REVIEW: ‘Redbelt’ (2008)

The spirit of Bushido and great martial arts masters the world over is alive and well in David Mamet’s gripping and poignant martial arts masterpiece that cuts to the core of what martial arts is all about. British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers a powerful physical and emotional performance as a noble Jiu-Jitsu master forced to contend with an imperfect world. With thrilling, authentic grappling moves set in a real-world context, superb acting from a highly talented cast and a sophisticated, emotionally-charged script, REDBELT is in class all its own.

Mamet has done what quite possibly no other Western filmmaker to date has ever managed, to take martial arts as a central theme and show it at its highest level. Usually, Hollywood films are content to show little more than the physical action that comes with martial confrontations, sometimes mixed with gimmicky snippets of Eastern philosophy packaged the same way that McDonald’s packages “food.” REDBELT is set in a real world and backed up by Mamet’s superb writing and excellent performances from world-class actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emily Mortimer, playing a rape victim who becomes Ejiofor’s student and attorney.

With rare assurance of both physical movement and dramatic depth, Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, who although looks like an average guy, is what some might call the real deal when it comes to identifying a true martial arts master. He’s a humble man unconcerned with wealth or fame who is supremely dedicated to not only teaching his students moves that might save their lives in a real confrontation but might change their lives.

A lot of folks who get into martial arts, do so for a variety of reasons ranging from self defense to competitive sparring. Few go on to completely transform their lives by the code of ethics that come with the best training. Chinese and Japanese filmmakers are more in tune with this immaterial side of martial arts thanks to the pervasiveness of Zen, Confucian and Bushido principles that often guide the spiritual development of Asian martial artists. Mamet does more than simply replicate prepackaged examples. He squarely adapts universal martial ethics for the context of an instructor living and working in the extremely material world of Los Angeles. It’s fitting that the professional mixed martial arts circuit and the film industry become the havens of corruption and decadence often represented in Asian martial arts films as mobsters, glory-seeking fighters, opium sellers, and corrupt officials.

The story effortlessly glides towards an increasingly untenable situation for Mike Terry and his wife Sondra (played by Brazilian actress Alice Braga) as they struggle to keep their martial arts school in the black, especially after they get drawn into the world of professional fighting. It’s something Mike wants nothing to do with but he cannot escape it when his wife ends up in debt to a loan shark and his student, a police officer, gets suspended while trying to protect the honor of Mike’s school following an incident involving a stolen watch.

The brilliance of REDBELT is how Mamet steers Mike into physical conflicts. They happen organically, almost as an afterthought or obstruction. Mike makes a point that he doesn’t teach people how to fight but how to prevail in a difficult situation. It is something he lives by when coming to the defense of a famous film star, played by Tim Allen in a surprisingly understated and serious role. Each move when facing several attackers wielding sharp objects is designed to deflect, disarm, disable, and/or subdue an opponent. It’s a far cry from the merciless beatings Steven Seagal once dished out in grindhouse-leaning action films like ABOVE THE LAW.

A brilliant addition to the story is a gimmick or MacGuffin that drives the action forward yet ties everything together with an almost mythical Japanese theme. Mike’s training in part involves the use of three pebbles, one black and two white. Whoever draws the black pebble in a match must endure a handicap such as having one or both arms tied behind the back. The idea is that no situation, no matter how challenging, is impossible to overcome or escape if you know your body and how to exploit the weaknesses of others. This idea ends up exploited for profit by the MMA association. I don’t want to spoil how it’s handled but Mamet’s approach in revealing the depths to which this pure training philosophy is twisted is simply wonderful.

In Mamet’s world, characters would have to face consequences for each action, as in real life. A short verbal confrontation between Mortimer and a rival attorney over the intellectual theft of Mike’s training by an MMA association reveals the complexities that Mamet is dealing with. There are no quick fixes to win the day and yet, Mamet turns this very notion about conflict in the real world upside down when Mike is ultimately driven to tear the lid off the corruption he witnesses in the commercially-driven realm of MMA competition.

This conflict between higher ideals of right and wrong and materialism becomes the catalyst for a fantastic fight sequence that begins with Ejiofor taking on security guards at an MMA event and eventually Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu master John Machado. This and several other fights in the film are extremely well choreographed with great care put into displaying authentic grappling moves. There are no gimmicks to how it’s shown, although the camera work and editing are tightly controlled. Mamet has found just the right balance to steer clear of grandstanding as so blatantly seen in films like ONG BAK while keeping the movement interesting. Although the fighting style may originate from Brazil and Japan, the way in which the Jiu-Jitsu is shot is distinctly American in the best sense. Stylized action is the domain of European and Hong Kong filmmaking. Like the works of John Ford and Steven Spielberg, American cinema, at its best reflects a simple, straightforward spirit of honest, hard-working people. With REDBELT, Mamet also reflects the utilitarian, technically proficient martial arts scene that exists here in a way that is also well in step with the spirit of Asian martial arts folk heroes like Musashi Miyamoto and Wong Fei-hung.

The ending to REDBELT couldn’t have been staged any better even though it arguably strays just a little from the reality-based tone of the rest of the film. For anyone who can recognize true honor, humility and respect for others and oneself, I don’t know how you walk away from this movie without at least a measure of quiet reflection and empathy for Mike Terry’s lonely walk down the straight and narrow. This is the first movie in years that struck such a chord with my jaded, critical mind as to cause me to tear up for at least ten minutes. Dan Inosanto’s silent role in the film’s finale reel speaks volumes, in part because of his real-world stature as a truly humble martial arts master and in the way that Mamet arranges the whole sequence to wordlessly make a very powerful statement with minimal action. I cannot speak for the rest of his output, aside several quality screenplays, but in REDBELT David Mamet has shown genius in his depiction of martial arts and its spirit. It’s like the way that Clint Eastwood might have directed a martial arts movie had he ever turned his eye to the subject. REDBELT is the American FEARLESS, THROWDOWN and TWILIGHT SAMURAI all rolled into one. It is the American martial arts movie that finally hits the mark dead center in action and philosophy and at the right time and place. For anyone with an interest in a great dramatic story, MMA fighting or any martial arts regardless of technique, this is a must-see film.

Related Topics: Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Redbelt (2008)