As all movies written and directed by Mamet progress, of course, not everyone in the film including a fight promoter, Marty Brown (Ricky Jay), Chet’s wife, Zena (Rebecca Pidgeon) and his producer, Jerry (Joe Mantegna) is who he or she seems to be and his trademark crisp dialogue always reflects that as if the characters are consistently worried that they are revealing something that can be used against them. His dramatic hook here, as was the case in one of his earlier films, The Spanish Prisoner, is to insert an unassuming protagonist into the web of deceit to force him to take drastic measures potentially to the detriment of their own morals, which, for Mike, is to enter a martial arts competition. While some may wonder how Mamet could graft this theme into the martial arts genre, it becomes hardly surprising ten minutes into the film how Mamet can graft his trademark themes onto the consistent trend of lone warriors marginalized by their insistence on following a noble code of conduct.
He has also found an ideal actor to play the central lead in Ejiofor, who is just about the most versatile actor working in movies right now. To see his work over the last several years in Dirty Pretty Things, Four Brothers, Children of Men, Talk to Me, and American Gangster is to watch a real chameleon of an actor who can absorb any accent or personality and interpreting Mamet’s dialogue (which includes the signature, repeated reinforcement of the beginning quote several times throughout) is but another acting challenge he meets and clears. Most importantly, he has enormous screen presence that he hardly has to rely on an emotional acting tic to convey this man who finds his abidance by his value system of decency turned and twisted against him.
Mamet often manages to bring out surprising dimensions within an actor and this time it is Tim Allen, who suppresses his goofball antics to give a highly effective performance as a middle-aged action celebrity. Mamet regulars Pidgeon and Mantegna also dot the screen as appropriately ambiguous figures, particularly Mantegna who can play a masterful, scheming manipulator as well as anyone. Emily Mortimer and Alice Braga similarly provide valuable support and the former in particular has a very good scene where, after admitting to Mike that her PTSD is due to her being recently raped at knifepoint, he shows her how to re-enact a physical defense tactic within the situation.
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