Redbelt (Spoilars!)

Not having any plans tonight I decided to catch a late night showing of the film Redbelt. Being a huge David Mamet fan (director/writer of Spartan, Heist and Glengarry Glen Ross) I was very excited for his return to cinema after producing/writing/directing the CBS show The Unit (which I suffered through for its finer episodes) for so long.

I am 110% glad I caught this gem of a film before it left theaters (only one showing at the theater near my house FOR SHAME!). Redbelt stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu dojo owner and master. He's complimented by Emily Mortimer, Tim Allen, and Max Martini. Mamet writes these characters very well and it shows because Tim Allen doesn't come off as being...well Tim Allen.

The story is basically about how one man can overcome all of the corruption, greed and general failure of modern society by living by a strict warriors code. Mike Terry has run into some bad luck money wise and through a random occurrence with movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen) he seems to have turned that around. Little does he know that he is being used. After finding this out and having one of his star students commit suicide he is at an all time low and is forced to turn to competitive fighting to raise money for his dojo and his deceased students now widow. Right before he is up to fight he finds out his wife has betrayed him and that one of the star fighters of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is set to throw his match in the interest of making more money. Terry decides to take matters into his own hands and ultimately proves himself to the man he looks up to the most all while regaining his honor, shaming his wife and exposing everyone who used him.

Terry is a man you can't help but root for. This is one of the only movies where I wanted to cheer at the screen for the main character. The simple ending has been (for me) one of the most satisfying endings of any movie I've ever seen.

Mamet continues to make thrilling movies with incredibly smart dialog and I can't wait to see what subject he tackles next. I'm glad to see Ejiofor becoming more popular. I was first exposed to him in Serenity and saw him more recently in American Gangster. He is an excellent actor and really shines in this movie.