Red Belt

I keep thinking about this film. I saw it Friday evening and liked it more than my companion. His biggest critiques were the lack of cinematic artistry (ie more like a play and lots of close-ups...a generally plain camera style) and some clumsy scene work. I think he is correct in his criticism, the scene which really jumps starts the movie is a bit awkward and the camera work is simple.

But the movie is damn good. And in thinking about it more, I realize I am forgiving towards movies which deal with male characters drawn into crisis when their moral code is threatened. In Red Belt, the central character is a Jijitsu trainer, well regarded in his community, opposed to tournament fighting, who gets drawn into the competitive world of UFC-style fighting when mounting debts and outside pressures draw him in. It become a story about a spiritual crisis, where a man tries to live by his own code while the world around him forces him to compromise that code.

With respect to the filmmaking, I appreciate thrifty films with solid performances and good writing. What it may lack in cinematic artistry is made up for by a timely look at a sport on the edge of hitting the mainstream, stylish dialog, and overall great casting populating the film. It felt like a project with a lot of passion around it.