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Spartan

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Spartan (2004)

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Reviews Counted:129

Fresh:82

Rotten:47

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: A good cast and Mamet's mastery over the written language elevate an otherwise conventional thriller.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence and language

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Mar 12, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $4,291,858

Synopsis: Robert Scott (VAL KILMER) is a career military officer working in a highly secretive special operations force. A man hardened by years of brutal service, he is respected by his peers and elders in... Robert Scott (VAL KILMER) is a career military officer working in a highly secretive special operations force. A man hardened by years of brutal service, he is respected by his peers and elders in the world of espionage. When Scott is recruited to find Laura Newton (KRISTEN BELL), the daughter of a high-ranking government official, he is paired with novice Curtis (DEREK LUKE), who becomes his protégé. Working with a special task force comprised of Presidential Advisors, the Secret Service, FBI and CIA, Scott and Derek stumble upon a white slavery ring, which may have some connection to Laura’s disappearance. As the story unfolds, the straightforward search-and-rescue mission becomes complicated by the political ambitions of those in high places – like Stoddard (WILLIAM H. MACY), a political operative who may know more than he’s telling about the clandestine circumstances surrounding Laura’s abduction. Scott and Curtis are at the brink of tracking Laura’s whereabouts when the mission comes to an abrupt conclusion, with the media issuing reports of the girl’s death. Scott returns to the quiet life of landowner in a rural location and awaits his next assignment in relative peace. But Curtis can’t rest. In his naiveté, he seeks out Scott to confide his belief that Laura is in fact alive. If she is, their continued unofficial investigation will put them as well as Laura at the center of a dangerous conspiracy that reaches the highest levels. Franchise Pictures presents Spartan, a political thriller written and directed by DAVID MAMET and starring VAL KILMER, DEREK LUKE, ED O’NEILL and WILLIAM H. MACY. Spartan is produced by ART LINSON, MOSHE DIAMANT and ELIE SAMAHA, and executive produced by FRANK HUBNER. The director of photography is JUAN RUIZ ANCHIA; the production designer is GEMMA JACKSON; and the editor BARBARA TULLIVER. Spartan will distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. -- © Warner Bros. [More]

Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Tia Texada

Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Tia Texada, Kristen Bell, Ed O'Neill

Director: David Mamet

Director: David Mamet
Screenwriter: David Mamet
Producer: Moshe Diamant, Art Linson, Elie Samaha
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Release:

Jun 15, 2004

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Reviews for Spartan

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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/06/04
Empire Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
07/20/04
Sunday Times (Australia)

Famed for his way with words, it's as if Mamet has tried to outdo himself here, but without the trademark humour that might've lifted this otherwise constipated Tom Clancy knock-off.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/20/04
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC

The main problem is that the narrative is evasive...; we can't trust Mamet as a storyteller!

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/08/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

In “Spartan,” Mamet uses a typical action plot to tackle one of the biggest con artists of all: the president of the United States.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
06/24/04
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

Too preposterous to mean much.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/16/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The old Mamet is back.

Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
04/27/04
Gregory Freitas
Gregory Freitas
Movieline

It’s one not to miss.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
04/24/04
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

Genre groupies and Mamet maniacs should find the effort absorbing.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
04/09/04
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
04/09/04
David Germain
David Germain
San Francisco Examiner
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
04/05/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Nitrate Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
03/25/04
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Both technically accomplished and moderately entertaining.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
03/25/04
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mamet could not put both intelligence and action in this political thriller and gave the latter priority. The story has some interesting twists.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
03/25/04
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

it is nothing short of an indictment of Warner Brothers that this monumental work has gone unnoticed by the general public.

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/23/04
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

OK, I'll get this out of the way: I'm a David Mamet fan.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
03/22/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

A truly spartan thriller: a clinical, spare exercise by a self-serious plotter that doesn’t leave room for standout sequences, emotional depth or some old-fashioned fun.

Full Review Source: Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada) | comment Comment
03/21/04
Brian Gibson
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

It's good, enthralling stuff, as far as it goes. It's nothing new, for sure, but it's old tricks that have been repackaged very well.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
03/21/04
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Mamet's understanding of the essentials here and his skill in supplying them are not major achievements for him, but it would be wasteful not to recognize them.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
03/21/04
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Spartan is the same old stuff, but now it's been thoroughly Mametized, like a spray-on treatment you could spritz out of a can.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
03/21/04
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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