Further Thoughts on Redbelt

One expanded idea: as I mention, David Mamet could have taken the movie in an entirely different direction–more action-oriented and focused on Mike Terry’s background. This is what I wrote the movie could have looked like:

If Redbelt had been made by a director/writer less sure of his abilities–or if it were a superhero movie–the first act would have opened in the Iraq desert, just prior to the First Gulf War. Lieutenant Terry, a member of Delta Force with a knack for hand-to-hand combat, engages the enemy but commits some sort of atrocity–accidentally, of course. Trying to purge his memories he takes to drink, alienating friends, family, and fellow soldiers. Dishonorably discharged, Terry treks into the Brazilian jungle where he encounters an enclave of jiu-jitsu practitioners. After years of hard training, Terry recovers his honor and wins the respect of The Professor, promising to spread his teachings across North America.

I remember thinking to myself while writing that paragraph: Holy crap that sounds awesome (and incredibly, incredibly generic*). And, maybe in the hands of Mamet, it would be awesome. But it’s not the movie he wanted to make; if you add all that stuff in, even in brief flashbacks as opposed to a full two acts, you lose the soul of the story. He’d have to cut other plotlines, like a thematically-important one revolving around a disgraced police officer who trains at his dojo. It’s important that we see Terry’s sense of honor as something innate, not something he worked for. Ironically, showing the protagonist in a quest to regain his honor probably diminishes the concept.

*This is why I would be a bad screenwriter perfectly suited as a Hollywood executive; I recognize mediocrity and celebrate it.