Redbelt

As anticipated, David Mamet’s Redbelt unfolds in as unconventional a manner as one could possibly imagine – as the famed playwright often seems to be going out of his way to subvert the viewer’s expectations. There’s consequently little doubt that the storyline’s impossible-to-predict trajectory – which takes 180 degree turns virtually from reel to reel – plays a significant role in the film’s ultimate success, although it’s just as clear that Mamet does occasionally rely on simplistic misunderstandings to facilitate the various twists. The movie casts Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry, a martial arts instructor who finds himself forced to abandon his principles following a series of personal setbacks (ie an ill-fated encounter with Tim Allen’s seemingly down-to-earth movie star Chet Frank). It goes without saying that Redbelt benefits substantially from its terse, downright singular dialogue, as Mamet has peppered the proceedings with precisely the sort of off-the-wall yet entirely memorable conversations that one has come to expected from the filmmaker. And while there’s little doubt that the movie effectively keeps the viewer on their toes for the duration of its brisk running time, it becomes increasingly difficult to overlook the inclusion of several admittedly overwrought plot developments (ie the path that drives Mike to his third-act decision is, to put it mildly, kind of convoluted). That the whole thing starts to drag somewhere around the one-hour mark probably doesn’t help matters, although there’s certainly no denying the strength of the flat-out thrilling finale – with the end result a sporadically uneven yet consistently engaging effort that’ll undoubtedly please Mamet’s devoted fans.

*** out of ****