David Mamet should always employ lowbrow comedic actors in dramatic roles. Think back to how great Steve Martin was in The Spanish Prisoner. Yes, Martin had done serious performances prior, but he was at the time coming off a long string of duds — most recent was Sgt. Bilko — and the film was a welcome change, at least for his fans if not himself, as he never seemed intent on repeating the variation again (too bad, because he could find Bill Murray-like success, in my opinion).

This time Mamet has cast Tim Allen, an actor barely thought to be employable in anything but mainstream, family-friendly comedy. Unlike Martin, he’s a guy who has never really been in the favor of critics (his Rotten Tomatoes average is 42% compared with Martin’s 64%, and he’s fortunate to have the Toy Story boosters). Therefore, it will be interesting to see Allen appear in Mamet’s Redbelt, a fairly serious-looking drama set in the world of Ultimate Fighting (which, like Allen, could use a respectful filmmaker like Mamet in order to get more cred with the highbrows). He’s apparently only playing a Hollywood movie star, so he’s not being asked to stretch too far.

Another thing that will be interesting to see is how much Redbelt is actually like a Kurosawa film, considering such a comparison was made by Mamet last year. The film opens in select theaters April 25.