamet has a great writing resume ("Glengary Glen Ross") and this is one of those films where the star of the film is the script. The dialogue is well-written and the plot, while intricate, is never confusing. While I do not follow mixed martial arts fighting, this did not deter one bit from the movie. This story might have worked equally well with a boxing backdrop, but the philosophies and teachings of martial arts help to set up some of the dilemmas faced by the main character.

Grade: B-

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