MovieChat Forums > Redbelt (2008) Discussion > Redbelt and the McDojo

Redbelt and the McDojo

posted 16 years ago by hkronin
6 replies | jump to latest

Redbelt angers me for the same reasons as the infamous McDojos. For those of you not familiar with the tern, a "McDojo" is a term for a martial arts school (dojo) where poor or inaffective techinque is taught for the sole purpose of making $$$... like fast-food marial arts.

This movie is the perfect example of the McDojo. Not the dojo in the movie, but the movie itself. The movie tries to appear mysterious by not making any sense. It wants to leave the viewer feeling slightly inept since he/she cannot grasp the plot. It tries to make you feel like there is something greater there than it is, and if you stay with it long enough, it will all make sense, and pay-off.

Like a McDojo, this movie tries to mimic true art yet has no substance underneath.

[–] without_eyelids 16 years ago

THANK YOU.

[–] say_whut 16 years ago

martial arts are obviously a huge part of the movie's plot, but if you wanted a martial arts film, watch a tony jaa film. fun times, ridiculous situations, that guy's amazing. its themes are valid, and if you don't get it (as much as i hate to say "get it") that's cool. you can think what you want.
but yeah it's like complaining that no country for old men sucks cause the 80s sucked. also texas sucks. plus anton chigurh doesn't sound mexican and the ending sucks.

[–] imajestr 16 years ago

I don't understand all these complaints. What do you mean, there was no plot? There absolutely was. It was about one man trying not to let himself become corrupted. Fight the power. That whole thing. The entertainment business was trying to screw him over and he was fighting back. That's the plot, but it's also a character study.

Maybe you people should go rent Transformers again and let the people with brains rent quality films.

http://ablueballoon.blogspot.com/

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] UberNoodle 16 years ago

The point of martial arts isn't to learn to fight other people but to learn to fight your own weakness. You might think that that sounds "lame" but it just means that you lack the maturity for what budo is about. I don't like poeple mixing up sports and art. They are different things with different philosophies. Red Belt captured the essence of that debate superbly. Better film however is Kuro Obi.

[–] actionmanrandell 14 years ago

you clearly are one of the mass amounts of retards out there i for one got everything the moive was saying