In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

I have watched this movie when it first came out and by the end of it I was left with a sense of emptiness and confusion, like, what the hell just happened??OK, to be honest I am not a big fan of cheesy dramas with plots were the main character is basically a washed out loser like Mike Terry is portrayed. But, because I am a big fan of martial arts movies and since I practice BJJ, I decided to give it a shot.The movies starts with the typical drama plot but somehow keeps me interested because I am curious about the character development, that is until Mike starts preaching his "no colored belt philosophy", that a black belt is given to the people he thinks deserve it… wow, where do you come up with this? Lol…. And, after only a few classes, not years, classes, Mike gives a black belt to his new protégée!?!Honestly, any person that trains martial arts for a long time can't help but feel mad about the complete disrespectful message this movie sends regarding every black belt in the world that trained long hard years to achieve it. On average it takes 10 years of hard continuous training to get a Jiu Jitsu black belt. About 5 years for Karate. Not a couple of weeks like the movie implies… No wonder that more and more MacDojos are just giving them away like lollies just to get students…Anyways, the movie goes on, blah blah blah, more rubbish dramatic philosophies; "Oh, but why won't you fight??" Asks the wife. " Because it goes against my principles" Says the husband…SPOILER ALERT!! All this builds up for the great finale: The worst fight ever against one of the best BJJ masters, 6th degree black belt John Machado. Mike Terry easily wins the fight, wipes the dust off and is given a Red belt which in REAL LIFE is the highest achievement in Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts in general. Roll the credits.What a joke!!!

First I have to apologize if I made mistakes as English is not my first language.When this movie came out, I refused to watch it. It just seemed like a retarded MMA exploitation movie, like never back down, made to make money from tapout t-shirts wearing teens. I had also heard that the concept of the film was that they were fighting with a handicap, like a hand attached behind the back etc. I mean, how dumb is that seriously.Yesterday, me and my 2 friends decided to watch the movie. To give you an idea, we all three have martial arts background. My two friends trained kickboxing and boxing for several years and I have myself been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 5-6 years. We are all film fans, from Haneke to Van Damme. What I mean is that we didn't hate the movie for it's lack of action or for being boring.I was not familiar with the director but i knew he was praised as a talented director and writer, so we gave the movie a chance.The plot is set around martial arts, BJJ and MMA in particular. The thing is, it's like the director did not do any research about the subject. It was SO RIDICULOUS to see the main character saying the cheesiest lines ever about his views on martial arts and life. All that samurai nonsense talk was SO over the top and dumb it was embarrassing. It really showed the director had absolutely no clue about the subject.The script was absolute garbage. Are we really supposed to believe that a gigantic conspiracy was setup, all of this within a few days, to actually steal what would appear to any normal human being as the dumbest idea ever; the concept that the fighter that picks the black rock or whatever has to fight with a handicap. Let me be clear to all of you with no martial art background; the guy with the handicap has the percentage of 0 chance to win the fight. I mean come on people. Of course, the conspiracy continues when the magician (who of course has a piercing in his eyebrow) is hired to fix the outcome of the fights! Are we really supposed to believe that the cop would kill himself for pretty much no reason! That Tim Allen (who is playing a big Hollywood tough guy actor for some reason) would give a 20 000$ watch to a stranger and than disappear when it is discovered that the watch has been stolen? Beyound stupid. and I'm not even going to mention the ending nonsense.I don't think Chiwetel Ejiofor is necessarily a bad actor, but he was just not the right guy to play the part. He doesn't look tough, particularly intelligent or charismatic.Finally, the fight scenes. They were so poorly executed it was embarrassing to watch. BJJ is not at all a flashy martial art as is let's say karate but still it was absolute garbage. The fight scenes were a mix of Steven Seagal stuff mixed with elementary school yard type wrestling.This movie had IMO absolutely 0 positive aspect. Even the hot girlfriend (way to hot for the hobo looking Chiwetel Ejiofor) turned out to be a backstabbing bitch! I just cannot understand how some of you might think this is remotely close to being a good film. It would have made sense if we would live in a fantasy world.

In David Mamet's "Redbelt," Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is the proprietor of a mixed-martial-arts academy, who - ironic for a business-owner - is opposed on principle to entrepreneurship and competition. This drives Sondra (Alice Braja), his wife and business partner, crazy because she is the one forced to deal with the financial consequences of such an attitude. When he comes to the aid of a movie star who's caught up in a bar fight, the actor he rescues makes Terry a co-producer on the film he's shooting. But just as things are looking up for Terry, a complex series of events - involving loan sharks, game-fixing, and conspiracies to defraud - threatens to undermine the married couple's financial security, leaving Terry with only one viable option: to agree to fight in a tournament despite his ethical aversion to competing for money.Once you get past the credibility-defying notion of comedian Tim Allen as a world-famous action star and the rather murky nature of the storytelling, you'll be treated to a subtle and thoughtful look at just how principled a man can afford to be in a world where unscrupulous, immoral and amoral people hold the reins of power – and where good people are often at their mercy.Typical of Mamet, the characters speak in roundabout riddles, often talking at cross purposes to one another and frequently leaving questions hanging in the air unanswered. This can make the movie hard to follow at times, but it is also what makes it challenging and interesting to watch in the long run.

Ranking in the high portion of his extensive resume, RedBelt is an intriguing look into mixed martial arts world. Of course it wouldn't be a David Mamet film without the grifting and the succulent dialogue. That's not to say there aren't problems. Like most Mamet films the plots are convoluted and sometimes even the characters don't even know what exactly is happening. There are usually so many twists and cons and backstabbing, that eventually we have to ask if even Mamet himself knows whom is chasing whom. But that really is never the point with this guy. It's really about the journey and the ride he takes us on. RedBelt has a wonderful humble performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor and even a perfectly cast Tim Allen as a Hollywood action hero looking to gain some authenticity. The usual suspects in Mamet's personal arsenal are still playing, and when Ricky Jay or Joe Mantenga appear on screen you aren't disappointed with what he gives them to do.A good film worthy of a look.