The Art of Self-Defense, written and directed by Riley Stearns - 8.6 out of 10

The Art of Self-Defense, written and directed by Riley Stearns

8.6 out of 10

The Art of Self – Defense is an original, entertaining and sometimes dark comedy with excellent performances.

Jesse Eisenberg is playing the main character with his accomplished skill, managing to change with the moods of his rather unbalanced Casey, who is gentle, kind, shy, modest and vulnerable now, only to become vicious and insufferable later.

When a group of strangers riding motorcycles attacks him, he gives them his wallet, in which he only has ten dollars, but they still beat him and send him to a hospital.

He recovers and tries to buy a hand that would fit into his hand…ergo the handgun, for which he needs to wait, so that the inclination to kill someone who might have upset him disappears eventually.

The man in the shop offers some interesting statistics, which might convince some to give up on the idea of buying a gun, given the fact that those who have children are at risk.

There is more, for having a gun increases the likelihood of the owner being killed in an encounter with aggressors; the chances of committing suicide are also bigger when one has a gun.

We would surely wonder what the benefits of carrying guns are when the results are so bleak, but the Second Amendment of the Constitution seems to be one of the Holy rules for Americans…especially the Trump supporters.

Casey finds an alternative to carrying a revolver, in the time it takes for the papers to be made, and that is to try to join a karate-training program, where he thinks he will learn…

-          The Art of Self- Defense

To begin with, it seems such great idea, to be able to defend himself without resorting to the ultimate violence, the gun that can kill an opponent and ultimately the owner in a shootout.

Indeed, during the classes, the idea of using guns is ridiculed as the manifestation of the weak, especially in this group that worships the memory of their master, killed with a rifle.

By the way, the story of that revered Sensei appears ridiculous and the ecstasy with which the leader of the karate school, Sensei aka Alessandro Nivola, pathetic and preposterous.

They peddle a narrative in which the late master of the school declared himself the best, wearing a ‘rainbow belt’, for the black one would not be enough for such a One…

He is supposed to have fought with the other two or three best karate masters and used his unique, signature strike, killing them with…a finger through their skull and therefore becoming…

World Number One…

Other aspects of this particular, bizarre school of karate are also otherworldly, funny in their alien world traits and appear false and good for the mafia organizations and not a serious skill.

A red stripe is given for someone who has killed in combat, as a sign of honor and this appears to be encouraging extreme violence, which is not for sports, but for Goodfellas.

In fact, the aggressivity increases, the behavior of the sensei and others in the study group reminds one of Fight Club and maybe Kill Bill, with little if anything in common with real karate.

Sensei encourages Casey and promotes him in a manner that is inconsistent with rules, hierarchy and the work needed to get to a higher stage and then suddenly, he breaks the hand of a blue belt with ferocity.

Imogen Poots plays Anna and this character also has a very cruel encounter with Thomas, who is a black belt, but in spite of that, the girl manages to send him down and kick him repeatedly with force in manner that makes the viewer wonder if he is not killed or at eh very least disfigured for life.