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Is there room for principle in Los Angeles? Mike Terry teaches jujitsu and barely makes ends meet. His Brazilian wife, whose family promotes fights, wants to see Mike in the ring making money, but to him competition is degrading. A woman sideswipes Mike’s car and then, after an odd sequence of events, shoots out the studio’s window. Later that evening, Mike rescues an action movie star in a fistfight at a bar. In return, the actor befriends Mike, gives him a gift, offers him work on his newest film, and introduces Mike’s wife to his own – the women initiate business dealings. Then, things go sour all at once, Mike’s debts mount, and going into the ring may be his only option.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- Mike Terry: Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Chet Frank: Tim Allen
- Sondra Terry: Alice Braga
- Snowflake: Jose Pablo Cantillo
- Dylan Flynn: Randy Couture
- Marty Brown: Ricky Jay
- Jerry Weiss: Joe Mantegna
- Joe Collins: Max Martini
- Laura Black: Emily Mortimer
- Richard: David Paymer
- Zena Frank: Rebecca Pidgeon
- Bruno Silva: Rodrigo Santoro
- Lucy Weiss: Jennifer Grey
- Eddie Bialy: Vincent Guastaferro
- Ricardo Silva: John Machado
- Lawyer: Matt Malloy
- George (as Ray Mancini): Ray Mancini
- Gini Collins: Cathy Cahlin Ryan
- Monica: Caroline de Souza Correa
- Sammy: Bob Jennings
- Knife Fighter on Set: Steve DeCastro
- Guayabera Shirt Man: Jake Johnson
- …: J.J. Johnston
- Knife Fighter in Bar: Dennis Keiffer
- Bruno’s Henchman: Simon Rhee
- Bruno’s Henchman: Troy Gilbert
- Official at Arena: Damon Herriman
- The Professor: Dan Inosanto
- Hollywood Producer: Ed O’Neill
- The Magician: Cyril Takayama
- Singer in Bar: Luciana Souza
- Billy the Bartender: Scott Barry
Film Crew:
- Writer: David Mamet
- Editor: Barbara Tulliver
- Orchestrator: Stephen Endelman
- Producer: Chrisann Verges
- Casting: Sharon Bialy
- Casting: Sherry Thomas
- Production Design: David Wasco
- Art Direction: Ray Yamagata
- Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
- Costume Design: Debra McGuire
- Makeup Department Head: Suzanne Diaz
- Hair Department Head: Lori Guidroz
- Hair Department Head: Sheila Cyphers-Leake
- Makeup Artist: Tina Hoffman
- Key Makeup Artist: Nancy Martinez-Morrison
- Key Makeup Artist: Scott Wheeler
- Post Production Supervisor: Luca Borghese
- Unit Production Manager: Mads Hansen
- First Assistant Director: Cara Giallanza
- Second Assistant Director: Stephen E. Hagen
- Second Second Assistant Director: John Tagamolila
- Property Master: Peter Bankins
- Assistant Property Master: Craig Baron
- Set Dresser: Kai Blomberg
- Set Designer: Timothy M. Earls
- Set Decoration Buyer: Erin Fite
- Swing: George Hess
- Scenic Artist: Anne Hyvarinen
- Set Dresser: David Ladish
- Set Dresser: Steven Ladish
- Construction Coordinator: Brian Markey
- Leadman: Edward J. Protiva
- Assistant Property Master: Stuart Rankine
- Carpenter: Chris Scher
- Construction Foreman: Ramsey Smith
- Graphic Designer: Karen Teneyck
- Foley Editor: Steve Bissinger
- Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gary C. Bourgeois
- Foley Artist: Anita Cannella
- ADR Mixer: Howard Carle
- Assistant Sound Editor: Steven Gerrior
- Sound Mixer: Larry Hopkins
- Foley Artist: Amy Kane
- Supervising Sound Editor: Michael Kirchberger
- ADR Recordist: Nick Kray
- ADR Supervisor: James Simcik
- Foley Mixer: Mike Marino
- Supervising Sound Editor: Roy Waldspurger
- Special Effects Technician: Bart Dion
- Special Effects Coordinator: Dennis Dion
- Special Effects: Mike Dion
- Special Effects Technician: Louie Lantieri
- Special Effects Technician: Paul Staples
- Visual Effects Supervisor: David Altenau
- Compositing Artist: David Beedon
- Digital Compositor: Dick Edwards
- Digital Compositor: Tom Mahoney
- Compositing Artist: Dane Picard
- Compositing Artist: Bob Lloyd
- First Assistant Editor: Yale Kozinski
- Stunts: Ahmed Best
- Stunts: Eddie Braun
- Fight Choreographer: Rico Chiapparelli
- Stunt Driver: Debbie Evans
- Stunt Coordinator: Jack Gill
- Fight Choreographer: Dan Inosanto
- Stunts: Bevin Kaye
- Stunts: Dennis Keiffer
- Utility Stunts: Jess King
- Stunts: Tony Lazzara
- Fight Choreographer: John Machado
- Stunts: Simon Rhee
- Utility Stunts: Anthony G. Schmidt
- Stunt Double: Aaron Toney
- Stunt Double: Jose L. Vasquez
- Stunt Double: Todd Warren
- Stunts: Boni Yanagisawa
- Assistant Camera: Luke Allein
- Lighting Technician: Benny Alvarado
- Video Assist Operator: Mike Bachman
- Grip: Joe Chouchanian
- Gaffer: James B. Crawford
- Second Assistant “C” Camera: Peter Geraghty
- Second Assistant “B” Camera: Jason Goebel
- First Assistant Camera: Barry Idoine
- Key Grip: Michael Kenner
- Rigging Gaffer: James Keys
- Dolly Grip: Jeff Kunkle
- Best Boy Electric: Greg Langham
- Electrician: Jim McComas
- Best Boy Grip: John Morris
- Camera Operator: Chris Moseley
- First Assistant “C” Camera: Scott Rathner
- Steadicam Operator: Peter Rosenfeld
- Second Assistant Camera: Jesse Roth
- Still Photographer: Lorey Sebastian
- Still Photographer: Jim Sheldon
- Assistant Camera: Kelly Simpson
- Second Assistant “B” Camera: Larissa Supplitt
- Rigging Gaffer: Michael Ursetta
- First Assistant “B” Camera: Harry Zimmerman
- ADR Voice Casting: Lee Michael Cohn
- Casting Assistant: Kathy Kaplan
- Extras Casting Coordinator: Laura Drake Mancini
- Casting Associate: Judith Sunga
- Extras Casting: Dixie Webster
- Set Costumer: Bethany Bernhard
- Set Costumer: Jessica Carpenter
- Set Costumer: Joseph Cigliano
- Key Costumer: Winifred Kennamer
- Costume Supervisor: Robin McMullan
- Color Timer: Kenny Becker
- Digital Colorist: Steve Bowen
- Digital Intermediate Assistant: Stephen Byrne
- Colorist: Sean Lawrence
- Digital Intermediate Producer: Christian Prejza
- Assistant Location Manager: Neale Fishback
- Location Scout: Kenneth Hunter
- Assistant Location Manager: S. Dylan Kirkland
- Location Manager: Matthew Wersinger
- Sound Mixer: Tom Brissette
- Music Editor: Brian Bulman
- Musician: Joe DiBlasi
- Sound Mixer: Michael Farrow
- Musician: Peter Gordon
- Musician: M.B. Gordy
- Musician: John Wittenberg
- Transportation Coordinator: Tim Abbatoye
- Transportation Captain: Rich Bennetti
- Assistant Production Coordinator: Erin Davis
- Set Production Assistant: Srđan Dobić
- Production Assistant: Wesley Donato
- Production Assistant: Christopher Field
- Title Designer: Andy Goldman
- Production Secretary: Jeff Hunt
- First Assistant Accountant: Shea Kammer
- Production Assistant: Justin Liberman
- Set Production Assistant: Jackson Rowe
- Key Set Production Assistant: Jason Ruffolo
- Director of Photography: Robert Elswit
Movie Reviews:
- tmdb28039023: Redbelt may not be, though it’s still pretty good, David Mamet’s best, but it is for the most part an interesting sample of his work in that it showcases some of his most finely honed traits and, more importantly, it is proof that the true mark of a gifted filmmaker is the ability to elevate any genre he chooses to use as raw material (his Spartan is another good example, as is Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire); in this case what we have is a deconstructed martial arts film, complete with a Big Tournament at the end – but the events leading up to it, and how the tournament itself unfolds, are handled with Mamet’s characteristic ear for realistic dialogue, attention to detail, and patience; the necessary patience to allow the plot to develop as a natural and organic succession of characters’ choices and their corresponding consequences, as opposed to, well, a plot. As a result we are spared such clichéd sights as the Training Montage, for instance, or the Romantic Interest.
- The hero is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teacher Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), whose mantra is “There is no situation that you cannot turn to your advantage.” In keeping with this, Mamet weaves a script where there are no wasted movements; as in a Rube Goldberg machine, every disparate element – idealistic sensei, shallow Hollywood star, troubled police officer, traumatized female lawyer, long-suffering wife, crooked club owners, shady businessmen, etc., etc., etc. – is interconnected with the others and all serve the story just like all roads lead to Rome. Even something so apparently random as some dude performing sleight of hand in bar in exchange for drinks will eventually fall into place and fit in with rest as neatly as a key going into a lock.
- Only the ending seems like it was taken straight out of a much inferior movie (think something like a Kickboxer or a Never Back Down), and represents somewhat of an anomaly among Mamet’s filmography which, mostly for better but sometimes for worse, is nothing if not consistent – consider 1988’s Things Change, whose deus ex machina not only had a better set-up but was much easier to swallow because the movie was, after all, a comedy. But here the fanciful climax feels tacked on, especially after the effort made by both the filmmaker and his expert cast to invest the story with a palpable sense of realism. To go out of his way like this, Mamet clearly cared a great deal about the main character – and so will most people who watch the movie, though not necessarily, at least in my case, at the expense of inner logic.