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TopTenREVIEWS presents the movie reviews of Redbelt (2008)

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Redbelt (2008)

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RANKINGS:

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Redbelt (2008) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars Redbelt (2008) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Overall Rating:2.7363
Avg Critic Score:2.6964

Redbelt (2008) Rank 2 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
15.87%
(20)
Very Good
3
48.41%
(61)
Good
2
29.37%
(37)
Fair
1
6.35%
(8)
Poor
0
0.00%
(0)

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Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington) ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington)
In Redbelt (written and directed by David Mamet), Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster, Talk to Me) stars as Mike Terry, a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who is just scraping by as he tries to live his life by the samurai code that 'competition diminishes the ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Cinematical (James Rocchi) Cinematical (James Rocchi)
Even minor Mamet can be a source of major satisfaction, especially with an actor as compelling as Ejiofor in the lead. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Cinematical (James Rocchi)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for About.com (Marcy Dermansky) About.com (Marcy Dermansky)
If you try to piece the story together, the logic won't hold. But trademark Mamet magic happens: requisite razor sharp dialogue, a complicated turn of events, and terrific cast of characters whose performances pop. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at About.com (Marcy Dermansky)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore) Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
Ejiofor, a marvelously focused actor whose range and intensity are given a faintly inscrutable edge here, holds the center of the screen. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman) New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman)
This does seem to be a world Mamet knows well, and every so often we see flashes of the great movie he might have made. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman)

Redbelt (2008) Critic Reviews continued...

Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for MovieWeb (Francine Brokaw) MovieWeb (Francine Brokaw)
A mild-mannered Jiu-Jitsu teacher, Mike Terry (Chewitel Ejiofor) is proud of and enjoys his academy and teaching others how to defend themselves. He even trains several police officers. His wife Sondra (Alicia Braga) helps out at the academy, but has her ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at MovieWeb (Francine Brokaw)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten) Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
In the end, Redbelt prevails, just as Terry teaches his students to prevail, but getting there isn't always pretty. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane) Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
[David] Mamet's latest movie, and one of his more accessible ones... ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (Boo Allen) Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (Boo Allen)
Not top Mamet, but close enough. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (Boo Allen)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for MSNBC (Alonso Duralde) MSNBC (Alonso Duralde)
[T]he film's intricate plot begins to collapse the moment the lights come up and you begin thinking about the story. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at MSNBC (Alonso Duralde)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick) Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas) ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Only excels when it treads on familiar Mamet territory; ultimately suffers from the ridiculous amount of characters and a convoluted plot. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten) Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.40 out of 4 stars for Reno News and Review (Bob Grimm) Reno News and Review (Bob Grimm)
Mamet dialogue is so cool that it makes even his silly movies worth watching. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Reno News and Review (Bob Grimm)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.25 out of 4 stars for National Public Radio (Bob Mondello) National Public Radio (Bob Mondello)
In this quasi-inspirational martial-arts drama, the scuzzes and scumbags — usually front and center in David Mamet movies — play supporting roles to the principled guy who'd normally be their patsy. Inspiration? From Mamet? Well yes, in a manner of ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at National Public Radio (Bob Mondello)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.25 out of 4 stars for TIME Magazine (Richard Schickel) TIME Magazine (Richard Schickel)
Redbelt is like every boxing picture you ever saw: a gifted, morally principled, rather innocent fighter discovers that the real world is full of crooks and shysters. The fighter reluctantly confronts those who would sully his name and game, wins some ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at TIME Magazine (Richard Schickel)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet) RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)
Everyone loves David Mamet for his ability to write dialogue. That's what you will hear from just about everyone that praises one of his films. Personally I have never been too fond of anything of Mamet's. I know people love Glengarry Glen Ross for its ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for National Post National Post
...read the complete Redbelt movie review at National Post
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Chronicle (Ruthe Stein) San Francisco Chronicle (Ruthe Stein)
...read the complete Redbelt movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Ruthe Stein)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Michael Machosky) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Michael Machosky)
...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Michael Machosky)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler) Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Redbelt is screaming for the guidance of someone with enough distance from the subject to mold it into satisfying drama. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for kids-in-mind kids-in-mind
A man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) running a Jiu-Jitsu school struggles to make ends meet until he saves a celebrity (Tim Allen) in a bar fight and it seems possible that he can finally turn his life around. However, a chance encounter one evening at the school ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at kids-in-mind
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli) ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
...read the complete Redbelt movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for New York Magazine (David Edelstein) New York Magazine (David Edelstein)
The final fisticuffs are rousingly good, although everything around them (the crowd, the media, the jujitsu master nodding in approval in the green room) is preposterously bad. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at New York Magazine (David Edelstein)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for New York Press (Armond White) New York Press (Armond White)
Mamet's self-seriousness stifles Redbelt's cinematic potential. It's so tightly structured it offers no surprises -- especially not the satisfaction of watching action-movie conventions reward a shared sense of morality. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at New York Press (Armond White)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Film Journal International (Daniel Eagan) Film Journal International (Daniel Eagan)
A standard fight picture dressed up with intellectual pretensions, Redbelt panders to moviegoers who wouldn't be caught dead at a Rocky or a Never Back Down. Written and directed by David Mamet, the film follows a woebegone martial-arts instructor who is ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Film Journal International (Daniel Eagan)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Hollywood.com (Pete Hammond) Hollywood.com (Pete Hammond)
Mike (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a true purist, a master Jiu-jitsu teacher who, along with his wife Sondra (Sonia Braga), operates a rundown academy. At great cost to himself, Mike is not a sellout but his refusal to train his students for the more commercial ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Hollywood.com (Pete Hammond)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for FilmStew.com (Brett Buckalew) FilmStew.com (Brett Buckalew)
Before any serious discussion about Redbelt, it’s necessary to describe right off the bat what the film is in the most blunt manner possible, the better to get out of the way any potential giggles from readers over the sheer incongruity of the enterpris ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at FilmStew.com (Brett Buckalew)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty) Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
The only person bruised by the end of the competition is the audience. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss) Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Not that the gifted playwright hasn't directed some good films in the past, although the last one I remember as fully satisfying was his second one, "Things Change." But "Redbelt" is real cinema, evocatively photographed by "There Will Be Blood" Oscar ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer) Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
David Mamet and jujitsu come together in "Redbelt," and the result is a draw. Chiwetel Ejiofor is the martial-arts instructor who refuses to commercialize his warrior code. Naturally, it's only a matter of time before we watch him duke it out in an ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Boxoffice Magazine (John P. McCarthy) Boxoffice Magazine (John P. McCarthy)
The movie starts out in muscular, typically Mametian fashion but can’t sustain that punch due to his less-than-firm handling of the storyline. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (John P. McCarthy)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli) ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Music: Stephen EndelmanSony Classics Most directors, upon entering a genre with which they lack familiarity, adhere strictly to "the book." David Mamet, however, throws "the book" out the window. The resulting movie, a mixed martial arts concoction calle ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Associated Press (Christy Lemire) Associated Press (Christy Lemire)
The final moment, which was probably intended to be poignant, instead feels laughable. ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Associated Press (Christy Lemire)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf) Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Writer-director David Mamet is at his muscular strongest with this nasty depiction of a fight world revolving around martial arts. “Redbelt” is a study in personal integrity versus corruption via rigged matches, packaged with bloody battles in the rin ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 1.60 out of 4 stars for ShowBizCafe.com (Alex Florez) ShowBizCafe.com (Alex Florez)
A primera vista, Redbelt da la impresión de ser una película de artes marciales, pero el acreditado dramaturgo y director del filme, David Mamet (House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner), asegura que no lo es. Según el autor ganador del premio Pulitzer, s ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at ShowBizCafe.com (Alex Florez)
Redbelt (2008) scores a combined 1.50 out of 4 stars for Cinema Blend Cinema Blend
And that pretty well sums up Redbelt. It’s a dullsville, a grab bag of random coincidences and bland fight sequences. You’ll love Mike Terry simply because Ejiofor is so good, but Mamet seems to have absolutely no idea what to do with ...read the complete Redbelt movie review at Cinema Blend
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