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34
10,000 B.C.
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36
College Road Trip
82
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31
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41
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67
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54
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34
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57
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78
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71
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61
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65
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57
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35
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73
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24
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37
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51
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43
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58
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48
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55
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22
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69
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44
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53
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76
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37
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36
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37
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50
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61
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47
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55
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33
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93
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64
Wanted
36
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49
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
54
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93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
79
Iron Man
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
76
Shine a Light
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Horton Hears a Who!
69
Redbelt
67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
62
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
61
Stop Loss
61
Incredible Hulk, The
58
Mist, The
57
Forbidden Kingdom, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
Street Kings
55
Nim's Island
55
Baby Mama
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
51
Mamma Mia!
50
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
49
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
48
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
47
Strangers, The
44
Ruins, The
43
Meet Dave
41
Drillbit Taylor
37
Made of Honor
37
Shutter
37
Speed Racer
36
Space Chimps
36
College Road Trip
36
What Happens in Vegas...
35
Jumper
34
Happening, The
34
10,000 B.C.
33
Superhero Movie
31
Deception
24
Love Guru, The
22
Postal
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

83
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67
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65
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39
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61
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80
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76
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79
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47
Bella
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
60
Blind Mountain
72
Boy A
55
Bra Boys
61
Brick Lane
64
Brideshead Revisited
63
Bustin' Down the Door
xx
Canary
70
Caramel
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
83
Chop Shop
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
78
Counterfeiters, The
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
75
Days and Clouds
48
Death Defying Acts
54
Diminished Capacity
47
Doorman, The
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
74
Duchess of Langeais, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
28
Eight Miles High
54
Elsa & Fred
81
Encounters at the End of the World
62
Expired
64
Fall, The
59
Felon
51
Finding Amanda
57
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86
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63
Foot Fist Way, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
72
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47
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31
Garden Party
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
69
Go-Getter, The
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
59
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
10
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68
Heartbeat Detector
36
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68
Honeydripper
55
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66
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58
Jihad for Love, A
61
Kabluey
62
Kiss the Bride
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
80
Last Mistress, The
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
72
Lou Reed's Berlin
70
Love Songs
67
Mad Detective
66
Man Named Pearl, A
82
Man on Wire
64
Married Life
30
Meet Bill
33
Miss Conception
53
Mister Lonely
74
Mongol
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
84
My Winnipeg
44
No Regret
61
On the Rumba River
69
Operation Filmmaker
76
Order of Myths, The
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
70
Outsourced
83
Paranoid Park
68
Praying with Lior
72
Priceless
51
Promotion, The
55
Quid Pro Quo
29
Red Roses and Petrol
79
Reprise
71
Roman de gare
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
56
Sangre de mi sangre
51
Savage Grace
76
Shotgun Stories
66
Son of Rambow
70
Standard Operating Procedure
57
Stone Angel, The
61
Stuck
72
Surfwise
25
Take
81
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
71
To the Limit
54
Tracey Fragments, The
70
Transsiberian
71
Trumbo
71
Tuya's Marriage
xx
Two Tickets to Paradise
83
U2 3D
55
Unknown Woman
86
Up the Yangtze
59
Very British Gangster, A
79
Visitor, The
61
Wackness, The
37
War, Inc.
65
Water Lilies
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
55
Without the King
72
Woman on the Beach
64
XXY
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
75
Young@Heart
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
84
My Winnipeg
83
Chop Shop
83
Paranoid Park
83
Alexandra
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
83
U2 3D
82
Man on Wire
81
Tell No One
81
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Band's Visit, The
80
Last Mistress, The
79
Reprise
79
Visitor, The
79
Before I Forget
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Counterfeiters, The
76
Order of Myths, The
76
Shotgun Stories
76
Beauty in Trouble
75
Young@Heart
75
Days and Clouds
74
Mongol
74
Duchess of Langeais, The
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Lou Reed's Berlin
72
Woman on the Beach
72
Boy A
72
Full Battle Rattle
72
Priceless
72
Surfwise
71
Tuya's Marriage
71
To the Limit
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
71
Trumbo
71
Roman de gare
70
Transsiberian
70
Standard Operating Procedure
70
Love Songs
70
Outsourced
70
Caramel
69
Go-Getter, The
69
Operation Filmmaker
68
Heartbeat Detector
68
Honeydripper
68
Praying with Lior
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
67
Alice's House
67
Mad Detective
66
Son of Rambow
66
Jellyfish
66
Man Named Pearl, A
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
65
American Teen
65
Water Lilies
64
Married Life
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
64
XXY
64
Fall, The
64
Brideshead Revisited
63
Bustin' Down the Door
63
Foot Fist Way, The
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Expired
62
Kiss the Bride
61
Brick Lane
61
Stuck
61
Kabluey
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
61
Baghead
61
On the Rumba River
61
Wackness, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
60
Blind Mountain
59
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
59
Very British Gangster, A
59
Felon
58
Jihad for Love, A
57
Flawless
57
Stone Angel, The
56
Then She Found Me
56
Sangre de mi sangre
55
Quid Pro Quo
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
55
Irina Palm
55
Unknown Woman
55
Bra Boys
55
Without the King
54
Diminished Capacity
54
Tracey Fragments, The
54
Elsa & Fred
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
53
Mister Lonely
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
51
Finding Amanda
51
Promotion, The
51
Savage Grace
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
48
Death Defying Acts
47
Doorman, The
47
Bella
47
Full Grown Men
44
No Regret
39
August
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
37
War, Inc.
36
Holding Trevor
33
Miss Conception
31
Garden Party
30
Meet Bill
29
Red Roses and Petrol
28
Eight Miles High
25
Take
10
Harold
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
xx
Two Tickets to Paradise
xx
Canary
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Redbelt
Sony Pictures Classics
 |
|
FILM:
MPAA RATING: R for strong language
Starring
Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Alice Braga,
Tim Allen,
Emily Mortimer,
Rodrigo Santoro,
Rebecca Pidgeon,
and
Randy Couture
Set on the west side of the Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage fighters, cops, and special forces types, Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry, a jujitsu teacher who has avoided the prize-fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry and his wife, Sondra, struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. On a dark, rainy night, an accident at the academy between an off-duty officer and a distraught lawyer puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically and introduce him to a world of promoters and to movie star Chet Frank. Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life. (Sony Classics)
| GENRE(S): |
Action
|
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
David Mamet
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
David Mamet
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
Theatrical: May 2, 2008
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
99 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
91
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Tasha Robinson
The film unravels a bit in the last few moments, amid unanswered story questions and a simplistic climax, but until that moment, Redbelt is Mamet's richest film of the decade.

83
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Mamet regulars Ricky Jay and Joe Mantegna blend well with Mamet newbie Tim Allen, a treat as a spoiled-rotten aging Hollywood action star.

83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sean Axmaker
Mamet is more respectful than exciting as an action director, but his fascination with how things work, be it the mechanics of designing and promoting a big pay-per-view event or battling a world-class Jiu-jitsu master, makes it all quite mesmerizing.

80
The Hollywood Reporter
Michael Rechtshaffen
As the heart and soul of the film, Chiwetel Ejiofor once again impresses.

80
The New York Times
Manohla Dargis
A satisfying, unexpectedly involving B-movie that owes as much to old Hollywood as to Greek tragedy.

80
Los Angeles Times
Carina Chocano
Ejiofor brings a calm magnetism and a beatific serenity to his roles that have the effect of knocking you flat -- there's something about this guy that's messianic.

75
USA Today
Claudia Puig
It's certainly not Mamet's signature rapid-fire dialogue, but it's an intriguing and engrossing departure.

75
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Mamet is on his game, and that is a sight to see. No con.

75
New York Post
Kyle Smith
This isn't Mamet at his finest, though, which leaves us with a script that is merely three times as smart as the average feature.

75
Premiere
Glenn Kenny
For whatever its flaws, Redbelt offers up a good deal of Mametian red meat while also trying to break out of some of the strictures that Mamet's erected around his own work.

75
San Francisco Chronicle
Ruthe Stein
Entertaining in a pulpy kind of way, like the fight films of the 1930s and '40s, and more accessible than most of Mamet's movies.

75
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
In Redbelt, David Mamet enters the realm of sports drama and Rocky-underdog clichés and discovers it's a surprisingly good fit.

75
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
Not everyone can act his material with ease. But Ejiofor, who brings a serene gravity to every exchange, was born to do Mamet.

75
Portland Oregonian
M. E. Russell
Mike Terry's uncompromising fight for his principles makes for a fascinating, beautifully acted study in philosophical tension.

75
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
What Redbelt reminded me of more than anything else was a modern version of a classic film noir, particularly 1950's brilliantly seedy "Night and the City," with its pro-wrestling subplot.

75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
It never really pulls itself together into the convincing, focused drama it promises, yet it kept me involved right up until the final scenes, which piled on developments almost recklessly.

70
Time
Richard Schickel
Despite its novel milieu somehow remains trapped in genre conventions. It's still basically a boxing picture, not essentially different from dozens of other movies about life in and around what the old time sportswriters used to call "the squared circle." Mamet's circle is, alas, just a little too square.

70
Newsweek
David Ansen
Thanks to Ejiofor's wonderful performance--his easy, commanding body language wordlessly convinces you of his character's nobility--and Mamet's knowing take on the arcane world of Brazilian jiujitsu, Redbelt never loses its muscular hold on your attention.

70
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
What is memorable is the film's portrait of a man of honor in a sleazy world, possibly a metaphor for the struggle of the artist to stay honorable in a world of backbiting, betrayal and hunger for easy money.

70
Chicago Reader
J.R. Jones
It's a classic fight movie, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as an honorable martial arts instructor...But nesting inside is a sour little 70s-style David Mamet play about the lies, calculations, and ice-cold politics of Hollywood, as the fighter is befriended and then discarded by a callow movie star.

70
Village Voice
J. Hoberman
With his 10th feature--an entertaining tale of high-stakes martial arts--Mamet has infused the sleight of hand with a measure of two-fisted action.

70
Variety
Todd McCarthy
An absorbing and colorful, if not particularly convincing, excursion into a demi-monde of fighters, scammers, promoters and self-styled modern samurai, Redbelt gives the impression of Mamet coyly toying with the idea of making a populist little-man-against-the-system sports melodrama without actually attempting to create a film for the masses.

70
New York Magazine
David Edelstein
So how's the Mamet "Rocky"? Fast. Lively. In your face. Very watchable. And, like its predecessors, so bizarrely convoluted it barely holds together on a narrative level. But the underpinnings are consistent.

70
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
Mr. Ejiofor gives a commanding performance, perfectly calibrated in what's withheld just as much as what's revealed.

67
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
In the end, Redbelt prevails, just as Terry teaches his students to prevail, but getting there isn't always pretty.

63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
One of the problems with the way Mamet resolves Mike's predicament is that it's ridiculously implausible - even in the context of a far-fetched fight story.

63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
Disappointingly unique.

63
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
The plot is borderline ridiculous and certainly doesn't stand up to close (or even not-so-close) scrutiny, but there's a level of entertainment to be had watching it unfold in all its strangeness.

63
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
A perverse mixed-martial arts film in which talk trumps action.

60
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Redbelt will fascinate those who share David Mamet's interest in mixed martial arts. But its hold may be weaker on those who don't.

50
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
David Mamet and jujitsu come together in Redbelt, and the result is a draw.

40
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
Mamet's trademark artificial, mutual-incomprehension dialogue and con-game plotting are ineptly matched to the action genre (and feel stale in any case), while the jiu-jitsu scenes are so incoherently shot and edited you can't tell if the fight choreography is any good or not.


The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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