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| Spartan
Year: 2004
Classification: Action/Adventure
Directed:
- David Mamet
Actors/Actresses:
- Derek Luke
- Val Kilmer
Nice Looking. Bad Writing.
"Spartan" is the eighth film written and directed by playwright David Mamet. It stars Val Kilmer as a elite secret agent with paramilitary training who does dirty work for various U.S. Government agencies. He goes by the name of Mr. Scott, but we're led to believe that's not his real name. When the President's daughter disappears from her college campus, apparently kidnapped, Mr. Scott is assigned to assist the Secret Service in finding her. They have only two days to find and retrieve Laura Newton (Kristen Bell) before the news media get ahold of the story. Scott tracks her down. A rescue mission is planned. But things aren't as they appear.
"Spartan" is not an adrenaline-pumping thriller. It's more of a puzzle. It's filmed in a shadowy, brooding style. A surprising number of scenes take place at night. "Spartan" presents an extremely cynical view of politics and power, which might be interesting if the story made any sense. Not only does the story not make sense, the dialogue doesn't either. It's conspicuously unnatural and consistently nonsensical. I think Val Kilmer's timing is poor in a few places, but it's hard to tell, because the lines are cringe-inducing anyway. Derek Luke and Tia Texada give the most memorable performances as young rookie agents Curtis and Black. I'm giving "Spartan" three stars for the cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchia. I like the way this film looks. But the writing is just plain bad.
The DVD: Bonus features include an audio commentary by Val Kilmer and a theatrical trailer. Don't watch the trailer before the movie. It's full of spoilers. The audio commentary is interesting in spots but a little frustrating because it meanders and contains a lot of long pauses. Kilmer also frequently doesn't comment on the scene that he's looking at. It's very stream-of-consciousness. It gives more insight into Val Kilmer than into the film, so I would recommend it for his fans only.
Go Tell the Spartans....
Director David Mamet has created a little gem of a movie. It is not flashy, it does not rely on towering effects or an outrageous amount of violence to get its point across. Instead, Spartan is a thriller that allows the viewer to utilize his or her mind in order to make the connections between the movies shadowy and alluring plot points. Many mysteries come up all throughout the movie, and it takes quite the amateur detective to figure them out. Luckily, the mystique of the movie is a great aid to the entertainment value, as one is quickly drawn into the gloomy and gritty cutthroat world that Spartan takes place in.
Val Kilmer, who delivers a riveting performance as a coldly mechanical Special Forces officer, is part of a super secret covert operations force known as "The Cadre". Kilmer is removed from his job as a training officer to undertake a highly sensitive operation. The President's daughter, a glamourous college student, has been kidnaped, and the race is on to find her before it hits the press. Kilmer is a man used to getting results, so he begins a violent rampage through the criminal network that seems to have taken the girl hostage. Through any means necessary, Kilmer soon discovers a fiendish sex slavery ring that procures young girls for overseas clients. Just as Kilmer is about to close the deal and rescue the first daughter, dark political forces way over his head step in. Kilmer realizes that some, for their own unknown motives, would prefer the first daughter stay lost, forcing him to make a difficult decision. He is just a gunman, a well trained killing machine, dynamic thought has not be allowed to him. Should he follow orders he knows are morally wrong, or go renegade and investigate for himself? Kilmer, a man of honor, makes a decision that will effect the lives of many, especially his own. He is the singular Spartan, sent to settle a military problem by himself.
The atmosphere of Spartan is the most potent aspect of the movie. It is constantly dark and shadowy, a world besmirched by brutal villains and nefarious political operatives. The shroud is only broken by the figure of Kilmer, who is a monotone but intriguing force of righteous nature, as he tears through this world of lies with a 9mm pistol and a sharp brain. The plot is well paced, slowly revealing strands of truth at appropriate points. I felt the supporting cast was a little sparse in their effect, as the normally wonderful William H. Macy is relegated to a very small part. Also, the ending, which was effectively disturbing, also struck me as ridiculous in a sense, but that is up to you to decide. Numerous cliches and unconvincing coincidences pop up, but they do not take away from the overall quality of the film. A very cerebral and fascinating thriller.
Mamet is not the talent everyone would have you believe
After my wife and I forced ourselves to watch the whole thing through to the end, we did a quick mental review of all the Mamet films we could think of in order to try to figure out why we had had this idea he was such a great writer. American Buffalo, The Edge, Oleana (sp?), The Spanish Prisoner and, I think, State and Main. None of them are deserving of the reputation Mamet enjoys. The Spanish Prisoner is mildly interesting, I suppose, but none of the others fall anywhere near the top of my greatest films list.
This movie was just a dull action film dressed up (and not very convincingly) as an art film or as something with intellectual appeal. The dialogue gets so fast and furious at points that, if it weren't for the all the frequent repetitions, you'd have to be rewinding all the time to hear what was said.
We gave it our best effort, but in the end, we both agreed that we'll pass on any future Mamet productions.
Buy Spartan at Amazon.com
Buy posters at Allposters.com
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