Home
NEW TODAY
Film Notes/Ideas
Feature Finalists
Aug. FEST VIDEOS
SUBMIT A SCRIPT
SUBMIT your FILM
TV Pilot Contest
One Page Contest
Comedy Shorts
Best of 2007 Films
Best of 2008 Films
Fest Videos 2007
Fest Video 2008
Movie Reviews
Classic Reviews
Wildcard Pictures
GET OUR E-ZINE!
CONTACT US
2008 Schedule

XML RSS
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Add to Google
 

REDBELT
Movie Review

ALSO ON SITE

REDBELT
Movie Review
Directed by David Mamet
Starring Chiwetel Ejitofor and Alice Braga
Review by El Manning




SYNOPSIS:

A fateful event leads to a job in the film business for top mixed-martial arts instructor Mike Terry. Though his refuses to participate in prize bouts, circumstances conspire to force him to consider entering such a competition.Free Video

REVIEW:

There's a moment in Redbelt that takes place right at its midpoint that defines this movie. Tim Allen, playing the movie star actor (and true antagonist of the film) is talking to our hero, jiu-jitsu master and instructor Mike Terry.

Mike is explaining to the movie star that jiu-jitsu is about using your opponents strengths against them in order to defeat them. The movie star places Whiskey glass down on a railing and Mike immediately fixes the positioning of the glass before it falls. The movie star looks at Mike straight in the eye and realizes what his strength is:

Mike is a good guy who always needs to do the right thing. And its then when the movie star realizes what he can do to take advantage of Mike.

That is what the theme of this film is. Mike Terry is a great guy always needing to do what's right. And it's that strength that a group of people use to take advantage of him. This is a movie that's thick of irony as our hero fails because people use the same principals he teaches against him.

I guess as the cliche goes: Your greatest strength is always your greatest weakness.

Mike Terry is a great teacher too because his lessons are about giving his students a better moral center to become better people. Unfortunately Writer/Director David Mamet's thesis statement in Redbelt is that this way may be a little too idealistic in our current world.

If you want to see this film because you think it's a film about mixed-martial arts fighting, you're not going to the right film. Yes, there are some interesting fight scenes (mainly the climatic battle), but this is a film about the human condition and where we are in our current world.

This is a film that is really well made and executed. A movie that's currently mixed in with the Hollywood summer films that are playing at the cinema today. It's a character study film competing with a wide assortment of plot driven and/or high concept movies. And it's a great change of pace.

The only critique I can give Redbelt it that it's perhaps too loose on the plot as there are things that really don't add up. That and it really portrays a dim portrait of our society today. It reminds me of many stage plays that become dated right after its closes because their are many other negative things to write and complain about.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK of this page on www.WILDsound.ca
Re:
First Name
E-mail Address
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK of this page on www.WILDsound.ca
But you can't help but appreciate and love the magic of the filmmaker and writer David Mamet. He can engage an audience by writing about how paint dries. He's just a gifted storyteller.

This film is all about character and the conflicts that are happening to our hero internally. Mike Terry is a man you can't help but like a whole lot, so you're with him all the way in his struggles and hope at the end, he wins out.

But this isn't a black and white movie with a black and white ending. That's not David Mamet's way. You enter this film feeling a tad uncomfortable and you leave this film thinking the same way. Life might be unfair for the really good people in the world, and this film tackles the reason why. This reviewer just wishes it wasn't that way and perhaps doesn't want to think about it.

Redbelt didn't really entertain me but it did make me think about a whole lot of things. Perhaps I wanted a bit more entertainment but I'm awfully glad I saw this film and recommend it to others.

3 stars out of 4!

Buy Hollywood Movies OnlineHit Movies Under $10 - Get the Deal!

CLICK HERE and read some Classic Movie Reviews!

CLICK HERE and read the Daily Box Office results

READ MORE MOVIE REVIEWS:

Iron ManIron Man
Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring
Robert Downey Jr.
Gwyneth Paltrow

Baby MomaMade of Honor
Directed by Paul Weiland
Starring
Patrick Dempsey
Michelle Monaghan



Harold and KumarHarold and Kumar
Directed by Jon Hurwitz
Hayden Schlossberg
Starring
John Cho
Kal Penn

Baby MomaBaby Moma
Directed by Michael McCullers
Starring
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler



The Forbidden KingdomThe Forbidden Kingdom
Directed by Rob Minkoff
Starring
Jackie Chan
Jet Li

88 Minutes88 Minutes
Directed by Jon Avnet
Starring
Al Pacino
Alicia Witt



Prom NightProm Night
Directed by Nelson McCormick
Starring
Brittany Snow
Scott Porter

Forgetting Sara MarshallForgetting Sarah Marshall
Directed by Rob Minkoff
Starring
Jason Segal
Kristen Bell



Return from Redbelt to home page

Google


footer for Redbelt page