Smile Politely. Speak Directly. A Champaign-Urbana Culture Blog

What does it profit a man to be the last honorable person in a corrupt world? That’s the question at the heart of David Mamet’s Redbelt, a meditation on honor and loyalty set against the backdrop of the world of Mixed Martial Arts and Hollywood. That there’s more than meets the eye comes as no surprise to those who have been following the filmmaker’s work. So often, his plays and movie have dealt with deception and misdirection and while these elements are at play in Redbelt, they don’t take center stage. Instead, Mamet and his star, Chiwetel Ejiofor, concentrate creating an in-depth character study rarely seen in movies today: that of a man who understands and maintains his own moral code while those around him regard him as a fool for doing so.

It would be tempting to call this film a thinking-person’s Rocky, which is true to a certain extent. However, the central character here, one Mike Terry (Ejiofor), is cut from the same sort of complex human cloth as you and I, never stepping into the realm of stereotype. Running his own training center that specializes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has been a financial struggle for Terry, and his wife Sondra (Alice Braga) is losing her patience. It's bad enough that they are struggling to the pay the bills to keep it going, but an incident involving an unstable woman (Emily Mortimer) who wanders in one night and a police officer who’s taking lessons there pushes Terry to the brink. However, fate smiles on the instructor when he saves Chet Frank (Tim Allen), an aging Hollywood action star, from serious harm in a barroom fight. Grateful, the actor invites Terry to his home and eventually gets him to work on his latest film as a consultant, while Frank’s wife takes Alice under her wing, promising to help her with her fashion design business. However, when an unexpected tragedy occurs that sets off a chain reaction of circumstances, it forces Terry to contemplate doing that which he has avoided: competing in sanctioned martial arts tournaments for money.

The joy of discovery is what is paramount in seeing Mamet’s work. His tales are complex and involve plot twists that, in lesser hands, come off as cheap and desperate. To be sure, some of this film’s plot machinations are a bit questionable, but are never out of the realm of the possible. Thanks to Mamet’s sparse, intelligent writing and the conviction of the cast, the tale does seem plausible despite devices that would seem hackneyed such as a suicide, numerous double-crosses and a climactic fight. Instead of sitting back and picking the story’s questionable elements to shreds, the viewer will find themselves waiting to see just what the writer/director has in store next.

Perhaps what makes the story so compelling is the conviction of its main character. Terry is in the midst of two worlds that rely on artifice and deception, both of which are based on corruption. That he finds himself adrift in Tinsel Town, where everything from its product to those that make it fraudulent is no surprise. However, Terry holds out hope that the Mixed Martial Arts community does have some integrity, as the basis for many of the disciplines it is made up of are that of honor and dignity. However, when he finds himself a stranger in a suddenly strange land, Terry, without hesitation, clings to that which all of his contemporaries have abandoned.

Playing a character as morally sound as Terry is a tricky proposition, but Ejiofor has the sincerity to pull it off with a degree of Zen-like honesty that’s impressive. There is never a moment when the character comes off as being too good to be true or insincere. Ejiofor imparts a conviction to the role, as well as a sense of humanity, that shows us that Terry sticks to his code because he has learned from past experience; anything else will only lead him to personal ruin. He knows that monetary riches solve problems temporarily but remaining true to yourself insures you of a full and healthy life. Ejiofor embodies this philosophy and the film would have collapsed if he, at any moment, would have shown a sign of weakness.

Allen is a surprise here, giving subtle shadings of regret and cynicism to Frank, who knows his career is a sham and that his life is built on an image that’s nothing more than a cartoon. Here’s hoping the actor takes on more roles such as these. Mortimer is also properly ragged then shows a sudden strength that is remarkable. In addition, Mamet mainstays Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay shine as the sort of lowlifes we’ve come to expect them to play in films of this sort.

In the end, every main character is faced with a moral dilemma. Each is forced to choose between being honest about an act they have committed or opt to lie in order to free themselves from embarrassment and insure themselves of financial gain. That so many of them fail this test is no surprise as so many of us justify our indiscretions as small moments in our lives which, added together, mean nothing. Yet Terry knows that instances such as these, whether they be large or small, in public or in private, are the ones that define us and the sum total of these decisions define our character. What we allow others to see is nothing, yet what we know of ourselves proves most damning when we look in the mirror. Mamet and Ejiofor drive this notion home powerfully in Redbelt and it’s to their credit that they do so with uncommon conviction and sincerity.

Redbelt opens tomorrow at the Savoy 16 Theaters
Runtime: 1h 39min — Rated R — Action/Drama