If you're like me, you know all of two things about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Jack and shit. That might change a bit if you check out David Mamet's new flick, Redbelt. Officially out the first Friday in May, tonight I got to see a sneak peek of it at the Aero in Santa Monica, where I hadn't been since catching Mel Brooks there about three months ago. And yes, Dave himself was on hand afterward for a Q&A. Tonight also served as the first night of the Aero's David Mamet retrospective. Other stuff they're showing over the next few nights include Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo, The Spanish Prisoner, Heist, House of Games, and Homicide.
I should admit right now that I have mixed feelings about Dave's work. For instance, his most recent film before Redbelt, 2004's Spartan, did absolutely nothing for me. It had Val Kilmer 
trying to rescue the daughter of a very important government fellow. When you see it, you can tell Dave's a huge fan of film noir, and he confirmed that for me tonight during the Q&A. The man loves his plots to go at the speed of a locomotive. Unfortunately, though, sometimes that chugg-chugging can demolish any character development as well as any emotional notes that might otherwise result from characterization. So by the time the credits roll, you're feeling a bit cold and empty. That young daughter in distress, by the way, was played by Kristen Bell, now hot thanks to Sarah Marshall. She did Spartan just before landing the Veronica Mars gig. Dave's film before that, 2001's Heist, was okay. He did a couple films in the late nineties, though, that were terrific: The Spanish Prisoner and The Winslow Boy. Ye must see those ASAP. His directorial debut was 1987's House of Games, also awesome. Toss that one onto your queue as well, as it just got the DVD treatment last year.
trying to rescue the daughter of a very important government fellow. When you see it, you can tell Dave's a huge fan of film noir, and he confirmed that for me tonight during the Q&A. The man loves his plots to go at the speed of a locomotive. Unfortunately, though, sometimes that chugg-chugging can demolish any character development as well as any emotional notes that might otherwise result from characterization. So by the time the credits roll, you're feeling a bit cold and empty. That young daughter in distress, by the way, was played by Kristen Bell, now hot thanks to Sarah Marshall. She did Spartan just before landing the Veronica Mars gig. Dave's film before that, 2001's Heist, was okay. He did a couple films in the late nineties, though, that were terrific: The Spanish Prisoner and The Winslow Boy. Ye must see those ASAP. His directorial debut was 1987's House of Games, also awesome. Toss that one onto your queue as well, as it just got the DVD treatment last year.He's also written a lot of screenplays that he didn't direct. And again, it's a mixed bag. Remember The Untouchables back in the eighties (my favorite decade!)? Directed by Brian De Palma (another guy who can hit spectacularly or miss wildly)? Dave wrote the script for that. Not only do I dig that flick, I grew up with it and practically have the whole script memorized. And you know what? I hadn't a clue Dave wrote that until I saw it on the big screen at the ArcLight Sherman Oaks about three weeks ago. He also wrote the scripts for We're No Angels, Hoffa, Ronin, Hannibal, and Edmond. You see what I mean about mixed bag? Dude also works as a script doctor. Oh, and you know that TV show The Unit? He's the brain behind that. Anyway, whatever you (or I) think of the strength of Dave's oeuvre, we can't deny the man's more-than-solid career in theater, film, and TV. Kinda funny. All the man wanted to do was be an actor. When he realized how much he sucked at it, he chose playwriting only so he could continue hanging out with his pals. You know, the ones who could actually act.
As for his theater work, I've seen a couple of his pieces over the last couple years at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. Last spring they had his 1988 comedy Speed the Plow with Alicia Silverstone, which was terrific. It's basically a harpoon through the heart of the Hollywood studio system. Two springs ago the Geffen put on his 2001 play Boston Marriage, which starred his wife Rebecca Pigeon as well as Mary Steenburgen and, again, Alicia Silverstone. That one I was less than thrilled about. Set about a hundred years ago, Rebecca and Mary play these two gals living together in what seems like a platonic relationship. Or maybe it was something more. I can't quite remember because, well, it wasn't all that memorable. Mainly it was because of the dialogue. Rebecca and Mary say all kinds of weird stuff that real people don't say. What kinds of stuff did they talk about, you ask? Again, I don't remember. Meanwhile, Alicia Silverstone was adorable as the Scottish maid who seemed just as utterly baffled as the rest of us at all the non sequitor shit spewing from the other two gals' mouths.
With Redbelt, I'm happy to say Dave's back in form. Again, the plot speeds right along, and you really have to pay attention to all the characters and all their various motives to keep up with 
who's screwing whom, but at least you're emotionally invested in the characters' fates. A lot of the credit has to be given to Dave's leading man, Chiwetel Ejiofor. A black Londoner whose folks immigrated to the UK from Nigeria, this man is easily one of the best actors working today. No, really. Hands down. I first noticed him in Dirty Pretty Things in the fall of 2003, and since then I've pretty much gone out of my way to see everything he's in. He's one of those foreign actors who can sound American seemingly without effort, which of course has helped his career immensely. He's done a couple of Denzel vehicles, The Inside Man and American Gangster. Last summer he was in Talk to Me with Don Cheadle. He was the villain in Serenity. That came right after playing a Harlem jazz pianist in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda. Seriously, the guy does it all. He still has time to go back to the UK. One English comedy you may have missed at your local art house a couple years ago is Kinky Boots, in which our pal Chiwetel plays a transvestite who helps this down-on-his-luck white guy design women's footwear. Oh man, you HAVE to see that. And I see on IMDb that last fall he was on stage in London playing Othello opposite Ewan McGregor as Iago. Damn! Why do I have to work for a living?!
who's screwing whom, but at least you're emotionally invested in the characters' fates. A lot of the credit has to be given to Dave's leading man, Chiwetel Ejiofor. A black Londoner whose folks immigrated to the UK from Nigeria, this man is easily one of the best actors working today. No, really. Hands down. I first noticed him in Dirty Pretty Things in the fall of 2003, and since then I've pretty much gone out of my way to see everything he's in. He's one of those foreign actors who can sound American seemingly without effort, which of course has helped his career immensely. He's done a couple of Denzel vehicles, The Inside Man and American Gangster. Last summer he was in Talk to Me with Don Cheadle. He was the villain in Serenity. That came right after playing a Harlem jazz pianist in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda. Seriously, the guy does it all. He still has time to go back to the UK. One English comedy you may have missed at your local art house a couple years ago is Kinky Boots, in which our pal Chiwetel plays a transvestite who helps this down-on-his-luck white guy design women's footwear. Oh man, you HAVE to see that. And I see on IMDb that last fall he was on stage in London playing Othello opposite Ewan McGregor as Iago. Damn! Why do I have to work for a living?!In Redbelt Chiwetel plays this chap called Terry, Mike Terry. He's a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who owns and operates his own martial arts school in L.A. called Southside Jiu-Jitsu. Times
are financially tight for Mike. He's a pretty generous guy who doesn't really crack down on his clients if they don't pay their tuition on time. As a result, his business is saddled with debt. Running the business side of Southside is Mike's drop-dead gorgeous Brazilian wife Sondra, played by Alice Braga, whom you just saw in I Am Legend. Right off the bat it's Mike's marriage to Sondra that makes the plot kind of hairy. This is before anything actually happens. You see, Sondra's got two brothers who are, to put it subtly, flaming pricks. One bro runs an L.A. nightclub called São Paolo. He's teaming up with a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight promoter played by David Mamet regular Ricky Jay. The fight they're promoting involves the other bro, Augusto, who's a big champ down in the Brazilian circuit, coming to L.A. to fight the Japanese champ. A lot of money's at stake of course, and Ricky Jay's doing his damnedest to promote it as a sort of culture clash.
are financially tight for Mike. He's a pretty generous guy who doesn't really crack down on his clients if they don't pay their tuition on time. As a result, his business is saddled with debt. Running the business side of Southside is Mike's drop-dead gorgeous Brazilian wife Sondra, played by Alice Braga, whom you just saw in I Am Legend. Right off the bat it's Mike's marriage to Sondra that makes the plot kind of hairy. This is before anything actually happens. You see, Sondra's got two brothers who are, to put it subtly, flaming pricks. One bro runs an L.A. nightclub called São Paolo. He's teaming up with a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight promoter played by David Mamet regular Ricky Jay. The fight they're promoting involves the other bro, Augusto, who's a big champ down in the Brazilian circuit, coming to L.A. to fight the Japanese champ. A lot of money's at stake of course, and Ricky Jay's doing his damnedest to promote it as a sort of culture clash.I don't want to give away too much of the plot, okay? In vintage Mamet fashion, Dave's littered this plot's highway with more twists and turns than a German pretzel, so I'd hate to map it out for you. Suffice it to say that, at first, Mike Terry has nothing to do with the pending fight. What gets him into trouble is that, once again, he's trying to help people. He's trying to help this young female attorney (Emily Mortimer) recover from the trauma of a recent rape. And he's trying to help one of his best students, this cop named Joe, deal with being suspended from the force because he accepted a very expensive watch Mike had gotten from someone else and then regifted for Joe to pawn to help Joe with his own financial woes. So you see? All kinds of stuff are going on here, and it all leads up to Mike Terry being thrown into the thick of the MMA bout at the very end. Sort of. You'll just have to see it, won't you?
If you follow Dave's work, you won't be surprised at some of the faces who turn up. I've already mentioned Ricky Jay. You've also got Rebecca Pigeon, Joe Mantegna (who's been with Dave since the eighties), and even Ed O'Neill, who pops up in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo talking to Joe Mantegna. No, William H. Macy was not in it. Now that man's been with Dave
since the two were in the same theater company together in Chicago forever ago. During the Q&A Dave told us he really wanted William, but dude was busy in South Africa directing his first film, Keep Coming Back starring Salma Hayek. One newbie in the group was none other than Tim Allen. He pretty much plays the same character he played in Galaxy Quest about a decade ago. Did you catch that? I don't want to get too deep in a tangent here, but damn, that movie was good. It was hilarious. It had heart. Just blogging about it makes me want to toss it onto my queue right now. Tim Allen played a guy who used to star in a very popular sci-fi Star Trek kind of show. Since the show ended, though, he's been reduced to doing promotional appearances while he otherwise lives up in his Hollywood Hills home trying to drown his deflated ego in booze. Here in Redbelt, he plays a Hollywood actor named Chet Frank. He's still got a career and everything, but a lot of people don't like him. He doesn't seem to like himself either. And again, he drinks too much. He even looks literally bloated with his own puffy ego.
since the two were in the same theater company together in Chicago forever ago. During the Q&A Dave told us he really wanted William, but dude was busy in South Africa directing his first film, Keep Coming Back starring Salma Hayek. One newbie in the group was none other than Tim Allen. He pretty much plays the same character he played in Galaxy Quest about a decade ago. Did you catch that? I don't want to get too deep in a tangent here, but damn, that movie was good. It was hilarious. It had heart. Just blogging about it makes me want to toss it onto my queue right now. Tim Allen played a guy who used to star in a very popular sci-fi Star Trek kind of show. Since the show ended, though, he's been reduced to doing promotional appearances while he otherwise lives up in his Hollywood Hills home trying to drown his deflated ego in booze. Here in Redbelt, he plays a Hollywood actor named Chet Frank. He's still got a career and everything, but a lot of people don't like him. He doesn't seem to like himself either. And again, he drinks too much. He even looks literally bloated with his own puffy ego.The first thing Dave talked about during the Q&A was how in tarnation he thought to make a Jiu-Jitsu movie in the first place. You're not going to believe where he got the idea: Ed O'Neill. Yes, THAT Ed O'Neill. The dad from Married with Children! Did you ever watch that show? It lasted a solid decade or so. Even if you only watch one episode, he'll strike you as the last man on
planet Earth to take up martial arts of any kind. Apparently he did, though. He started taking lessons back in '92, about halfway through the Married run, and he just scored his blackbelt last year. Mind you, hoss is in his sixties now, but don't let that fool you. If he's anything like the blackbelts we see in this flick, he's the last man on planet Earth you'll want to mess with. Anyway, Ed O'Neill had a supporting role in The Spanish Prisoner, one of Dave's films from the late nineties. During the shoot, he mentioned to Dave that if he ever came to L.A., he should stop by the studio to see what they do. Fast forward a few years. Dave flies to L.A. for some unrelated reason. On his first night here, he runs into Ed at a restaurant. The two pick up where they left off. The next day Dave goes with Ed to see what all the fuss is about with Jiu-Jitsu. Et voila! He gets the idea for a movie.
planet Earth to take up martial arts of any kind. Apparently he did, though. He started taking lessons back in '92, about halfway through the Married run, and he just scored his blackbelt last year. Mind you, hoss is in his sixties now, but don't let that fool you. If he's anything like the blackbelts we see in this flick, he's the last man on planet Earth you'll want to mess with. Anyway, Ed O'Neill had a supporting role in The Spanish Prisoner, one of Dave's films from the late nineties. During the shoot, he mentioned to Dave that if he ever came to L.A., he should stop by the studio to see what they do. Fast forward a few years. Dave flies to L.A. for some unrelated reason. On his first night here, he runs into Ed at a restaurant. The two pick up where they left off. The next day Dave goes with Ed to see what all the fuss is about with Jiu-Jitsu. Et voila! He gets the idea for a movie.Let me tell you something about Dave for a sec. I mean about the way he looks and everything. He's about 60 or so. His head is perfectly round with fuzz all over. It reminded me of a peach, but with gray fuzz. His hair has a perfectly uniform buzz cut, and his beard is cut to about the same length. So really, it's a perfectly round fuzz ball. With big square glasses. His jeans and boots made him look like a hunter, which is why it didn't surprise me at all when he mentioned that one of his hobbies is hunting. Redbelt, in fact, is dedicated to the memory of one of his hunting pals who passed away last year. Another thing about Dave? He talks the way his plots move: very fast. Every time he began answering a question, he'd trip over a few words, and then he'd really get going. And going. And going. It was like his brain couldn't keep up with his mouth. As for how his voice sounds, it's kind of dry. It reminded me of Mel Brooks.
Dave and Chiwetel Ejiofor have the same agent. Interesting, 'cause their career trajectories could not have been more opposite before they came together. Props to their agent, I guess, right? Anyway, it was this agent who introduced the two of them when Dave was still trying to find a leading man for Redbelt. At that point he only knew Chiwetel as "that guy from Dirty Pretty Things." He really thought Chiwetel was Nigerian born and was completely caught off-guard by his English accent when they met in person. Still, he came away feeling a bit skeptical and said he'd have to think about it. His agent wasted no time in sending him a DVD copy of Kinky Boots. Dave was blown away by it. If this guy could go from playing a Nigerian cab driver/hotel desk clerk to a transvestite, then playing a blackbelt in Jiu-Jitsu shouldn't be much of a challenge.
Someone in the audience asked Dave about his tendency to cast actors known for comedic roles as antagonists, like Steve Martin and Ed O'Neill in The Spanish Prisoner as well as Tim Allen in this film. Dave said he regards comedians the same way he regards fighters and magicians. They're the kinds of people who have to perform well under intense pressure. If you succeed at it, it speaks volumes about your work ethic and stamina. He couldn't stop raving about Steve Martin. He talked about when he saw Steve on stage in New York in Waiting for Godot with Robin Williams. Dave thought Steve was awesome and was completely taken aback by the New York Times' scathing review. In fact, it was Waiting for Godot that led to Steve's being cast in The Spanish Prisoner.
Dave said that's also why he works with Ricky Jay so much. Ricky's a magician by trade, so working under pressure is par for the course. That reminds me of one of the more hilarious moments during the Q&A. Some dude way in the back stood up and asked Dave why was it that Ricky Jay appears in so many of his movies. I heard some people in the back chuckling. Dave smiled for a sec and then was like, "I'm glad he's not here so I can tell ya!" More laughter in the back. Those of us toward the front turned around to see what all the humor was about. It turned out the guy who asked the question was none other than Ricky Jay himself.
Someone else asked why in general we see the same actors over and over again in Dave's stuff. Dave said that was a habit from his Chicago theater days. Chicago had a bunch of theaters founded by various groups of people who stuck together. You had John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in one, Dave Mamet and William H. Macy in another, and so on. And those same groups of people would always work together. That's just the way it was, and that's the way Dave prefers to continue doing it with his flicks. Although that makes me wonder: When's the last time you saw Gary Sinise and John Malkovich in the same film together? The only one I can think of is Of Mice and Men, 15 years ago or something. They played the two leads, with Gary directing.
When asked why someone very close to Mike Terry betrays him in the end, Dave said it was q
uite simple. This person wanted money. I could be more specific in telling you which character I'm talking about, but that would spoil things. Why would the character betray him just for money? Well, Dave said, this person was flat broke to the point of desperation, discovered a way to remedy the situation, and was too desperate to care if that remedy came at Mike Terry's expense. People can do desperate things for money, Dave said. "If you live west of the 405, you probably don't understand that." That got us all rolling on our asses. If you live in L.A., you know that he's talking about the Westside, where people are generally better off than those who live in central and east L.A. What's more, since the Aero is in Santa Monica (i.e. west of the 405 freeway), he was probably taking a swipe at most of the people in the auditorium. I'm proud to say I'm not one of them. Actually, it'd be nice if I could be one of them.
uite simple. This person wanted money. I could be more specific in telling you which character I'm talking about, but that would spoil things. Why would the character betray him just for money? Well, Dave said, this person was flat broke to the point of desperation, discovered a way to remedy the situation, and was too desperate to care if that remedy came at Mike Terry's expense. People can do desperate things for money, Dave said. "If you live west of the 405, you probably don't understand that." That got us all rolling on our asses. If you live in L.A., you know that he's talking about the Westside, where people are generally better off than those who live in central and east L.A. What's more, since the Aero is in Santa Monica (i.e. west of the 405 freeway), he was probably taking a swipe at most of the people in the auditorium. I'm proud to say I'm not one of them. Actually, it'd be nice if I could be one of them.Speaking of betrayal, the thing Dave said that surprised me the most was how he viewed the plot of Redbelt. This was in answer to someone's question about his tendency to make films about con artistry. Again, like The Spanish Prisoner, House of Games, Redbelt. What's the deal 
with Dave and the confidence game? And you know what Dave said? Redbelt wasn't about Mike Terry getting conned. It was about Mike Terry simply having to deal with the world. He'd been living a sheltered life for a long time while he nurtured his devotion to his martial art, not just as a means of self-defense, but as a way of life. Then the young female attorney shows up and accidentally shoots the window, an act which precipitates Mike having to come out of his shell to deal with the world. And that's what those bad people are. They aren't con artists per se. They're people who behave in a way that Dave feels is common in the real world. As an example, he said it's quite common in Hollywood for people with power to seduce people with lesser power, only to crush their hopes. Seduce and destroy, as he put it. Dave accepts that as a matter of course. This is how people are in the world, and that's what Mike Terry has to deal with in trying to get his shit together.
with Dave and the confidence game? And you know what Dave said? Redbelt wasn't about Mike Terry getting conned. It was about Mike Terry simply having to deal with the world. He'd been living a sheltered life for a long time while he nurtured his devotion to his martial art, not just as a means of self-defense, but as a way of life. Then the young female attorney shows up and accidentally shoots the window, an act which precipitates Mike having to come out of his shell to deal with the world. And that's what those bad people are. They aren't con artists per se. They're people who behave in a way that Dave feels is common in the real world. As an example, he said it's quite common in Hollywood for people with power to seduce people with lesser power, only to crush their hopes. Seduce and destroy, as he put it. Dave accepts that as a matter of course. This is how people are in the world, and that's what Mike Terry has to deal with in trying to get his shit together.
