Review: Spartan
March 25, 2004; Loew's Boston Common #8
* * * 1/4
Contrary to my brother's comment that this is the first time I've seen a movie shot in locations I'm personally familiar with, I somehow had the great misfortune of being dragged to Message In A Bottle a few years ago. The difference there is that there I saw places in Portland, ME and Bath, ME that I knew well... and yet the filmmakers repeatedly tried to convince me this was some small town in North Carolina. By the way, Mr. Costner... still waiting for my $8 refund on that one...
But I digress. Spartan is the latest project from writer/director and playwright veteran David Mamet. It seems to be a pretty straightforward story: Val Kilmer plays Scott, a Marine and moonlighting Secret Service agent who is called in to investigate the apparent abduction of the President's daughter. Ah, if only it were that simple. Kilmer's Scott thinks he's in for a simple ride, but any ending that seems to bring a conclusion to the case only drags him deeper into a conspiracy. It seems those investigating the crime with him may not quite have the same motives as he. All this leads to a tense build and climax that, unlike a lot of thrillers recently, never fails to make sense. Mamet's twists are realistic, explainable, and in a lot of cases almost logical, a refreshing change from the near-deus ex machina quality of some thrillers.
Shining through the story and solid performances by Kilmer and Derek Luke - along with a small but excellent job by Mamet regular William H. Macy - is Mamet's script. It is refreshing to see that some theatre-to-film converts still remember where they came from. The dialogue here feels like it belongs on stage. Theatre dialogue tends to be a bit meatier, a bit more convoluted or abstract, where films - mainstream ones, at least - tend to lean towards clarity. For the most part, all the actors make the transition easily and gracefully. The biggest glitch keeping this from another half-star or so is Kilmer's dialogue. About half the movie he is fine, but there are situations, particularly when he has to speak at any length, where he seems to stumble over Mamet's rhythms. Though a bit distracting, I agree with my brother that it lends a weapon to his character, using his dispassionate speech to distance himself from those who would try to know him any more intimately than they really need to.
This is a thriller that produces an elaborate but easily understood plot without elaborate gimmicks. The action is well-directed, following procedures more suited to actual special forces units - the cast apparently trained with one in preparation for the film - as opposed to typical action fare. Though the brutality and realism of some of the onscreen deaths might be hard to watch for some, Mamet's intelligent manipulation of a relatively simple kidnapping premise is worth a look. And a quick one, at that: Spartan seems to be bouncing around cinemas, leaving the Boston Commons screen for the more modest Copley Square venue. Catch it if you have an opportunity; if not, this is definitely worth a rental.
March 25, 2004; Loew's Boston Common #8
* * * 1/4
Contrary to my brother's comment that this is the first time I've seen a movie shot in locations I'm personally familiar with, I somehow had the great misfortune of being dragged to Message In A Bottle a few years ago. The difference there is that there I saw places in Portland, ME and Bath, ME that I knew well... and yet the filmmakers repeatedly tried to convince me this was some small town in North Carolina. By the way, Mr. Costner... still waiting for my $8 refund on that one...
But I digress. Spartan is the latest project from writer/director and playwright veteran David Mamet. It seems to be a pretty straightforward story: Val Kilmer plays Scott, a Marine and moonlighting Secret Service agent who is called in to investigate the apparent abduction of the President's daughter. Ah, if only it were that simple. Kilmer's Scott thinks he's in for a simple ride, but any ending that seems to bring a conclusion to the case only drags him deeper into a conspiracy. It seems those investigating the crime with him may not quite have the same motives as he. All this leads to a tense build and climax that, unlike a lot of thrillers recently, never fails to make sense. Mamet's twists are realistic, explainable, and in a lot of cases almost logical, a refreshing change from the near-deus ex machina quality of some thrillers.
Shining through the story and solid performances by Kilmer and Derek Luke - along with a small but excellent job by Mamet regular William H. Macy - is Mamet's script. It is refreshing to see that some theatre-to-film converts still remember where they came from. The dialogue here feels like it belongs on stage. Theatre dialogue tends to be a bit meatier, a bit more convoluted or abstract, where films - mainstream ones, at least - tend to lean towards clarity. For the most part, all the actors make the transition easily and gracefully. The biggest glitch keeping this from another half-star or so is Kilmer's dialogue. About half the movie he is fine, but there are situations, particularly when he has to speak at any length, where he seems to stumble over Mamet's rhythms. Though a bit distracting, I agree with my brother that it lends a weapon to his character, using his dispassionate speech to distance himself from those who would try to know him any more intimately than they really need to.
This is a thriller that produces an elaborate but easily understood plot without elaborate gimmicks. The action is well-directed, following procedures more suited to actual special forces units - the cast apparently trained with one in preparation for the film - as opposed to typical action fare. Though the brutality and realism of some of the onscreen deaths might be hard to watch for some, Mamet's intelligent manipulation of a relatively simple kidnapping premise is worth a look. And a quick one, at that: Spartan seems to be bouncing around cinemas, leaving the Boston Commons screen for the more modest Copley Square venue. Catch it if you have an opportunity; if not, this is definitely worth a rental.
posted by Matt S. at
9:10 AM
