Spartan

Starring: Val Kilmer, William H. Macy, Derek Luke, Aaron Stanford, Ed O'Neill, Kristen Bell
Directed by: David Mamet
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller, Political, Drama
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two special operatives (Val Kilmer, Derek Luke) are assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of the President of the United States. After a while, it is reported that she has been killed, but the two agents learn that might not be true, and to delve any deeper would mean revealing some nasty political secrets.

Review:

Tim: Spartan is supposed to be an intense, twisting "David Mamet" thriller. It falls far short in every category, however, and should be listed as a big disappointment.

The plot of the movie is decently interesting and ought to hold our attention, but the movie never really grabs us. It sort of half-heartedly leads up to where it wants us to go, keeping its fingers crossed that we don't get lost or give up along the way.

Val Kilmer does an extraordinarily bad job acting. He isn't believable for a moment and delivers half his lines like he just awoke from a coma. Derek Luke is decent in his supporting role, but he needs to polish up the old acting skills he used in Antwone Fisher. William H. Macy is in the film for a few moments and offers nothing. He is barely worth mentioning.

Although this film is far from perfect, it is just thrilling enough for us to watch from beginning to end. Throughout the film, you see glimpses that make you think this could have been a good film. Alas, it is just not so.

Spartan is a disappointment any way you look at it. David Mamet needs to get with the program, and Val Kilmer needs to wake up. That would be a start to making this a better movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, The Heist, The Saint