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zesty_pintoI have to admit, I was expecting an action movie, but this was no action movie.
It's still really good though. I wasn't expecting a movie about a martial arts master that did not fight. But in reality, this is the aspect of the martial arts that we were taught through all the martial arts movies that a fair number of people grew up with. The catch is, though, that we are so attuned to people breaking the rule of not fighting for fighting's sake that we expect the rule to be broken so we can see that secret world of what their martial arts really are like.
Take for example, Ong Bak. One of the most glaring issues I had with the film was its constant reminder about the sanctity of Muai Thay being used only as a necessity art. Yet what is 50% of the movie? The main character using Muai Thay whenever possible. We expect our martial artists to be badasses who exude that aura of a badass.
When we see Redbelt, we do not see a man who is triumphant and a renown master of all. We see a local everyman, a very calm-spoken figure who thinks of others before himself. He is the epitome of the martial art, because he does not use the martial art to make himself in the world, but rather to follow his martial art for the sake of the martial art. In storylines, we often exploit this character as a particular template: in this case, he is the samurai.
But the truth is that this archetype really following this doctrine is dull and boring. Likewise, the main character seems out of place. From the very beginning, we start off with him getting his car wrecked and his dojo ruined from a clumsy woman. The normal reaction we would expect is anger, some sort of demand for compensation. Instead, he tries to see the consequence of his actions and chooses the higher ground at the damage of his already strained financial situation.
This out of place sensation resonates throughout this film. Where people desire to make a profit, he seeks peace. Where others find rage, he seeks purpose. He follows a path that no one can understand because he has gone beyond human nature, and that is what hurts the most as you watch this film.
Overall, I liked the movie. The ending was that bittersweet victory, like the ending of Old Man and The Sea. You know that he really has shown his meaning to all, and yet you know that things still are never so easy. But it is because you see him struggle that I felt affection for him, and that is why I loved the ending.
Perhaps what bought the movie the most was how the main character reminded me of my own father: a man who was an aspiring soldier, he left the Korean Army because he did not like the political nature of the upper ranks. My mother often remarks on how his diligence would have earned him a general's spot now (and indeed, some of his old buddies are just that), but he chose the life of a shopkeeper because he did not like the dirty nature of it. To this day, my mother still deals with the pragmatic aspect of his behavior, he still greets customers with a genuine smile, and he still aspires to find something to do that will give his honest personality the piece of the pie he deserved so long ago.
It's still really good though. I wasn't expecting a movie about a martial arts master that did not fight. But in reality, this is the aspect of the martial arts that we were taught through all the martial arts movies that a fair number of people grew up with. The catch is, though, that we are so attuned to people breaking the rule of not fighting for fighting's sake that we expect the rule to be broken so we can see that secret world of what their martial arts really are like.
Take for example, Ong Bak. One of the most glaring issues I had with the film was its constant reminder about the sanctity of Muai Thay being used only as a necessity art. Yet what is 50% of the movie? The main character using Muai Thay whenever possible. We expect our martial artists to be badasses who exude that aura of a badass.
When we see Redbelt, we do not see a man who is triumphant and a renown master of all. We see a local everyman, a very calm-spoken figure who thinks of others before himself. He is the epitome of the martial art, because he does not use the martial art to make himself in the world, but rather to follow his martial art for the sake of the martial art. In storylines, we often exploit this character as a particular template: in this case, he is the samurai.
But the truth is that this archetype really following this doctrine is dull and boring. Likewise, the main character seems out of place. From the very beginning, we start off with him getting his car wrecked and his dojo ruined from a clumsy woman. The normal reaction we would expect is anger, some sort of demand for compensation. Instead, he tries to see the consequence of his actions and chooses the higher ground at the damage of his already strained financial situation.
This out of place sensation resonates throughout this film. Where people desire to make a profit, he seeks peace. Where others find rage, he seeks purpose. He follows a path that no one can understand because he has gone beyond human nature, and that is what hurts the most as you watch this film.
Overall, I liked the movie. The ending was that bittersweet victory, like the ending of Old Man and The Sea. You know that he really has shown his meaning to all, and yet you know that things still are never so easy. But it is because you see him struggle that I felt affection for him, and that is why I loved the ending.
Perhaps what bought the movie the most was how the main character reminded me of my own father: a man who was an aspiring soldier, he left the Korean Army because he did not like the political nature of the upper ranks. My mother often remarks on how his diligence would have earned him a general's spot now (and indeed, some of his old buddies are just that), but he chose the life of a shopkeeper because he did not like the dirty nature of it. To this day, my mother still deals with the pragmatic aspect of his behavior, he still greets customers with a genuine smile, and he still aspires to find something to do that will give his honest personality the piece of the pie he deserved so long ago.
