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10/01/08
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Redbelt (2008)
70 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 127
Fresh: 89
Rotten:38
Average Rating: 6.4/10
Consensus: Mamet's mixed marital arts morality play weaves between action and intellect but doesn't always hit its target.
Theatrical Release: May 9, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $2,278,707
Synopsis: Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor follows his turn in AMERICAN GANGSTER by taking the lead role in this thoughtful fight movie from writer/director David Mamet. Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, a man who runs his own Jiu-jitsu studio in Los Angeles.... [More]
Starring: Chjwetel Ejiofor, Tim Allen, Rodrigo Santoro, Emily Mortimer
Director: David Mamet
Reviews for Redbelt
Redbelt, his latest, is a curious one, a movie that hints at greatness only to retreat, unpardonably, into genre convention.
09/26/08
The Mamet rhythms are pleasingly in place: the repetition-rich dialogue, the head-butting close-ups as men go ego to ego.
09/26/08
Exuding inner calm, Ejiofor is great. But he’s badly let down by director David Mamet, whose contrived script goes to unbelievable lengths to weaken Mike’s resolve.
09/26/08
Not prime, grade-A Mamet, but this meaty martial-arts movie offers heavyweight performances and a deliciously juicy set-up. Things get scrappy in the last act, but you’ll want to see how it all unravels.
09/26/08
David Mamet sets him on the path to righteousness in a collection of contrivances masquerading as a meaningful plot.
09/26/08
Emily Mortimer is impressive as a jittery, unlikable attorney whose impulsive actions trigger Mike's descent. But it's Ejiofor's film all the way.
09/26/08
Ejiofor remains a supremely assured, charismatic presence, though he has his work cut out here. He is pitted against a film with a black belt in pomposity and a gold medal in preening self-regard.
09/26/08
The discipline is remarkable. But this constipated drama, set in a blue-collar corner of Los Angeles, imparts none of the sweat-shop magic.
09/26/08
By no means a classic from David Mamet, Redbelt is authentic enough but fails to dazzle. The casting of Tim Allen is imaginative but too much of the film is underwhelming.
09/26/08
The plotting is contrived, the supporting characters two-dimensional, and the ending slides from predictable to absurd to maudlin.
09/26/08
Not vintage Mamet - the dialogue isn’t up to quotable snuff - but it still packs a decent punch thanks to Ejiofor’s solid performance.
09/26/08
Like his other films and plays, Redbelt takes place in the Mamet universe, which only sometimes resembles the world the rest of us live in.
09/19/08
Muscular filmmaking and a riveting central performance make this film worth seeing. Even if the plot itself becomes far too messy to really engage with us, the characters are edgy and enthralling.
09/18/08
Mamet's dialogue is crisp, invigorated by supporting players (particularly Mantegna and Jay) who relish his acerbic wordplay. But for a movie that aims to do for jujitsu what 'Rocky' did for boxing, 'Redbelt' taps out before the final bell.
09/12/08
It's not the characteristically sharp Mamet dialogue that makes Ejiofor effective so much as what he does between the lines: Moments of powerful contemplation and silence.
09/03/08
Although dedicated Mamet fans will recognize many of his usual familiar faces, Redbelt is anything but standard Mamet fare.
09/02/08
Aside from the fact that it's never a good sign when a keen interest in a particular sport dominating a movie is a must, we've seen this tale of the virtuous gladiator encircled by ruthless, greedy wolves in countless such sports movies before.
08/22/08
O filme conta com sua parcela de momentos inspirados, mas Mamet aposta demais em suas reviravoltas habituais sem se preocupar com a lógica da trama ou com os personagens, investindo ainda num final terrivelmente maniqueísta e artificial.
07/20/08
The plot is intriguing enough to keep the audience guessing until the end.
06/28/08
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August 22, 2008:
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May 11, 2008:
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