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Spartan (2004)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
12 March 2004 (USA) moreTagline:
She's missing.Plot:
The investigation into a kidnapping of the daughter of a high-ranking US government official. full summary | add synopsisNewsDesk:
(22 articles)
AFF09 Daily Dispatch: Day Five (From Slackerwood. 27 October 2009, 7:00 AM, PDT)
David Mamet's Anne Frank Film Scared Disney
(From Worst Previews. 24 September 2009, 6:30 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Directed well, some good acting, but certainly not flawless Mamet more (226 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Tia Texada | ... | Jackie Black | |
| Derek Luke | ... | Curtis | |
| Val Kilmer | ... | Scott | |
| Jeremie Campbell | ... | Cadre Candidate | |
| Bob Jennings | ... | Grace's Aide | |
| Lionel Mark Smith | ... | Colonel Blane | |
| Johnny Messner | ... | Grace | |
| Chris LaCentra | ... | Cpl. Sattler (as Chris J. Lacentra) | |
| Renato Magno | ... | Grossler | |
| Mark FitzGerald | ... | Training Facility Guard | |
| Tony Mamet | ... | Parker | |
| Clark Gregg | ... | Miller | |
| Ron Butler | ... | Headquarters Agent | |
| Steven Culp | ... | Gaines (as Stephen Culp) | |
| Vincent Guastaferro | ... | Naylor |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for violence and language.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
USA:106 min | UK:102 min (DVD)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #40304) | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Italy:T | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | UK:15Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The cast underwent military weapons training for their roles. moreGoofs:
Continuity: In the bar scene, when the newscast plays, Scott and another soldier talk about Scott's knife as he uses it to cut an apple. He lifts the apple to his mouth, and immediately on a reverse shot, we see the knife at his mouth as he bites a piece of apple. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Scott: You had your whole life to prepare for this moment. Why aren't you ready?
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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