Maziun I'm a fan of David Mamet's movies (both his and the ones he wrote the screenplay for) . "House of games " is one of the best movies ever made. Mamet's other contributions to cinema are great too (including "The Untouchables " and "Ronin" ). So , I was curious about this one . This time Mamet tries a political action thriller. The result ? Surprise , but a bad one.Mamet has always been a rather weak director . I admit that . Still , his flat sense of direction worked quite well in his movies , mostly because they were very theatrical from the nature of plot. Hell , I think that's why "House of games" has surrealistic , hypnotizing feel to it. The problem with "Spartan" is this is an action/thriller . All the action scenes here lack tension. They look like they were directed by amateur. The movie also never has any sense of entertainment . There isn't a moment when you feel that time is running out for our heroes.What is more surprising is the rather bad plot . The story is very predictable and you don't have to be a genius to figure out most of the twists. Worse , some of the twists are rather forced (the sign , the scarecrow sitting on the chair when you need it ) . There is one really good twist at the end of movie , but on the other hand Mamet also throws a rather forced deus ex machina at the end. The dialogue is also bad , very dour , very forgettable . It's surprising , because Mamet always crafts the dialogues very carefully . He knows how to write a stylish dialogue . Here the dialogues are purely informational. The acting is good . Val Kilmer gives a really good performance , one of best in his entire career (along with "Tombstone" and "The Heat"). He plays his character just like he should (and could) play Batman all those years ago in "Batman forever" . Silent , brooding , tough and honorable. Kirsten Bell has a small , but good role in the movie . It was good to see Ed O'Neill ("Married with children") in a convincing serious role and William Macy is pleasure as always. Overall , the acting is the best thing in the movie.I also like the bitter mood of the movie . The story here sadly feels like something that could happen in real life and it makes "Spartan" different than most Hollywood thrillers .It doesn't change the fact that weak screenplay , bad dialogues and crappy direction make this one a misfire in Mamet's career . I give it 4/10.

artpf Maverick Ranger Scott, known for ruthless, unorthodox methods but good results, is called in to help the secret service after Washington big whig's brat daughter is abducted while studying at Harvard. Scott quickly realizes the protection detail's prime suspect, her boyfriend Michael Blake, is innocent and dumped her for being a drug- addicted slut. Next he traces her to a bordello, only to realize the captors didn't realize who she is but simply recruited her for the Middle Eastern white slavery market, and are likely to dispose of her rather than confront her father. But instead of the support expected in such high-profile case, Scott gets orders to work in secret before the press catches on, and even finds his quest sabotaged. Mamet all the way. Dialog, story-line, but it's also a wee bit different than most Mamet work!It's a really tight story, well acted and keeps you on your toes. Well done. A twisty turny masterpiece.

eric262003 David Mamet exhibits his versatility and dedication to his craft as both writer and director through one of the more exciting thrillers in a long time coming, "Spartan". Mamet does everything he could to keep out the characters from being clichéd and never lets the action and the excitement become predictable. He does that maintaining the plot to keep it moving and to challenge your minds. This movie demands that you need to think at all times. The majority of "Spartan" is very plot-driven and nothing more, which is not entirely all that bad as long as you are quick-witted then you might enjoy the movie a whole lot better. Because the complexity of the story lingers on very sudden.I'm going to refrain from giving too much details about the movie because the twits delivered here are to be seen to be believed. For the record the story stars Val Kilmer plays a hard-liner secret service agent who's on the prowl in search of the President's daughter who's been kidnapped. To really get a good feeling about the movie, it's best when it's served cold and even though the twists delivered here happen quite frequently to make you go bonkers, it all seems to work out well with the story giving it a steady flow in its entirety.There's not an ounce of anything boring about "Spartan." In fact I will go out as to say that there's not an abundance of action to call it an "action" movie, however, there's always something happening in each scenes and everything falls into place at the right times.Mamet plays it right by avoiding annoying things like pointless character arcs or overwhelming sub-plots. The plot along with the thrills and suspense is all that Mamet really cares about. The characters depicted here seem to know who they are and know their positions of where they're supposed to be as each event unfolds. But Mamet cranks up the ante by throwing small tidbits of information just to keep issues all the more compelling.Overall, "Spartan" is an engaging and involving thriller that should have more credit than it really deserves. It's very high on intellect, not one generic scene is featured, one that will challenge the brain and a thriller that truly defines its genre. The only thing I have to advise you is to not get turned off the trailer because it unravels too much of the plot twists. That's what I meant when I said this movie is best served cold.

Matt_Layden Val Kilmer is an actor I have always been fond of. Sure, he has been in a lot of crap lately, but back in the day he was dedicated to his craft. His last good film was Felon, since then it's been down hill for the poor guy. Spartan, the Mamet written and directed feature was his last big starring role in a film that would have been seen because of him. Much like The Salton Sea, the film was good, seen by few and has a few detractors that take away from the overall enjoyment of it.Kilmer plays Scott, an agent sent to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a high ranking United States government official. Kilmer plays the role with determination, next to no emotion and a sense of realism. He isn't Rambo, killing hundreds of guys without reloading, but he does know his way around a gun. Spartan sets itself apart from those films because it's more interested in the characters and the story than the action. Mamet has a keen eye for dialogue, most people either love it or hate it. Watch Glengarry Glen Ross to see just how good his writing can be. Here it actually sounds a bit off. I don't know if it's the delivery, or the writing, let's just say both. Some of the dialogue the characters would spew had me scratching my head in confusion.The action, very little. Only when there needs to be, the rescue is quick and dirty, no car chase sequences out of the city at the last minute. This isn't a Michael Bay film. There are twists and turns, as to be expected with any film that deals with governments, these twists don't come as a surprise. You know there will be cover ups, double crosses and people who aren't who they claim to be. It's all part of the genre. Spartan isn't great, but it's good enough to dedicated 2 hours to. Kilmer plays a more toned down Jack Bauer type character, not showy at all. Kilmer needs to finally put those low rent direct to DVD crappy films behind him and choose roles that will get him back on the map. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was brilliant and I believe that a film like Spartan, might actually help do the trick.