Spartan

A political thriller that manages to be both logical and surprising. Dialogues are smart and every character is given an important role in this military puzzle film. It shows, in an unconventional way, the hidden world of intelligence service at all its levels (the highest and the lowest). This movie was unnoticed by the general public because of its being somehow simple (with no special effect) but it's for sure genuine and of high quality; it has surprise twists, tough guys and some great action scenes. Furthermore what makes this flick special is not only the story but also the original way David Mamet chose to tell it; Val Kilmer acted in a very mature and professional manner and deserves many compliments for that.

'Spartan' may be the best spy movie ever made by a practicing playwright/director. Director and frequent screen writer David Mamet ('House of Games,' 'State and Main,' 'Spanish Prisoner,' 'Heist,') has crafted a thriller peppered with his stylized, epigrammatic dialogue that takes on the presidency and world corruption in equal parts of vitriol and savvy. The Pulitzer Prize winner of 'Glengarry Glen Ross' shows he can keep suspense without sacrificing intelligence.

When special ops officer Scott (Val Kilmer, 'Wonderland') describes himself as no 'planner. I ain't a thinker. I never wanted to be,' I knew I was in Mamet territory, where the speeches are street-poetic, terse, and redolent of subtext. Scott eventually has to be more than just an obedient Spartan, as he moves to the conscientious soldier who begins to see much more than just the kidnapping of the president's daughter.

Mamet lets us see that this plot is much more than a potboiler about the lost daughter of a lascivious, ruthless president, for it comments on the hidden forces behind the electoral process. Typical of Mamet, there is much more than what the eye thinks it sees. In fact, I must remind myself to have students write essays about appearance and reality in Mamet's films.

Kilmer is once more a surprise--he is one of our most underrated film actors. When he played an FBI agent in 'Thunderheart,' I was impressed by his low-key interpretation of a Native American in hiding. I am slowly becoming a fan by shedding my feelings that after successfully playing Jim Morrison, he could never successfully play anyone else. As Scott he too must shed his old ways from being a 'worker bee' to being an operative affecting world politics by following his instincts rather than his orders.

Some might claim Mamet loads his dramatic dice with contrived plot twists. I claim he develops his characters with such precision and care that his plots exemplify 'distributed exposition,' where each turn is another piece of the character puzzle.

Denys Arcand must be credited for bathing me in languid prose in 'Barbarian Invasion.' David Mamet must be credited for reinvigorating me with muscular prose. Both writers outstrip David Koepp's lame attempt to reveal a writer in heat in 'Secret Window,' starring Johnny Depp as a Stephen King surrogate.

The title 'Spartan' has several possible meanings, including the Battle of Thermopylae allusion in the film. However, the one I like best is the reference to Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus, who said, 'Those who are trained and disciplined in the proper discipline can determine what will best serve the occasion.' Mamet best serves this occasion with a superior thriller about a man of discipline serving his country in spite of itself.

David Mamet ("Heist", "The Spanish Prisoner") has a deserved reputation as a non-traditional writer/director whose singular style indelibly marks all of his work. With his latest movie, "Spartan", Mamet again proves his quirkiness with a unique mysterious thriller.

Although more ambitious than most plots, the premise is not extremely out of the ordinary. The collegiate First Daughter has gone missing, and black ops government agents must track her down before the press unearths the story that could harm her. Val Kilmer plays the soldier of the manhunt, the talented military worker bee who takes orders from a variety of recognizable faces such as William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, and Clark Gregg. In their search for the girl, Kilmer and company weave through a (perhaps too) winding maze of half-truths that have come to characterize Mamet works.

Because Kilmer, in the lead role, rarely knows more about the investigation than his direct task, the audience sits in a similar situation, never ahead of the story. This ignorance glues the viewer to the screen and causes the hour and forty minutes to zip by at a surprisingly smooth and quick pace. However that same ignorance also prevents the film from making what could have been a deeper connection. With little to no background information on virtually all the characters, there is no emotional investment in anyone. What happens is more important than to whom it happens. The fact that the film still compels despite this is a testament to Mamet's taut script.

His signature almost-but-not-quite-stilted dialogue is less dominant and more accessible than in other pictures, perhaps because of the high-strung nature of the government operations. In common situations though, Mamet's semi-formal words still shine. There is very little cliché dialogue, even in common situations, and what triteness exists is often swallowed by the surrounding originality. Kilmer occasionally falls prey to the easily entangling awkwardness, although that stumbling is not significantly out of character. The supporting cast, many of whom previously worked with Mamet, are stellar in their delivery, particularly Macy and Gregg.

"Spartan", like many of Mamet's movies, is fully entertaining but due to the slightly off-kilter nature of his work, fails to fully suck in the viewer, piquing interest without engrossing. You truly want to know what happens, but you don't care greatly.

Bottom Line: Call it 7 of 10 for a good but not great film.

This one better than most of David Mamet's later films and this is just as good as House of Games and Homicide. This movie stars Val Kilmer as a government agent who is called in to help with the search of the president's missing daughter. Val is willing to do just about anything to get her back and the less you know about the plot, the better you're off. I'm surprised that i never even heard of this movie until it came in theaters. I saw no previews for it or any ads anywhere. The first place i heard about was when Val Kilmer was on The Daily Show to promote the movie. I only went to go see it was that it was written and directed by David Mamet. It would be a good thing to not read any reviews before you see it.

Well i was starting to wonder whether Val would get his career back on track after seeing him in mishaps like Mindhunters (Cheesey but fun) and his brief role in The Missing (Boring boring boring). I haven't seen Wonderland yet so i can't judge him on that one just now.

This is the guy that starred in films such as Willow, Heat and Tombstone (His best role to date), he should be starring in bigger films these days and making a better reputation for himself you would think. But up until now this hasn't happened. So thank god for Spartan....

The trailer looked quite average so i wasn't expecting much, but it starred Kilmer and Macy so i was hoping to be pleasantly surprised somehow. Which i was.

The reason why this film hit the right note for me was its pace. It flowed really well and i thank Mamet the director for that. The first thirty minutes to forty five are fantastic and didn't let go of the audiences attention at all. It did dip through the middle but again picked up to my delight after that patchy spell.

I've already commented on Kilmer enough and he does a great job in his role of Agent Scott. He is backed up by rookie partner Curtis played by Derek Luke. This is the first time i have seen this guy and he did a great job with the screen time that he had.

My one disappointment is William H Macy's character Stoddard. There was no development whatsoever to his character and he was restricted to very tight screen time. The best actor in this film restricted to a few lines is very harsh. I'm sure a few people will agree with me there.

By the way i loved the fact that they didn't relate to the girl as the 'presidents daughter' once throughout this film. Simple but effective

A gem of a film.