Redbelt (Mamet, 2008) — Chiwetel Ejiofor's jiu-jitsu movie

[mdc3000]

Originally Posted by thelwig14

I guess I am just not big enough of a Mamet fan. Loved Spartan, but to me, Redbelt had the intelligence of a Seagal movie.

No fucking way... you may not have liked it, but it operated on a level way above a typical Seagal movie (I'm talking the later years - some early Stevie ain't half bad)... I think you were expecting something DIFFERENT out of the film, especially if you're more a fan of the fighters in the movie... It's certainly not for everyone, which is typical Mamet...

[thelwig14]

Originally Posted by mdc3000

No fucking way... you may not have liked it, but it operated on a level way above a typical Seagal movie (I'm talking the later years - some early Stevie ain't half bad)... I think you were expecting something DIFFERENT out of the film, especially if you're more a fan of the fighters in the movie... It's certainly not for everyone, which is typical Mamet...

That is probably why...I am so involved in that culture that it couldn't have come across more ludicrous and ridiculous to me if Mamet tried.

[grrr]

At its center, the story is that of a man of principle thrust into a world where few have any honor whatsoever. Mamet could've made it a law drama, a soldier of fortune story, or an insider's view of Hollywood--the circumstances inform the story, but the drama isn't dependent on it.

FWIW, this was probably my favorite film of 2008 solely for Chewie's character and performance. Off-hand, I can think of only a handful of characters in film who were as admirable or principled as Mike.