Redbelt

Review in a Hurry:  A martial-arts trainer who lives by a strict samurai's code can't pay the bills and gets pushed into a prize-money tournament after a tragic accident. This scores high on the ass-kickery meter, and what could have been another generic fight film is elevated into a thinking-man's Rocky by writer-director David Mamet.

The Bigger Picture:  Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is barely making ends meet at his studio, and he needs cash. His wife (Alice Braga) urges him to go to her brothers, who offer him a spot in their latest venture—a mixed martial-arts tournament, live on pay-per-view.

They need Mike's credibility, but Mike doesn't compete—he says it ruins the purity of the art. Mike's relatives, however, left that behind long ago. A random encounter with an aging action-movie star (Tim Allen in a smart, restrained performance) turns out to be an anvil, rather than a life preserver, and Mike is left deeper in trouble than ever.

Ejiofor (best known to geeks as the Operative from Serenity) is simply great; his eyes do the talking when Mike's stoicism won't let him speak, and he carries himself next to actual martial artists with genuine grace.

But in this movie, grappling with morality is as important as wrestling on the mat. Mike's flaw is that he feels responsible for everyone. While admirable, it's also arrogant: People have to find their own way, no matter what the sensei tells them. And the not-too-surprising betrayals show how easily that flaw can be exploited.

"I teach people to prevail," Mike says, but until the final showdown, the real question is whether his honor is a handicap or an asset.

The 180—a Second Opinion:  Mamet's minimalist style leaves a few gaps you've got to fill in yourself. There are a couple of  "huh?" moments as Terry is shoved around by the plot, and the answers aren't very clear. However, the bigger problem: not enough Emily Mortimer, as a troubled lawyer providing a key twist. There could be a whole movie in her relationship with Mike, not just the moments we get on screen.