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It seems that the world is becoming more and more dangerous every day—and many people are looking for ways to protect themselves. And in the dark comedy The Art of Self-Defense, a man turns to karate to give him the strength and confidence that he needs to fight his fears.
The Art of Self-Defense stars Jesse Eisenberg as Casey Davies, a socially-awkward accountant whose life takes a terrifying turn when he’s attacked on the street one night. Tired of being afraid, he decides to enroll at the neighborhood dojo, where the ruthless Sensei (Alessandro Nivola) seems to offer him the strength and confidence that he’s lacking. As Casey becomes obsessed with his classes—and, eventually, his beautiful yellow belt—he finds himself becoming tougher and more masculine. But as the Sensei encourages him to continue his training and embrace his anger, Casey discovers a darker side to the dojo.
Though it may sound like a heavy and serious drama, The Art of Self-Defense starts out quirky and quickly goes off the rails. Everything about this story and its characters lands somewhere on the scale from not quite right to just plain ridiculous—from Casey’s encounter with a gun store clerk to his first meetings with Sensei and the others at the dojo. And it just gets darker and more ridiculous while exploring toxic masculinity in a Fight Club-like setting.
In the beginning, poor Casey is a timid man in a world of outrageously over-the-top alpha-males. He’s a thoughtful, hardworking guy who says nice things about his boss, who enjoys adult contemporary music, and whose best friend is his dachshund. At work, he’s surrounded by boorish colleagues who talk big and share an interest in manly things like fighting, women, and weapons. And when he joins the dojo, he’s informed that he needs to be more like them.
Casey’s transformation is difficult to watch—no matter how outrageous it may be. He goes from mild-mannered and kind-hearted to crude and mean. He embraces the anger and violence that’s supposed to make him more masculine. And though it’s all done for some kind of a reason, it still isn’t easy to watch him turn into such an unlikable character as he works to find his way.
With its violence and its dark sense of humor, The Art of Self-Defense definitely isn’t for everyone. But in addition to the awkwardness and the occasional preachiness, it has plenty of clever moments, too.
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