Mamet Knocks Himself Out

“Redbelt,” which arrives in theaters on Friday, is David Mamet’s 10th feature film as a director, and with the exception of parts of his first, 1987’s “House of Games,” all of them, however alluring they seemed upon release, now seem negligible. In fact, the sheer number of prestigious but stillborn fizzles and outright flops on Mr. Mamet’s film résumé is staggering. Even a partial list of the films he’s either directed or written is enough to stock a weekend film festival for masochists: “The Postman Always Rings Twice” (1981), “Things Change” (1988), “We’re No Angels” (1989), “The Spanish Prisoner” (1997), “Ronin” (1998), “Lansky” (1989), “State and Main” (2000), “Heist” (2001), “Edmund” (2005). How many of these films would have been made if not for Mr. Mamet’s great renown as a playwright?