| It's rare that a martial arts film can pull off "less is more". But that's exactly what "Black Belt" does, to fantastic effect. It's not about non-stop fights. It's not about exotic animal styles or crazy secret weapons. It's about Karate and honor, and three students on a journey to discover what Karate means and what role it plays in their lives. Like 2002's phenomenal "Twilight Samurai", "Black Belt" pays respect to the pursuit of honor through martial arts, and perhaps despite it.
In many action films, the fights are performed by screen-fighters and are heavily stylized so they "look good on camera". But here, somehow, the director defies all of this by showing us authentic Karate performed by two non-actors, true Karate masters, and it's a spectacle you will not soon forget. There is no camera trickery, no fast edits. These fights are short and fast and devastating, their goal to disable an opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible. And you'll be rewinding and replaying them over and over.
The film culminates in an exhausting and ferocious battle between two masters, filmed almost entirely in one take. In later interviews, the cinematographer recalls the spectacle bringing tears to his eyes as he filmed. These two martial artists and their director poured all their formidable years of training into this fight, and the result is a stunning document of pure Karate and pure filmmaking. |
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