The Art of Self-Defense is a 2019 black comedy thriller film directed by Riley Stearns.
Official trailers
Bleecker Street on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 released the trailer:
THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE | Official Trailer.
Story intro
Casey Davies is a timid accountant who does not seem to fit in with his work environment. While given time off to recuperate from an assault by a motorcycle gang, he grows insecure and strongly considers purchasing a firearm for protection. But when he comes across a karate dōjō, presided by "Sensei", Casey takes advantage of a free trial class, opting to take further day classes rather than purchase a firearm. Casey meets Anna, a brown belt (and the only female student of the dōjō) who teaches the children's classes, and befriends Henry, a blue belt student. With time, Casey begins to perform well enough to catch the attention of his classmates and Sensei. He earns a promotion to a yellow belt, but both Anna and Henry are snubbed for their next ranks. Casey reveals to Sensei that he is taking the classes in response to the trauma of being attacked by the motorcycle gang. Sensei invites Casey to the dōjō's night classes, which are more extreme and brutal than the regular classes, and encourages him to listen to heavy metal music (rather than his preferred "adult contemporary") to become more masculine. After a two month absence from his accounting job, Casey returns as a more assertive employee. His alpha male attitude leads to him impressing his cocky co-workers and throat-punching his boss, which gets him fired. At Casey's first night class, Henry attends uninvited, but when he is called upon to help demonstrate, Sensei breaks his elbow at the joint and expels him from the dōjō. During a sparring session, Anna brutally beats Thomas, the newly promoted black belt student, aiming to prove her skill to Sensei despite her gender, which Sensei claims disqualifies her from earning a black belt.
Cast
- Jesse Eisenberg
- Casey Davies
- Alessandro Nivola
- Sensei
- Imogen Poots
- Anna
- Steve Terada
- Thomas
- Phillip Andre Botello
- Kennith
- Hauke Bahr
- Grant
- Jason Burkey
- Alex
- David Zellner
- Henry
- Caroline Amiguet
- French Audio Instructor (voice)
- Apollo Bacala
- Karate Day Class Student
- Justin Eaton
- Lone Man
- Dallas Edwards
- Manny
- Will Ellis Jr.
- Night Class Student
- Josh Fadem
- Serial Killer
- John French
- Office Worker
- Darren Gaebel
- Karate Night Class Student
- Scott Goodman
- Drunk Skinny Guy
- Alex Haydon
- Man Wearing Pants
- Elizabeth Howlett
- Girl in Hospital Room
- Nicholas Hulstine
- Pickup Truck Driver
- Davey Johnson
- Gun Store Owner
- Chris Lay
- Karate Student
- Katherine Martin
- Bakery Woman
- Cameron Murphy
- New White Belt
- Leland Orser
- Detective McCallister
- Kinsley Ramey
- Martial Arts Student
- C.J. Rush
- Other Steve
- Gina Fountain Schneider
- Mom in Car
- Matthew T. Schneider
- Son in Car
- Molly E. Schneider
- Daughter in Car (as Molly E Schneider)
- Sarah Beth Shapiro
- Answering Machine
- Daniel H. Shoemaker
- Karate Class Day Student
- Katherine Smith-Rodden
- Grocery Store Cashier
- Frederic Spitz
- French Guy
- Louis Robert Thompson
- Veterinarian
About
Principal photography began on September 11, 2017, in Kentucky.
The film The Art of Self-Defense was scheduled to be released on March 10, 2019 (SXSW) and on July 12, 2019 (United States) by Bleecker Street Media, Pacific Northwest Pictures and Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The duration of the film is 104 minutes. The film grossed over $2.4 million.
The film had received a "R" rating.
Rating
The Art of Self-Defense got high rating from critics.
External links
IMDB: The Art of Self-Defense
Wikipedia: The Art of Self-Defense (2019 film)