Customer Reviews

Spartan

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I like David Mamet's screenwriting a lot, and his direction is good too. While this movie isn't his absolutely top-drawer material (_House of Games_, _Spanish Prisoner_), it's still way better than the usual run of 'political thrillers'.

If you know who Mamet is, you already know that his dialogue is lean, focused, and idiosyncratic to the point of surreality. You also know to expect a plot consisting of one mind-bending twist after another. This movie will meet your expectations.

It probably won't exceed them; as political films go, this isn't quite up to _Wag the Dog_ (another of Mamet's best screenplays). Its plot is actually -- for Mamet -- pretty straightforward: Laura Newton, the president's daughter, has disappeared, and super-duper Black Ops guy 'Scott' (Val Kilmer) is going to get her back.

By the time we're through we've been cycled through quite a bit of ruthlessness, cynicism, and unflattering revelations about political ambition. The direction is extraordinarily good -- and, for what it's worth, the deaths (of which there are many) are eerily realistic, not yer usual Hollywood screaming-bullets-and-exploding-cars BS. The ensemble cast is wonderful (particularly Kilmer).

But we don't really visit any new territory. For my taste there are a few too many cliches here -- which would be somewhat more acceptable if they were at least Mamet's _own_ cliches, but some of these are Tom Clancy's.

Nonetheless it's all handled deftly and intelligently, and it's miles above the usual run of political thrillers. I'm giving this one four stars by comparison with Mamet's other films, but compared to everything else it's a five-star movie.

Spartan-Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained. Simple, frugal austere. Marked by brevity of speech, laconic. Courageous in the face of pain, danger, or adversity.

If you like Ronin then Spartan is choc-full of the same kind of cryptic dialogue with double/triple meanings and clever touches. Not surprising really since Spartan is written and directed by David Mamet who worked on the Ronin script.

When the President's daughter is kidnapped a strict, no-nonsense Secret-Secret Service agent (Val Kilmer) follows an intriguing trail of clues and dead-ends to find out where she is, who took her and why. Hardly sounds original but Spartan dares to do what very, very few Hollywood movies are willing to try; it assumes its audience actually have brains and can figure things out by themselves.

Spartan is the slickest, smoothest and smartest thriller for a good while. Kilmer has his critics and is constantly given a hard time. But here he proves what an actor he can be given the right material. Ed O'Neill also pops up and adds some post-Married With Children credibility to his resume.

Like Ronin, the action is stern and serious. There's nothing far-fetched or unbelievable about this. It may lack the epic feel of Ronin but Spartan is by no means a small movie. I strongly recommend this if you are tired of idiotic action movies and need a fix of something with some class.

The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and a commentary by Val Kilmer (should be interesting).

This oft-repeated line lies at the centre of Spartan, a political thriller from writer-director David Mamet. At the heart of this film is a mystery, one that the central character must solve and, in doing so, discover something about himself.

When the daughter (Bell) of the President of the United States goes missing, the Secret Service brings in Robert Scott (Kilmer) to investigate. He is one of those shadowy operatives with no name (of consequence) that does all of the government?s dirty business under the veil of secrecy and plausible deniability. He is assigned a young, inexperienced partner named Curtis (Luke). They have very little time before the media gets wind of what has happened. The two men go undercover and trace the young girl?s whereabouts to an international prostitution ring.

Scott is a typical Mamet protagonist in that he wastes few words and everything he says has meaning. Val Kilmer is a perfect fit for Mamet?s tough, no-nonsense world. He does a good job with Mamet?s tricky, distinctive dialogue. Much like Gene Hackman?s character in Heist, Kilmer?s Scott is efficient and ruthless in his methods because time is of the essence and his way gets results.

On paper, the film?s story is a conventional one?it belongs to the action-thriller genres?but Mamet flips all of the clich?s and stereotypes on their head with his unconventional dialogue and characterization. Every bit of dialogue and every action are important. This requires the utmost level of attention from the audience because if you miss something, the film does not slow down and allow you to catch up.

Mamet is a breath of fresh air in this politically correct climate in that he never sentimentalizes his characters or their situations. Spartan remains true to this attitude right down the line to its satisfying conclusion.

There is a delightfully eccentric audio commentary by actor Val Kilmer. For every interesting factoid (he talks about all the training and preparation he did for the role), he drops surreal observations such as this, ?If you?re listening to this and watching the film for the first time?You?re really strange.? Imagine hearing that in Kilmer?s trademark cadences and you get an idea of what a surprising treat it is listening to this track. While, there are quite a few lulls in the actor?s commentary, there are enough bizarro gems from him to make it worth sitting through the dry spots.

The attitude of Kilmer?s character in Spartan reflects that of the movie itself?all business. Mamet?s film is a sleek, professional political thriller that was unfairly ignored by audiences and snubbed by many critics. Perhaps it was his not so thinly-veiled critique of the Presidency or the highly stylized prose that scared off mainstream audiences. Regardless, Spartan is a top notch thriller that is exciting as it is intelligent.

What happened here? We have an outstanding script with a fine cast headed by Val Kilmer in an exciting, David Mamet thriller. In fact, particulary for the first 45 minutes, this is about as good as film making gets. Ed O'Neill, on screen less than half your popcorn bag, gives a top shelf performance. Derek Luke and Tia Texada provide strong support and William H Macy is incapable of giving a bad performance. This might be one those films that gets better appreciated, more highly rated and not overlooked as time goes by. Let's hope so!

Wow! <---- I should probably end my review with that one word and encourage you to watch this fabulous thriller for yourself. What a truly satisfying thriller with nebulous intrigue and some delectable espionage.

Don't you just love movies where the theme story counts on your ability to think for yourself and draw your own conclusions about evidence trails, incidents, alibis, motives and intentions -- then pulls those conclusions out from under you more than once with substantial surprises that make you think even harder. All with a edge-of-the-seat atmosphere of urgency, kept doggedly in check by government agents for whom eye-on-the-prize callousness is compulsory..

Performances are clipped, intense, charged up. Kilmer, who plays the central focus of the film, smolders with conviction in pursuing justice. His typical focused concentration on his character's personal ethic in the secretive world of high-stakes crime is riveting.

The movie held me like a tweezer. Watch it as soon as you spot it in a theatre.

A quietly powerful film, whose strength is in its dialogue, subtleties and gripping web that it weaves. It's both light and heavy at the same time because it almost seems like little is going on, but A LOT is taking place, but viewers need to pay attention to the characters, both big and small, who come into play, and notice the subtleties in the dialogue and even the expressions of the actors. At times, the director hides faces in shadows and you never do see their faces, only adding to gripping nature and nagging feeling that something's just not right, and it's right beneath the surface, yet it remains elusive. And in that manner, it keeps you engrossed, keeps you hanging on every word spoken -- and it doesn't take any cheap shots, there are no letdowns, and no pandering to the simpletons who watch the typical Hollywood output. I rarely, if ever, give 5 stars to any film. But because director Mamet has created a smart film with a smart screenplay that arguably never plays dumb and respects the viewer's intelligence, it deserves 5. In an ocean of mindless movies, "Spartan" is excellence and wisdom -- too bad there's not more films (yes, films -- not movies) like this. Val Kilmer turns in his arguably best performance, and Derek Luke also shines in his limited screen time. See this while it's still in theaters.

Spartans live by the code of soldier's honour and die hard. Scott (Val Kilmer) is a marine who doesn't wince at taking out a man's eye for not spilling the beans. As usual David Mamet's direction and screenplay leave the viewer's head spinning after the first three minutes with questions like, "how come a marine is shooting up the local police force?" Many tough as nails moments force the viewer to confront these cold case facts of a military underbelly that needs the guts to get the job done at any cost, especially when the President's daughter (implied as the President's daughter but never officially stated by the movie) has been kidnapped by a Middle Eastern prostitution ring that does not know what it has done. Queue various international espionage scenes including some cinematography work in Dubai and mix it with homeland security conspiracy and you have got yourself a drama that plants itself right on in there along side classics like "Marathon Man" and "3 Days of the Condor" and is not a distant cry from Clancy movies like "Clear and Present Danger".

As a special ops squad leader, Scott does not plan missions; he executes them, with an iron fist conviction that expects complete obedience from his subordinates. In one scene he takes an old age pensioner madam and places her in a chokehold to get the information out of her. Knowing that the girl will be killed when the abductors figure out what they have, it is a race against the clock. Scott dawns a detective mind that is not afraid to whip out a blade when the going gets tough. A double cross sees Scott eventually planning his own mission in order to do the right thing. There is plenty of thinking, plot twists and characters to make it deeper than most thrillers, with still lots to do. This is ace entertainment through and through. If you like any of the movies mentioned in this review and know who Mamet is and appreciate Kilmer in comeback mode - then what are you waiting for? This could well be one of the best DVDs you could hook up with in 2005. It is certainly the best post 911 thriller that does a good spin on homeland security. Check it out.

Intriguing movie with as many layers as an onion. There is also a surprising, rare commentary by star Val Kilmer (one of the most under rated actors of the day) in which he alternately teases and admires with warmth, director David Mamet ("Dav-eed Mam-ay"), as well as the Black Ops/Rangers-types he plays in Spartan.

Best to go into the film unspoiled and be surprised, several times over. For anyone who loves espionage with a twist, this one won't disappoint.

Can art imitate life any more suspensefully and craftfully, as is the case with "Spartan"? Its' intense plot, combined with a stellar cast, featuring Val Kilmer & Derek Luke as ex-military stalwarts on a mission of investigating a prostitution ring, with much of the film's storyline containing a spiraling (& insightful) "who's who" series of vignettes, which are brilliantly tied together to create the perfect murder mystery. A game of chess is being played inside this murder mystery as well, as there are several interconnecting parts moving in roundabout fashion, with many character scenarios en route to the final piece of the whodunnit puzzle acting as the important parts. When all the parts are put together as a collective whole, it may become clear as to who did what to whom, and why, as long as one has his or her "thinking cap" on (which is absolutely a requirement when viewing a major thinkfest as "Spartan"). Tia Texara, William H. Macy & Ed O'Neill (with the latter appearing in more of a supporting role) round out the rest of the cast in splendid cinematic fashion. With so much content on display that'll leave one second-guessing all the while (featuring a "race-against-time" premise), including David Mamet's directorial prowess behind the camera, not to mention his superior penmanship for an impeccably superb script, "Spartan" is sure to garner Mamet an "Oscar for Best Director" accolade. This king-sized silver-screen prize is waiting to be viewed at your local cinema now. If you happen to get lost en route to your final destination, just follow one important sign: %-). Oh, and don't leave home without your "thinking cap" (either in hand or on head)!

This is a movie that I completely missed when it was briefly in theaters. I am not sure why it didn't do well because I enjoyed it quite a bit. Maybe it was when it came out and what it was competing against. Maybe it was marketed badly. I don't know, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Val Kilmer does a great job as Scott or whatever the hero's name really is. Scott is a nameless man of action who works for the government in some undefined role doing things that can't legally be done, but need to get done. In this story it is to get back the daughter of the President - although they never come right out and say it. The girl's kidnappers may or may not know who she really is, but if it hits the papers it is unlikely to end well for her. Things move fast.

Scott also trains new special ops folks and a couple ends up with him in this assignment in various ways. Derek Luke (from Antwone Fisher) does a fine job as Curtis who is doing his best at whatever Scott wants him to do, but his newness shows. At times Scott should take him more seriously than he does. Tia Texada is also fine as the earnest and capable Jackie Black.

William H. Macy and Ed O'Neill are government types who will move heaven and earth to support the man they work for (the unstated President). Their actions and the resources they have at their disposal all add to the behind the curtain suspicions the movie tries to raise in us regarding our government.

David Mamet's writing style is unique and personal to him. I appreciated that the F word quotient is way down here, but there are still more than are really needed for effect. Some people say that the word adds realism. Maybe in some circles, but it isn't common where I live and work.

The commentary track by Kilmer adds some interesting insights, but wanders a bit too much and seems like a bit of a tossed off assignment rather than wanting to actually share anything much with the viewer, but he does politely thank us for watching the movie at the end.

All in all this disk was a pretty good experience and much better than I had anticipated for something that I didn't even know existed.