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Comedy, Thriller, Drama, Mystery  •  2019  •  104 min  •  Adults (18+)

The Art of Self-Defense (2019)

The Art of Self-Defense poster

The Art of Self-Defense (2019)

Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Viewer Rating
7.0

Overview

Casey is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity, violence and hypermasculinity and a woman fighting for her place in it.

Starring Cast

Jesse Eisenberg  •   Alessandro Nivola  •   Imogen Poots

Where to watch

Apple TV logoApple TV
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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Leans Left
Confidence: High

The film's central critique of toxic masculinity, its societal pressures, and the dangers of cult-like environments that exploit male insecurity aligns with progressive discourse, leading to a left-leaning rating.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High

The movie features a predominantly traditional cast without explicit DEI-driven recasting. However, its narrative strongly critiques traditional masculine identities and the harmful aspects of hyper-masculinity, making this a central theme.

Secondary

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

The film 'The Art of Self-Defense' does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes within its narrative. The story primarily explores themes of toxic masculinity, male insecurity, and cult dynamics through its main characters, without incorporating queer identities or experiences.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The film 'The Art of Self-Defense' does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. The narrative primarily explores themes of masculinity, power, and toxic environments within a karate dojo, without engaging with transgender identities or experiences.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The Art of Self-Defense is an original film with no prior source material, historical figures, or previous installments. All characters were created for this specific movie, meaning there are no pre-established canonical genders to be swapped.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The Art of Self-Defense (2019) is an original film featuring characters created specifically for the movie. There is no prior source material, historical figures, or previous installments to establish a canonical race for any character. Therefore, no race swaps occurred.

Viewer Rating Breakdown

7.0

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.6
The Movie Database logo
6.6

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
8.3
Metacritic logo
6.5

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