Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

If you asked me what the deeper meaning is of writer-director David Mamet's latest work, I'm not sure I could answer that. This is one of those rare Mamet instances when the story might mean more than the subtext, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say REDBELT is about Mike Terry (played by the always-solid Chiwetel Ejiofor), a man who is barely scraping by as the head of his own martial arts studio because he refuses to simply teach people to fight. He's has a code that he lives by that doesn't involve teaching violence as a means to get rich; he's a modern samurai. So if REDBELT has a subtext, it's about the dangers of daring to dream big.

One night at a bar, Mike breaks up a fight between well-known actor Chet Frank (played by Tim Allen) and a couple of guys who want to beat up someone famous. Chet is making a war film in town and would like Mike to be a consultant/producer and to make the hand-to-hand fight scenes seem more believable. Mike sees this as a way to finally make money without compromising his principles, but he gets caught up in a battle of sorts between his money-hungry wife (Alice Braga), ultimate fighting promotors (Mamet regulars Ricky Jay and Joe Mantegna), and a lawyer (Emily Mortimer) who wanders into his studio and discharges a gun belonging to Mike's cop buddy (Max Martini of "The Unit"). The plot is classic Mamet with double-crosses, con jobs and his staccato language that sounds exactly like people talk and nothing like the way movie people talk.

What separates REDBELT from other Mamet works are the occasional fight scenes. He doesn't stage his physical confrontations like a typical action movie would. The goal isn't to make Mike look like a glistening bad-ass. Instead, Mamet wants to show Mike's minimalistic tactics of robbing his opponent of his power. This may seem like a subtle difference, but you notice it immediately. Ejiofor isn't making cool-guy faces or screaming when he takes somebody out. His only mission is to disarm and take down as quickly as possible. But beyond the action scenes, Mamet has constructed another great layered plot that left my head spinning and made my admiration grow. I have to applaud Allen for trying something like this. He's played slickster characters before, but nothing quite this shallow and deplorable.

There's a moment in RDBELT when the sense of impending doom on Mike's head is palpable, and you haven't got a clue how he's going to get himself out from under it. Then, bit by bit, he begins to pick up the pieces and defy those who consider him disposable. In my book, Ejiofor can do no wrong, and this film is proof of that. The man has the ability to wear his anxiety and emotional weight on his face (watch CHILDREN OF MEN or TALK TO ME for proof), and he does so here as well as I've ever seen him. His performance is devastating, and the movie ain't bad either. I realize a lot of people simply don't like Mamet, and I've given up fighting that battle. But for those of you who wait eagerly for each new play or film, you will relish REDBELT.

Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com