Spartan (2004)

David Mamet's Spartan had me leaving the theater thinking 'yeah, it was a good movie, some things I didn't understand'. Perhaps that's Mamet's intention- he's one of the reigning rulers of writers who use calculated, cool twists in storytelling- but I felt the moments in the film where I wasn't surprised so much by the turns taken. Not to say Spartan doesn't have some surprises (a few elements, such as a couple of deaths and a revelation or two which I won't put down here), and as a visual storyteller I got involved in the tension building with Val Kilmer's situation.

Kilmer, playing both mentor to training rangers and "worker-bee" to the United States government's special op's, is put on the case of the kidnapping of the President's daughter. It needs to be solved before the media grabs it, but it may not be that easy. Kilmer's Scott is a little more distant in tone and style sometimes, thinking of things to say to people that could border on a hack's cliche, yet Mamet isn't unforgivable in all the dialog. What dissapointed me were some of his choices in shots - he's not always as subtle as you might've thought in his cut-aways and use of music. While this is different territory in subject matter (dealing with a thriller on a political, topical scale), some of the tricks Mamet was pulling seemed stagey, and more predictable than he's known for.

Should people rush to theatres to see Spartan? Depends- for fans of Kilmer there's a lingering aura of understatement, concern, of a character who has been following rules his whole life, and it's not that bad. Derek Luke is a formidable supporting presence. Ed O'Neill strikes up some dramatic credit amid his post-Married with Children days. William H. Macy could've deserved a little more screen time to emphasize his importance to the story. And Kristen Bell is believable as the torn daughter. The script isn't rapid fire Mamet in delivery and tone, so it is at a pace that will dissapoint those who are looking for non-stop thrills. Maybe my grade is un-fair- the material does seek to be seen again- but I just didn't get that it was top-shelve stuff. B

Fmovies: 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.

Secret Serviceman extraordinnaire Val Kilmer tries to retrieve a kidnapped politician's daughter in this surprisingly-good thriller.

There isn't a lot of violence in this modern day tough rescue story, but when it occurs, look out! Kilmer is very good in here, one of his best performances ever and the film is nicely photographed. The only warning I would give viewers is the language, which contains about 25 f-words.

The best plug I can give this film is that it was very entertaining, start to finish, and that's what most of us are looking for - entertainment. It keeps your attention the full 100-plus minutes, so what's not to like? As mentioned, Kilmer is very, very good in here and, make no mistake: he's the show. Everything in the story really revolves around him.

There was anything that struck a sour note with me, it would be the story with the kidnapped girl's father. I don't think he was realistic, but I won't say more in fear of spoiling anything for those who haven't seen this.

Nonetheless, an under-publicized excellent film of 2004.

Spartan fmovies. 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.

I've been a fan of David Mamet since The Untouchables, and a half a dozen films since, including Glengarry Glen Ross and Ronin. His writing is so exacting - it's surgical. And among the best in the Industry. It seems no writer in film exemplifies the dominant (lone) male psyche better than he does - he is one of my favorite writers. I say lone because most of the leads in his films are either solo, or if married you don't know it. Even in The Winslow Boy, which was a period piece. In his films, the Dialog is definitely the star. Realizing that is key to enjoying his films.

As a Deep Sea Diver in the U.S. Navy for many years, who spent time with the Special Boat Unit and 5 years with EOD (the bomb squad), I can tell you that he speaks the language of the military elite, and the military at large - better than anyone. In his film Spartan, we have the perfect marriage of the nuances subtleties and atmosphere of the shadowy world where special ops are used as federal assets for unofficial or non military missions. I believe Spartan is as close to capturing this as movie making ever comes.

Val Kilmer is a much better actor than many of his more famous contemporaries, and is probably the performer they wished they were. Though he's never really gained the notoriety or superstar status. I think most guys would agree that his Doc Holliday in Tombstone was the best ever, with due applause to Dennis Quaid's. Here he plays a Marine Gunny (a Master Gunnery Sergeant here) assigned to special ops (probably after Recon) and was the perfect fit for both this film and Mamet's script, which combined with his talent - was one of his best. Tom Clancy is the only other modern writer of this caliber that captures the military mindset and does it so well, but in a different way. Though the title probably refers to the Spartan ideology of one well trained man being better than a hundred who are not, there is a picture here offered of the very Spartan lifestyle lived by so many in the military of any nation and is well represented. A great film! I couldn't recommend it more.

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The excellent David Mamet returns to write and direct an entertaining spy thriller which puts fantasy fare such as the Bourne Identity to bed. Val Kilmer is good here, better than anything I can remember, but the real star here is Mamet. His direction is better here than Heist or State and Main, and the script more believable. It still crackles with Mamet's trademark dialogue but in this genre it seems to fit better. Excellent support cast all round, notably 'the girl' and Said Taghmaoui, the latter being one of my favourite character actors at present. The ending does seem abrupt, but by no means out of place. Critics argued that the plot is too complicated/ clever and that the lead is truly "Shallow Val" but this is selling the actor and the audience short. This was entertaining, with overtones of conspiracy which makes great viewing for people with similar tastes to myself. 10/10