REDBELT by David Mamet

Okay, I'm just gonna lay this right on the line. Even though this is a simple movie review, a blog, a piddling little exercise in self-expression, self-delusion, self-engrandizement, and now clearly leading to self-flagellation; it must be stated that I am intimidated by the prospect, the very idea, the unreal fantastic notion, that I could ever write about, or critique a piece of work by one of the world's greatest living writers, David Mamet.

So, what I'm going to do here is just pound out as much information as I possibly can about Mr. Mamet's latest film REDBELT before I disintegrate into a weeping, slobbering, incoherent, inarticulate mass.

My favorite films Written and Directed by Mr. Mamet:

THE WINSLOW BOY (1999)

THE SPANISH PRISONER (1997)

HOUSE OF GAMES (1987)

Most movie-goers are familiar with Mr. Mamet's play GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner, brilliantly converted to film in `92 by the underrated and underused filmmaker James Foley (AT CLOSE RANGE).

My Guilty Pleasure written by Mr. Mamet is THE EDGE (1997), starring Alec Baldwin and Sir Anthony Hopkins. An old-fashioned adventure tale spiked with Mamet's trademark dialogue, infused with sharp wit and poetic profanity.

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In REDBELT, Chiwetel Ejiofor (CHOO-ih-tell "EDGE"-o-for) plays a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and self-defense instructor who is poor but proud, ham-fisted by his wife for not being ambitious enough; unwilling to sacrifice his principles by using his talent in the ring for money and fame.

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As with all Mamet's film work, there will be an awkward moment at the beginning of the movie that will leave many scratching their heads.

A girl. A cop. A gun. A broken window. Followed by broken sentences; fragmented dialogue. Mamet's one true uniqueness as a film maker is his ability to create tension and a sense of mystery with the spoken word, rather than with visuals. This is why great writers are so rare and so needed in movies today; to be able to use images to enhance the words, rather than contriving a story from a picture, as is the current state of film.

Watching a David Mamet film is a lot like watching a Magic Show. There will be Slight of Hand, Misdirection, all manner of Deception, and in the end, The Big Reveal.

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Ejiofor's character Mike Terry will be introduced to the fantastical world of Celebrity and Show Biz by the likes of Tim Allen (SANTA CLAUSE 3), a movie star indebted to him for "saving his life" in a brutal bar fight.

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This fateful meeting will trigger all sorts of challenges for Mike, as he sees certain reward in the unreal world of Fame, while at the same time knowing there's redemption in the real world problems posed by The Girl.

Laura Black (Emily Mortimer) will be the girl who inadvertently breaks Mike Terry's storefront window with the Cop's gun, kicking off a series of unfathomable events that will conclude in Mike Terry's moral dilemma: choosing between his principles as a Martial Artist and his Real World obligation to provide financial and spiritual security to those closest to him.

In summation: REDBELT is a great film, one of the best of 2008; 4 stars, 10 out of 10, A+, "a must-see", and whatever other bullshit capsule you can shove this thing into!

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