After a brutal mugging, a man takes up karate to better defend himself but soon falls under the spell of the dojo's enigmatic leader.
Release Date: July 12th, 2019
DVD Release Date: October 15th, 2019
R |1 hr 44 min
Plot SummaryAfter a brutal mugging, a man takes up karate to better defend himself but soon falls under the spell of the dojo's enigmatic leader.
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Jason Burkey, Phillip Andre Botello, Steve Terada, Leland Orser, David Zellner
Director: Riley Stearns
Genres: Dark comedy
Production Co: End Cue
While the beats of its plot may be nothing very new, the tone, language and performances here make Self-Defense its own beast. show more
Like The Art of Self-Defense as a whole, it’s glib and obvious in a way that leaves me a little cold. show more
Eisenberg, Nivola, and a hilariously brusque Imogen Poots (as Sensei’s only female student) are more than up to the task of finding the comedy in scenes of nasty violence or brooding anxiety. Stearns, however, is less interested in balancing those tones than he is in exploiting their uneasy tension. show more
