This guy is going to be nominated for (and hopefully will win) an Oscar someday real soon, trust me on this. Catch up on his films, camp out for his premieres, name your firstborn after him (that’s assuming you have any idea how to pronounce his name, because it’s a humiliating mystery to me). The point I’m trying to make is: I’m going on record and saying that this Chiwetel character is going to be a star one day, and if you want to be ahead of the curve so you can claim credit on it, you better act now.
If you don’t recognize him from his pictures on IMDB, Chiwetel is a British actor who has been popping up and stealing scenes for quite a few years now in films like “Children of Men” and “American Gangster” and “Inside Man”. IMDB has him listed as being born in ‘74 which, if my calculations are correct, would mean that he’s 34 and probably a seasoned veteran within the film industry at this point in time. His next big project will be Roland Emmerlich’s (ID4, The Day After Tomorrow) upcoming apocalyptic flick, 2012, which is something of importance to me, but I will get into that another time. Rest assured this movie will be a critical disaster but will take more than enough from the Summer box-office. Shortly after 2012 is released, Chiwetel will appear in Toussaint, a film about a Haitian revolution starring Don Cheadle, Mos Def and Angela Basset, all of whom are talented actors capable of earning critical attention. Perhaps this could be Chiwetel’s breakthrough role. However, this film is being directed by Danny Glover, so its best to keep those expectations low until a few advance screenings have been conducted.
Anyway, the reason I’m giving credit to Mr. Ejiofor today is because I recently rented the MMA inspired-David Mamet-filmed, Redbelt. The film is standard Mamet, filled to the brim with venomous dialogue and the usual assortment of hyper masculine men, posturing for top billing in a stone-faced pissing-contest. Instead of the predatory salesmen of Glengarry Glen Ross or the compulsively violent gangsters of The Untouchables, Redbelt may feature Mamet’s most emotionally evolved cast of characters to date. Quite an accomplishment considering that the film is basically an Eastern-tinged parable about a lone gun looking to maintain some guiding principles in the ego-infested world of mixed martial arts. The film is vastly entertaining, though it fails to pack the kind of brutal impact that Mamet’s earlier, flashier work manages with ease. It’s an interesting direction for one of America’s most controversial and polarizing playwrights. By harnessing a brisk pace impossible by theatrical standards, it appears that Mamet is making a statement that he is fully committed to life in Hollywood and has all but left his Off-Broadway roots behind. By casting Chiwetel in the lead role, he has proven that, at the very least, he will be a remarkable judge of talent for years to come.
If you’re interested in Mixed Martial Arts and testosterone, by all means rent Redbelt. If, however, you want to see Chiwetel at his very best, pick up a copy of Dirty Pretty Things, a fine British film (but in English) which earned Chiwetel his first serious award consideration, nearly 6 years ago today. I promise you won’t be dissapointed.
