“Redbelt” (2008)
Redbelt, a David Mamet film, was one of those blink-and-you-miss-’em films from last year. I wanted to see it in theater, didn’t manage by the time it was gone, then forgot about it for a while. But I’m glad I finally got around to it.
There’s always an escape.
Mike Terry is a mixed-martial-arts teacher and studio owner. An accident followed by a chance celebrity encounter combine in strange ways and have strong repercussions. Ejiofor is fantastic as the idealistic master, Emily Mortimer’s American accent worked fine by me, and she perfectly embodied her fragile character who’s not quite ready to get ground down. Tim Allen is great in his brief screen time as a boozy, overblown action star who tries to mooch onto Terry’ obvious power and charisma. Joe Mantegna plays an oily Hollywood agent, and they all interact in a heady mix of Mamet’s sharp (sometimes too much so) dialogue and story. Nothing much was surprising, but I found the entire thing engaging and enjoyable. An excellent rental.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:27 am
oh I really enjoyed that movie also.
mmmmm Max Martini.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Ha, he is SO your type! Brooding, lockjawed, just like Helo. But that name is kind porn-y.