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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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101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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In Mamet's hands, top-level military operations are just another con game.

Full Review Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram | comment Comment
03/12/04
Scott Von Doviak
Scott Von Doviak
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The thing that makes David Mamet’s 'Spartan' so thrilling and exciting to watch is not the story...but the specific way that he has chosen to tell the story.

Full Review Source: Critic Doctor | comment Comment
03/11/04
Peter Sobczynski
Peter Sobczynski
Critic Doctor

Will intrigue only those interested in the nooks and crannies of Mamet's career.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/11/04
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mamet's sometimes confusing latest effort is a lot of gradual buildup to a payoff that falls short.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
03/11/04
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's the familiar good-spy-vs.-bad-spy palaver served up in standard Mamet style.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
03/11/04
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This cloak-and-dagger thriller is far more gripping than its higher-profile cousins.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
03/11/04
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Val Kilmer gives a career-revitalizing performance...

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
03/11/04
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

Rooted in thoughtful ideas and graced with irony, [Mamet's] stylized dialogue has the effect of focusing attention on what is being said.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
03/11/04
Arthur Lazere
Arthur Lazere
culturevulture.net

There are some cool things about the flick, but in the end you're left with the notion that you could've spent 2 hours in a better way.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
03/11/04
John Venable
John Venable
Supercala.com

David Mamet's political thriller manages the difficult trick of being both logically meticulous and genuinely surprising.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/11/04
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like many of the works he directs, Spartan does not feel like Mamet at the top of his game.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/11/04
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Political thrillers don't come any better.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
03/11/04
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Spartan is a cautionary tale that will appeal to those who have had enough of the unreality concocted by Washington handlers and political power players.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/11/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Writer/director David Mamet ("Heist") has fashioned a twisty thriller, but his highly cynical story is at constant odds with his trademark repetitive Mamet-speak

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
03/11/04
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

... the mechanics are contrived (but Mamet's) crisp dialogue, and Kilmer's underplayed intensity, gives the film an engaging gravitas.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
03/11/04
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Spartan is studded with Mamet-style, macho one-liners, but its dialogue doesn't have the musical precision of Mamet's wordier scripts, such as Oleanna or Glengarry Glen Ross.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
03/11/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The action of Spartan is so choppy, the transitions so abrupt, and the pacing so deadeningly unvarying, the movie musters little suspense.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
03/11/04
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Imagine David Mamet rewriting his political satire Wag the Dog as a joke-free kidnap drama. Or don't imagine, just pony up for the glum spectacle of Spartan.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
03/11/04
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An entertaining foray into a world of spy guys, stakeouts and secret government machinations, Spartan teems with the kind of terse crypto-speak that is the playwright and filmmaker's stock-in-trade.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
03/11/04
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

For all its narrative flair, Spartan ends up as just another chance for Mamet to show off his tennis-ace virtuosity with speech and atmosphere within the boundaries of a standardized movie genre.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
03/11/04
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Spartan

October 26, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Fire" Blazes; "Scissors" Isn't Sharp Enough; "Saw III" Not Screened: Guess The Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got the return of Jigsaw ("Saw III," starring Tobin Bell), a tale of rebellion in apartheid-era South Africa ("Catch a Fire,"... More...

June 06, 2005: Milian and Bell Feel the "Pulse"
Variety reports that pop star Christina Milian ("Be Cool") and actress Kristen Bell ("Spartan") have signed on to appear in the Weinstein Company horror... More...

March 30, 2005: Weinsteins to Restart Dimension with an All-New "Pulse"
The Hollywood Reporter reminds us that there's always another Japanese horror flick worth remaking. Dimension Pictures has just signed Kristen Bell ("Spartan," TV's... More...

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