Redbelt

You may walk out of the theater desperately trying to piece together the elements of the complicated plot of David Mamet's latest Redbelt, the story of Mike Terry, a Los Angeles jujitsu master Mike Terry desperately struggling to maintain his honor. Does the entire plot all come down to an elaborate con involving Brazilian fabric prices? But the action is enthralling.

Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a riveting performance. The English actor, who first gained attention as a Nigerian doctor in Dirty Pretty Things, transformed himself in a drag queen in Kinky Boots, had to learn martial arts for the role. As a spiritual leader, a man of principal and integrity, and a failure in business, Ejiofor brings to the screen a gravitas comparable to Forest Whittaker's samurai warrior in Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

The ensemble cast also includes a jittery Emily Mortimer, Tim Allen as a tough guy movie star, Mamet regular Rebecca Pidgeon, and rising star Alice Braga as the martial arts instructor's beautiful wife.

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.