Release Date: 6/15/2004 Original Release: 2004 Format: DVD Length: 106 minutes Rating:R (MPAA) Rating Reason: (Reason unavailable) UPC: 085393880125 Studio: Warner Home Video
Acclaimed playwright David Mamet continues his movie-directing career with the noirish political thriller SPARTAN. Mamet clearly relishes a challenge, and by casting former Hollywood bad boy Val Kilmer in the lead role, this could be his biggest risk yet. Fortunately it's one that pays off, as Kilmer excels throughout in his role as Robert Scott, a high ranking special operations agent. Scott's expertise is called upon when the daughter of the U.S. President, Laura Newton (Kristen Bell), is kidnapped while studying at Harvard. Teaming up with rookie officer Curtis (Derek Luke), and a variety of Secret Service agents, Scott enters into a dangerous race against time to find Laura before the media gets its claws into the story. Twists and turns in the storyline are a Mamet trademark, and SPARTAN is no exception, with Kilmer and co. meeting a variety of bizarre dead ends on their desperate search for the abducted girl. A lead in the case suggests that Newton has been sold to a white slavery ring in Dubai, and a mission is mounted to find her, with Scott and Curtis at the helm. But when the mission is aborted at the last minute, Scott unwittingly stumbles into a possible Government cover up, which on further investigation leads him up to his neck in scandal, conspiracy, and a threat to his own life. Mamet clearly enjoys keeping viewers guessing, and as he continues to cloud the plot in smoke and mirrors, he ensures that nothing can be taken for granted right up until the final minute of the film.
DVD Features
Region 1 Keep Case Widescreen - 2.39 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Additional Release Material: Audio Commentary: Val Kilmer - Star
I almost thought that I was watching The Shooter again, but this David Mamet film starring Val Kilmer was way above that. It was reminiscent of watching a Kurosawa samurai film. The cold (Do I need... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
Posted on October 19, 2006
Reviewed by: Seth C
I had plenty of reservations about "Spartan" before even going into the film mainly because of: a) It starred Val Kilmer, an actor I've yet to be won over with in anything other than Oliver Stone's... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
Posted on October 19, 2006
