neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Spartan
	David Mamet Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, David Paymer, Kristen Bell, Tia Texada 2004		Downplaying his mastery over vernacular and emphasizing his fascination with manipulative schemers, double-crosses and low morals in high places, writer/director David Mamet ("The Winslow Boy," "The Spanish Prisoner") unleashes "Spartan." This taut, entertaining, occasionally farfetched political thriller questions the veracity of our government administrators, no matter how far beyond reproach they seem. The film's intrepid, weary hero, played with determination and grit by Val Kilmer, is U.S. black-ops agent Robert Scott, who is at the center of an investigation into the disappearance of the president's capricious collegiate daughter Laura (Kristen Bell). Aided by a young recruit (Derek Luke) and directed by an amorphous assortment of Secret Service, FBI and CIA bosses, Scott digs into his search-and-rescue assignment, only to find that he's the target of a series of dirty tricks that put his life and the success of his mission in jeopardy. Mamet calls on a handful of prominent character actors, including William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill and David Paymer, to enliven small, pivotal roles. Even though hairpin plot turns and convenient coincidences may cause eyes to widen and jaws to drop, "Spartan" forges forward from Boston to Dubai and back as its ugly truths are revealed. Not Mamet at his best, but better than many.