Redbelt

Infobox Film
name = Redbelt


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = David Mamet
producer = Chrisann Verges
writer = David Mamet
starring = Chiwetel Ejiofor
Tim Allen
Emily Mortimer
Alice Braga
Rodrigo Santoro
Joe Mantegna
Rebecca Pidgeon
Ricky Jay
John Machado
music =
cinematography = Robert Elswit
editing = Barbara Tulliver
distributor = Sony Pictures Classics
released =
runtime = 99 min
country = United States
awards =
language = English
budget = USD $7 Million
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 1012804

"Redbelt" is a martial arts film written and directed by David Mamet. The film concerns Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and self-defense instructor who imparts upon his students the skills to survive on the street, rather than compete in unarmed combat sports. A series of circumstances brings Terry in contact with popular movie hero Chet Frank (Tim Allen) and a legion of Hollywood movers and shakers. Terry soon finds himself the victim of a con and, combined with a destitute financial situation, is pressed to enter the ring for pride and profit. The film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on May 9, 2008.

Mamet has described "Redbelt" as a samurai film in the tradition of Kurosawa. [ [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-goldstein19jun19,1,6821892.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true Ultimate fighting? Now that's a late hit - Los Angeles Times ] ] . He has employed the resources of several members of the MMA community in the making of the film; Randy Couture and Enson Inoue have acting roles in the film, as does Jean Jacques Machado's brother John Machado who also planned some of the fight choreography.

David Mamet has earned the rank of purple belt under the tutelage of Renato Magno, who also served as the film's jiu-jitsu consultant.

Cast

*Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry
*Tim Allen as Chet Frank
*Alice Braga as Sondra Terry
*Rodrigo Santoro as Bruno Silva
*Jose Pablo Cantillo as Snowflake
*Randy Couture as Dylan Flynn
*Caroline de Souza Correa as Monica
*Mike Goldberg as Sports Announcer #2
*Damon Herriman as Official
*Dan Inosanto as Joao Moro
*Enson Inoue as Taketa Morisaki
*Ricky Jay as Marty Brown
*John Machado as Rodrigo Silva
*Ray Mancini as George
*Joe Mantegna as Jerry Weiss
*Max Martini as Joe Ryan
*Emily Mortimer as Laura Black
*David Paymer as Richie
*Rebecca Pidgeon as Zena Frank
*Cyril Takayama as Jimmy Takata
*Jennifer Grey as Lucy Weiss

Production

The film was produced by Chrisann Verges. David Wasco served as production designer. Debra McGuire designed the costumes and Stephen Endelman provided the music. Cinematography was done by Robert Elswit and the film was edited by Barbara Tulliver. John Machado and Rico Chiapparelli were the fight choreographers. Chiwetel Ejiofor's stunt double was Aaron Toney and Tim Allen's stunt double was Todd Warren. [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1012804/fullcredits |title=Redbelt (2008) - Full cast and crew |accessdate=2008-05-02 |publisher=Internet Movie Database] In an interview with Iain Blair of Reuters Life!, Mamet said he was interested in casting Chiwetel Ejiofor for his acting versatility after seeing his performances in "Dirty Pretty Things" and "Kinky Boots", saying "It's impossible for one guy to be able to play both those parts."cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSN3036521020080502 |title=Iain Blair |accessdate=2008-05-02 |author=Iain Blair |date=2008-05-01 |publisher=Reuters Life! |pages=3] David Mamet said that Ejiofor's preparation for the film included 12-hour days of physical training, although Ejiofor said that wasn't exactly the norm. [cite web|url=http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/article/q-a-chiwetel-ejiofor/395204/content |title=Q+A: Chiwetel Ejiofor | Metromix Chicago |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Brett Buckalew |date=2008-04-28 |publisher=Metromix Chicago] Production began around July 2007, with many of the action sequences being filmed at the Pyramid in Long Beach.Fact|date=May 2008

Marketing

Sony Pictures Classics co-founder and co-president Tom Bernard said there were two marketing campaigns for the film, "one directed at MMA guys and another at the more upscale theaters." Commercials and giveaway contests were run on Spike TV, and Mamet was invited to screen the film for members of New York's Lincoln Center. [cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-mma13mar13,1,6766566.story |title=Mixed martial arts films have a chokehold on action |accessdate=2008-05-02 |author=Chris Lee |date=2008-03-13 |work=Los Angeles Times]

Critical reception

The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. As of May 18, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 72% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 103 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008741-redbelt/ |title=Redbelt Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-05-18 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/redbelt |title=Redbelt (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-05-18 |publisher=Metacritic]

Many critics praised Chiwetel Ejiofor for his performance in the film.cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=lLFzLJYcC2mrDxHtLQMrvJT3vTmnqrh0Tcgzhlm3pyMqw8CdjS2W!-1543868831&&rid=11015 |title=Bottom Line: Mamet takes up jiu-jitsu with honorable results. |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Michael Rechtshaffen |date=2008-04-25 |work=The Hollywood Reporter] cite web|url=http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/movie-review-redbelt/408059/content |title='Redbelt' is round 10 for Mamet, and it's better than a draw |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Michael Phillips |date=2008-05-09 |work=Chicago Tribune] cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/136149 |title=Car and Driver, and Monkey |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=David Ansen |date=2008-05-08 |work=Newsweek] cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120968871765461373.html |title=A Rejuvenated Downey Dazzles; Mamet's 'Redbelt' Is Martial Art |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Joe Morgenstern |date=2008-05-02 |work=Wall Street Journal]

"Los Angeles Times" film critic Carina Chocano described the film as "tricky and engrossing" and "a contemporary noir with a samurai movie interior." Chocano wrote, "Ejiofor brings a calm magnetism and a beatific serenity to his roles that have the effect of knocking you flat -- there's something about this guy that's messianic." Chocano said Tim Allen's performance was restrained. Chocano wrote "the noir puzzle element is central to the story" and "suffice it to say things get complicated", saying "much of the pleasure is in the surprises." [cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/reviews/movies/la-et-redbelt2-2008may02,0,1945512.story |title=David Mamet's contemporary noir film follows a moral code in and out of a jujitsu club. |accessdate=2008-05-02 |author=Carina Chocano |date=2008-05-02 |work=Los Angeles Times]

Several critics wrote that the story is reminiscent of films from earlier decades. Ruthe Stein of the "San Francisco Chronicle" said the film is "entertaining in a pulpy kind of way, like the fight films of the 1930s and '40s, and more accessible than most of Mamet's movies."cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/08/DDL410IH84.DTL&type=movies |title=Movie review: Mamet goes to mat in 'Redbelt' |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Ruthe Stein |date=2008-05-09 |work=San Francisco Chronicle] Ty Burr of "The Boston Globe" wrote "What "Redbelt" reminded me of more than anything else was a modern version of a classic film noir, particularly 1950's brilliantly seedy "Night and the City", with its pro-wrestling subplot."cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=11499 |title=A moral dilemma from Mamet |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Ty Burr |date=2008-05-09 |work=The Boston Globe] Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" called it "a satisfying, unexpectedly involving B-movie that owes as much to old Hollywood as to Greek tragedy."cite web|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/movies/02belt.html |title=In a Chokehold, on the Mat and in Life |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Manohla Dargis |date=2008-05-02 |work=The New York Times]

The ending of the film was criticized by several critics. Tasha Robinson of "The A.V. Club" said "The film unravels a bit in the last few moments, amid unanswered story questions and a simplistic climax, but until that moment, "Redbelt" is Mamet's richest film of the decade."cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/cinema/redbelt |title=Redbelt |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Tasha Robinson |date=2008-05-01 |work=The A.V. Club] Steven Rea of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" said "One of the problems with the way Mamet resolves Mike's predicament is that it's ridiculously implausible - even in the context of a far-fetched fight story."cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/steven_rea/20080509_Tumbling_to_an_implausible_end.html |title=Tumbling to an implausible end |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Steven Rea |date=2008-05-09 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com said the final scene "might seem far-fetched on a pay-per-view mma broadcast."cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/btm/feature/2008/04/28/tribeca1/ |title=He conquered the World Trade Center |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=Andrew O'Hehir |date=2008-04-28 |publisher=Salon.com] Film critic James Berardinelli said "The plot is borderline ridiculous and certainly doesn't stand up to close (or even not-so-close) scrutiny, but there's a level of entertainment to be had watching it unfold in all its strangeness", but also said "taken at face value, there's a degree of satisfaction in the way "Redbelt" concludes."cite web|url=http://www.reelviews.net/movies/r/redbelt.html |title=ReelViews Movie Review: Redbelt |accessdate=2008-05-12 |author=James Berardinelli |work=ReelViews]

Regarding the fight scenes in the film, Rea wrote "Mamet is a master of talk, not action" and said "Redbelt"'s ultimate Ultimate Fight moment feels sorely lacking." O'Hehir said "the jiu-jitsu scenes are so incoherently shot and edited you can't tell if the fight choreography is any good or not." Berardinelli wrote "Anyone attending with the expectation that this is going to satisfy a primal desire for wall-to-wall combat will be sadly disappointed.

In "The Weekly Standard", Sonny Bunch wrote that the film's "heart is not in the twists and turns [...] but a careful character study of a man who lives a life based on honor, and the corrupting influence of money." Bunch said it "takes lack of exposition to a new extreme [...] How does Mamet tell us about Terry's character? Very subtly. Throughout the film we get hints about Terry's life [...] Mamet challenges us to figure out for ourselves what's going on in Terry's head." [cite web|url=http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/076xiell.asp |title=Honor, Duty, Jiu-Jitsu David Mamet takes on mixed martial arts |accessdate=2008-05-15 |author=Sonny Bunch |date=2008-05-09 |work=The Weekly Standard]

Box office performance

The film opened in limited release in the United States on May 2, 2008 and grossed $63,361 in 6 theaters, averaging $10,560 per theater. On May 9, 2008, the film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada, and grossed $1,012,435 in 1,379 theaters, ranking #11 at the box office and averaging $734 per theater. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=redbelt.htm |title=Redbelt (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results |accessdate=2008-05-12 |publisher=Box Office Mojo] As of September 9, 2008, it has grossed $2,451,459 in the United States and Canada. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=redbelt.htm |title=Redbelt (2008) |accessdate=2008-05-29 |publisher=Box Office Mojo]

References

External links

* [http://www.sonyclassics.com/redbelt/ Official website]
*imdb title|id=1012804|title=Redbelt
*rotten-tomatoes|id=10008741-redbelt|title=Redbelt
*metacritic film|id=redbelt|title=Redbelt
*mojo title|id=redbelt|title=Redbelt
*amg movie|id=1:394508|title=Redbelt
* [http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-reviews/redbelt-david-mamet-chiwetel-ejiofor/ Review of "Redbelt"] at [http://www.altfg.com/blog/ Alternative Film Guide]
* [http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/redbelt/ Trailer] at Apple.com
* [http://chud.com/articles/articles/10201/1/THE-CROP-REPORT---51507-REDBELT/Page1.html CROP Report - Cinematic Happenings Under Development] - may contain plot detail
* [http://streetsportsbjj.blogspot.com/ Street Sports Jiu-Jitsu Blog] - contains behind the scenes photos and videos from the movie