| Director | David Mamet |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, drama film, martial arts film, neo-noir, thriller film |
| Runtime | 113 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Box office | $2.7 million |
One evening, at his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu studio, martial arts teacher Mike Terry is approached by attorney Laura Black, who accidentally sideswiped his car. Policeman Joe Collins, one of Mike's students, sees that Laura is distressed and tries to take her coat. Startled, she grabs Joe's gun, and it goes off, shattering the studio's front window. To avoid having Laura charged with attempted murder, Mike and Joe agree to conceal the event.
Mike's insurance company does not cover "acts of god" and so refuses to pay for the windows repair. Mike's wife Sondra, who works in fashion and resents having to keep the struggling studio afloat, demands he ask for a loan from her brother Ricardo, a mixed martial arts champion. At Ricardo's nightclub, Sondra's other brother, Bruno, says Mike should fight on the undercard of an upcoming match between Ricardo and Japanese legend Morisaki, which could potentially pay out $50,000. Mike refuses, as he believes competitions are not honorable and weaken the fighter.
Meanwhile, aging Hollywood action star Chet Frank enters the nightclub without security and drunkenly starts a fight with another patron. Mike saves Chet with his impressive fighting abilities. The following day, Mike receives an expensive watch from Chet. Mike gives the watch to Joe, knowing he has financial issues. At a dinner party, Chet's wife Zena arranges an informal business deal to buy a large number of dresses from Sondra's company. Meanwhile, Mike explains his unique training method to Chet's business associate Jerry Weiss. Before a sparring match, each fighter must draw one of three marbles, two white and one black; whoever draws a black marble has to fight with a handicap.
Mike later helps Chet prepare for a film role and is offered the role of co-producer. That evening, Mike faxes the details of his training methods to Jerry so they can be used in the film. Joe then informs Mike that he was suspended from duty for pawning the watch, which turned out to be stolen. Mike later relays the information to Jerry, who leaves without giving an explanation. Zena also decides to cut off contact with Sondra, who had already borrowed $30,000 from a loan shark to order fabric for the dresses. The couple then learns that Bruno and Marty Brown are using Mike's marble-drawing method as a promotional gimmick for their fighting competition.
Mike hires Laura to sue, but Marty's lawyer threatens that if they do not drop the lawsuit, he will give the police proof that she broke the window attempting to kill Joe. He also has proof incriminating Mike and Joe of covering it up. Feeling responsible for what happened, Joe kills himself. Mike feels obligated to help Joe's financially struggling wife and, in desperate need of money himself, agrees to compete as an undercard fighter in the upcoming competition.
At the arena, Mike discovers the fights are being fixed: the white and black marbles are not selected at random. Unbeknownst to the competitors, this is done by Marty, Jerry and Bruno to ensure winning bets. Mike also learns that Sondra is the one who told them about Laura shooting the window, having become fed up with his putting honor before providing for his family.
Mike is disgusted by the way in which the group is dishonoring the sport, especially when he learns the Professor, an elderly martial arts master, is in the crowd. Mike decides to leave the tournament and let things be, but Laura convinces him to act. Mike re-enters the arena and fights his way through several security guards. He is then confronted by Ricardo, and their fight draws the attention of everyone there. Mike manages to choke Ricardo unconscious. As a sign of respect, Morisaki offers Mike his ivory-studded belt, previously referred to as a Japanese national treasure. Mike is then approached by the Professor himself, who proceeds to award him the coveted red belt. He then embraces him, acknowledging his dedication to the art.