Ruminations, Musings and Other Stuff…

 

Movie Review: Red Belt

Directed by: David Mamet

Screenplay Written By: David Mamet

Released (US): May 2008

After initially reading the synopsis of Redbelt I thought it had everything railing against it.  A film about the seedy underbelly of competitive extreme fighting?  At the risk of having my “red blooded male” card torn to shreds, I can safely say I wasn’t interested at all.  Then I saw the first trailer that came out for it and that sealed it: I had no intention of seeing the film. On to the next one.

But there was something that just didn’t make sense to me.  Strike that.  There were several things that didn’t make sense to me.  

First, it was a David Mamet film, and say what you will about his films that miss the mark, when this guy is on, he makes really engaging cinema.  His dialogue is always to the point and intense.  There’s a tempo in the pacing of his films that I thoroughly dig and when he ropes the right actors in, his films come alive taking tried and true scenarios and spinning them around.  

The result is making you feel like “you’ve seen this before” walking into the theatre, only to make you grin ear to ear walking out to your car with the knowledge that you’ve just seen something different.  

Second on the list was the actors that he gathered.  His usual talented troupe of folks that show up in a lot of his films (Joe Mantegna, Vincent Guastaferro, Ricky Jay, etc…) are here but there’s also Tim Allen turning in a dramatic 180 turn that will have you begging him not to don that goddam Santa suit ever again, the under-rated Emily Mortimer (who always seems to take secondary roles to a new level.  “Matchpoint” comes to mind) who’s always strong,  and the astoundingly good Chiwetal Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things, Children of Men, to name a few) as his lead.  Those are the standouts, but make no mistake, everyone is incredible in this and no one detracts, which is no small feat in today’s films.

Add in the the cinematography of Robert Elswit who’s had a hand in some of my favorite films (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love,  I know… all Anderson films, I’m an un-abashed fan) and you’ve got a beautifully written, directed, shot and acted film.  Should’ve been a no-brainer!  

And yet, I still wasn’t intrigued.   Everything about what I’d seen, as unlikely as it seemed, seemed kinda “meh”. 

 But then a second trailer got put up on Twitch and just like that, my views changed.  I always feel a bit silly when a trailer sways me to this degree, but the vibe of this second trailer had changed from the first.  The film suddenly became a Mamet film, and it looked to be a good one at that!  And just like that, all of this film’s promise seemed to be paying off and the film that was previously a write-off, suddenly went to the top of my short list when it hit the local art house.

The story behind the film is fairly basic, Mike Terry (Ejiofor) runs a local jujitsu academy which follows, and expects it’s pupils to adhere to, a strict code of honor. Though he has a good amount of students, he and his wife are just not making ends meet financially.  Then, one night after class is finished, a very rattled lawyer (Mortimer) walks into the classroom. She’s hit someone’s car parked outside and just wants to let them know but clearly there’s a lot more going on in her head thats beyond nicking someone’s car.  In an effort to calm her down one of the students, who also happens to be a cop, tries to take her coat to which she flips out, grabs his gun, and accidentally discharges a round through the front bay window of the academy.  

A window that Terry has no financial way of replacing.

And just like that, this one small moment (comparatively anyways…) spirals Mike Terry and his wife into financial ruin which ultimately forces Terry to enter a prize fighting competition that goes against every principal of honor he’s ever fought to uphold.  The whole scenario follows “the butterfly effect” to a tee (the concept, not the movie of the same name - ugh) and before you know it these characters that you care about get buried in a storm of woe, death and all around trouble where there previously was none (or at least very little).  

Of course, this is Mamet, which means there’s much more to the story than that.  The guy has made a career out of weaving cinematic tapestries and “Red Belt” is no different.  Before Mike Terry enters the ring there will be many a double cross and many folks will show their true colors.  By then, you are so involved with every one of the protagonists that when their time comes to pay the proverbial piper.  It’s almost suffocating to watch on screen.  You don’t know if Mike Terry will get out of it all and if he does, you have no idea how he will.

The interweaving sub-plots and characters add up to a pretty loaded screenplay. In an other director’s hands I’m pretty sure it would’ve unraveled and ended up a chaotic mess on the floor.  But in Mamet’s it’s handled deftly and with care.  It doesn’t feel heavy and over-saturated with exposition despite it’s overwhelming nature.  It’s delivered on screen, acted and directed well enough that instead of saying “Oh, come on now…”, you are on the edge of your seat genuinely nervous for everyone that is involved.  These kind of action based dramas literally hinge on screenplay pacing, direction, and acting.  I’m happy to report that all three are tight with little to no flaws.

In fact, about the only cons I can throw out is that aspects of the ending felt a little tacked on (for the record, Mel had zero problems with the ending) but it by no means ruins the film for you.  

As usual, I’ll hold off on the bright spots because I’d like for you to discover them for yourself.  I will say this though, my favorite moments are the ones where nothing is said at all or what is said, is isn’t ever heard by the viewer.  If see the film, I think you’ll agree.  

So, definitely worth a look-see.  It’s a heavy, emotional film, but it’s one that is filled with gems and tiny moments that really elevate it beyond it’s genre.  It’s length also allows for the increasingly rare “school night” viewing!  Bonus!!!  

Regardless of when you see it though, I highly recommend it!

-Tad

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