Lone Ranger
Like The Bourne Identity with better brains, Spartan offers thoughtful, tidy suspense and intriguing plot. Written and directed by David Mamet (who directed The Winslow Boy and wrote Ronin and The Untouchables), Spartan replays the political conspiracy of Mamet's Wag the Dog.
Spartan's puzzle centers on Val Kilmer (in his best role since The Saint) as a secret operations officer assigned to rescue a top politician's missing daughter (Kristen Bell). The story begins by plunging the audience in total ambiguity; for the first 15 minutes, the nature of what's happening isn't clear—but Mamet, who relishes showing clues before they really count, reveals enough to make the plot and characters matter to the audience.
The strong cast includes Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) as Kilmer's apprentice and Mamet's Chicago theater alumni William H. Macy and Ed O'Neill (TV's Married with Children), both in top form.
Kilmer plays it cool as an honorable Ranger who lives by the military code and obeys orders—until the trail he follows becomes suspect. Each plot point is delivered as a line of Mamet's riddle, with Kilmer slowly working toward an integration of his thoughts and his actions. Conflict is purposeful, dialog is crisp, and Spartan's mythological musings fit neatly with its heroic and thrilling conclusion. Mamet's script dares the audience to keep pace.
Not that Spartan moves too fast. It doesn't. Kilmer's Ranger is the antithesis of today's mindless action automatons; he is a thinker whose rationality puts him at odds with a power-lusting establishment. Kilmer's hero is not infallible; he bleeds, he fails, he makes mistakes—but he thinks first.
From an underground bar in Boston to an Arab theocracy, Ranger Kilmer stays on target while trying to act on principle. Though he lacks a complete progression—his motivation is unclear when he needs it most—his integrity is implicit. Several tactics in finding the missing daughter, who may be the victim of a sex slavery scheme, are among Spartan's best scenes and Mamet pops off several smart, funny and terrific lines.
Though shrouded in Mamet's familiar darkness, Spartan focuses on the face as its primary tool of expression. Mamet captures powerful moments with and without words: stakeout tension, a corrupt character's final confrontation, a dying, loyal soldier. The most devoted mystery fan is likely to anticipate some, though probably not many, twists.
At its core, Spartan is a hero's bold quest for a lost girl. While Mamet has compared his movie to William Goldman's The Princess Bride, Spartan falls short of legendary status because the girl sometimes doesn't seem worth the Herculean effort, and the movie relies entirely and implausibly on the missing daughter keeping her identity a secret.
But David Mamet has skillfully created a rare depiction: man as a thinking action hero.
Spartan's puzzle centers on Val Kilmer (in his best role since The Saint) as a secret operations officer assigned to rescue a top politician's missing daughter (Kristen Bell). The story begins by plunging the audience in total ambiguity; for the first 15 minutes, the nature of what's happening isn't clear—but Mamet, who relishes showing clues before they really count, reveals enough to make the plot and characters matter to the audience.
The strong cast includes Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) as Kilmer's apprentice and Mamet's Chicago theater alumni William H. Macy and Ed O'Neill (TV's Married with Children), both in top form.
Kilmer plays it cool as an honorable Ranger who lives by the military code and obeys orders—until the trail he follows becomes suspect. Each plot point is delivered as a line of Mamet's riddle, with Kilmer slowly working toward an integration of his thoughts and his actions. Conflict is purposeful, dialog is crisp, and Spartan's mythological musings fit neatly with its heroic and thrilling conclusion. Mamet's script dares the audience to keep pace.
Not that Spartan moves too fast. It doesn't. Kilmer's Ranger is the antithesis of today's mindless action automatons; he is a thinker whose rationality puts him at odds with a power-lusting establishment. Kilmer's hero is not infallible; he bleeds, he fails, he makes mistakes—but he thinks first.
From an underground bar in Boston to an Arab theocracy, Ranger Kilmer stays on target while trying to act on principle. Though he lacks a complete progression—his motivation is unclear when he needs it most—his integrity is implicit. Several tactics in finding the missing daughter, who may be the victim of a sex slavery scheme, are among Spartan's best scenes and Mamet pops off several smart, funny and terrific lines.
Though shrouded in Mamet's familiar darkness, Spartan focuses on the face as its primary tool of expression. Mamet captures powerful moments with and without words: stakeout tension, a corrupt character's final confrontation, a dying, loyal soldier. The most devoted mystery fan is likely to anticipate some, though probably not many, twists.
At its core, Spartan is a hero's bold quest for a lost girl. While Mamet has compared his movie to William Goldman's The Princess Bride, Spartan falls short of legendary status because the girl sometimes doesn't seem worth the Herculean effort, and the movie relies entirely and implausibly on the missing daughter keeping her identity a secret.
But David Mamet has skillfully created a rare depiction: man as a thinking action hero.
