Dark martial arts thriller tests what happens when Tim Allen isn’t funny.

By Hillary Layman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/1/08 – “There’s nothing funny about this character,” says Tim Allen who plays sleazy Hollywood action hero Chet Frank in ‘Redbelt’. “Comedy is so natural to me. Without any comedy in the scene it seems like there’s really no reason to pay me. And that worked out fine, because they’re pretty much not paying me.” The budget for ‘Redbelt’ is just $10 million. ‘Redbelt’ is being distributed by Sony Picture Classics.

“The world of martial arts seemed the perfect arena for exploration,” says writer-director David Mamet. “It wasn’t so much that I decided to set it in Hollywood, but that I was looking at the culture of martial arts in Hollywood and writing about it.” Mamet spent five years training with some of the best in Jiu-Jitsu and brought in his teacher, black-belt Renato Magno, to choreograph realistic fight scenes.

“It’s a samurai film with an American samurai,” says Mamet. “I think the fight part of it is new,” says producer Chrisann Verges, “but all of the elements are classic Mamet.”

“Redbelt hit so many deeper levels,” says Chiwetel Ejiofor. “It’s about how people utilize what they have in order to survive in any situation.” Ejiofor plays a jiu-jitsu teacher with a peaceful heart. Alice Braga plays Ejiofor’s wife. “Jiu-jitsu is a really beautiful martial art in my opinion because it’s not about the fight,” says Braga. “It’s about how to avoid the fight.”

Emily Mortimer plays lawyer Laura Black. “There’s a conflict involved in what it is to be a hero, whether it’s possible to do entirely good in this world,” says Mortimer.

‘Redbelt’
Rating: R for strong language
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Running Time: 1 hr. 39 min.
Release Date: May 2, 2008 (limited)