Redbelt (2007)

Where the fuck did this movie come from? Six years ago, before joining the cast of Criminal Minds, Joe Montegna and, after doing Galaxy Quest but before doing Toy Story 2, in the midst of those vapid comedies, Tim Allen decide to do a little David Mamet film in which they play...I don't know if they're the bad guys or if they're just a couple of schleps who will do anything for a buck. But, they make this fight movie that's not a fight movie.
David Mamet it to be commended. I think. This was either a very different look at the way of the warrior, one which does it some justice, or he has found a way to make 90 minutes seem like 120+ without the viewer turning off the film. I guess either way he is probably to be commended. So yeah, I'm going to go with let's commend Mamet.
This film is all about honor and doing the right thing when everyone around you lacks honor and does the wrong thing, even when those who you trusted most turn out to be dishonorable. The movie kind of gets twisty and turny in a couple of places and I'm not exactly sure who was deceiving who or at what level of the scam certain key players were aware, but the main dude was always about honor and rightness even when he got suckered into the scheme.
There were lots of famous fighters in this film, either playing characters or themselves. This movie also starred the f-bomb. There was no nudity, there was no real violence because the fighting was being portrayed in the context of training in a gym or in competition and no one was trying to kill anyone else nor was there much blood. The movie did get an 'R' rating and the blurb at the top said it was for "Very Strong Language". I wondered what that meant, and pictured a montage of Tarantino films. But it wasn't anything like that. Perhaps other swear words were said once or twice, but it seemed like it was very nearly completely, "fuck this" and "fuck that". You go Mamet! Right? I mean, that's edgy and real at the same time. Isn't it? I personally like to spice it up with some other vulgarities at least occasionally, not to mention use fuck in a more colorful way like, "up your nose, you slimy-faced fuck-drippage." Or something like that. I probably would use a more risque word than nose if this were a real name-calling. Perhaps Mamet's base use of fuck was to show me that these people either didn't have the time for such elaborations or perhaps not the intellectual capability to come up with something a little fresher.

Redbelt on IMDb

The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2010)

This film wasn't quite the same as the first Scorpion King, maybe because it didn't have any pro wrestlers in starring roles. Randy Couture is no Dwayne Johnson. Couture is not a great actor, but he delivered his lines clearly and articulately and can certainly handle himself physically.
The first part of this film and the last part reminded me of the Scorpion King if it had been the Prince of Persia, but not a good kind of hybrid. The middle part was pretty much Percy Jackson and the Scorpion King, isn't that the fourth book in the new series?
The three main characters are all rather young and so were the actors that played them. Nothing wrong with that, just thought I'd mention it as that is part of what led to a feel of Percy Jackson-ness. Really, what this movie could have used was some Peter Jackson-ness, but couldn't most fantasy movies? I would watch this group again in the Scorpion King 3, and from the way they end it, I likely will.
If this were to be a better movie, well first you would need a better script, but you could also stick in a tried-and-true veteran actor into the mix so the young actors would have someone to compare to and hopefully live up to. Also, I would move out of the range of PG-13 into R, or at least be the PG-13 that has more graphic violence and some brief nudity. I hate to say this, hell, I hate to even think this, but if this film was more Michael Bey and less straight-to-video, it would have been a better film. Now I feel dirty.

 The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warriorat IMDb