To me, this movie is perfection.

So much average

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

"The king's advisors they knew that if she came home, she would reveal the king's shame to the country. So they told the King she was dead."There are sequences in this film which offer a glimpse of what could have been a superior thriller. Mamet attempts to replicate the snappy dialogue and pace so typical of his work, while continuing to adhere to his principle of keeping exposition to a minimum, so is willing to sacrifice detailed background to not let his audience rest. Yet, this is partly why the film ultimately fails to engage, as the pace and lack of sufficient background can exhaust the audience's patience. In addition, the production is weakened due to a combination of clunky machismo-laced dialogue and glaring inconsistencies or omissions in the development of the plot. The strongest scenes are those which take place within the back rooms of the football stadium complex where a security services team are painstakingly endeavoring to locate a missing girl they were detailed to watch, whose identity remains unknown. The premise behind the story entices as it quickly becomes clear that the missing girl is the daughter of the president, and that the kidnappers remain oblivious to their latest captive's identity, with her simply amounting to the latest victim caught up in their prostitution and white slave trafficking ring. Mamet's screenplay is best, and his direction more assured, in offering a refreshing degree of realism in immersing his audience in the uncertainty and growing tension as the team desperately try to react to ongoing intelligence reports of the whereabouts and fate of the missing daughter of the president. Yet, in direct contrast, there is no realistic rationale as to why the lead character, Robert Scott, takes an interest in the, at-best, average new recruit Curtis, played by Derek Luke, nor why in such a vital operation, he so willingly allows this untried rookie to play such a key role. In fact, Luke's character strains belief in veering between horrendous gaffes which blow Scott's cover, to insightful observations missed by the experienced team he has been foisted upon. The audience similarly have to suspend belief in the action sequences as Kilmer's seasoned operative makes a series of completely unrealistic judgement calls. The most glaring example of this concerns his baffling decision to take out the clearest lead rather than merely disabling him, when another amateurish blunder by Luke places the rookie's life in danger. Having so skillfully established his cover via his staged jailbreak release of the Lebanese trafficker, and stressed so earnestly to superiors his willingness to take any measure to locate the missing girl, this seems rash to say the least. With Mamet's signature proclivity for 'red herrings' there is an enticing twist in the plot, when, having abandoned the search with media reports of the discovery of the young woman's body, Kilmer's character is persuaded by his young protégé that she is very much alive in captivity in the Middle East. Thus, the scene is set for what could have been an extremely accomplished conspiracy thriller, revealing the abuse of power at the seat of government. Instead, this revelation triggers one of the most contrived, and clumsily delivered second half plots of recent years. One wonders how much improved the film would have been had the acting talents of Ed O'Neill and the under- utilised, but brilliant-as-ever, William H Macy, been given more opportunity to furnish the audience with greater explanation of the motivations of the government agents acting to conceal the truth. Kilmer, who Mamet revealed in interview obtained the part simply by being seated opposite the writer and director having lunch with the film's producer, displays great earnestness in those scenes where his character is determined to pursue the truth, but is saddled with some of the most awkward dialogue any lead has ever had to deliver along the way. Kristen Bell has a good stab in her first main role as the president's daughter, but is always working against the many missing pieces of character development within the screenplay. Overall, a missed opportunity not matching the quality of Mark Isham's eerie and soaring soundtrack, and evidence that Mamet's intolerance of exposition may not suit this genre of production.

Unlike most releases these days where practically every plot point and character detail is either discovered or purposefully leaked to the press to build buzz (do we really need to know who the cameo in The Hangover 2 is 6 months before the film is released?) the viewer is given nothing in this film – even after it starts rolling. So I will try to keep this in mind and keep exposition to a minimum, sticking only with what the 50 odd word blurb on the DVD reverse tells me.Thankfully the cover lists the primary character name, in the film we don't learn Robert Scott's name for a looong time – but I need to call him something so Scott will be the go.We meet Scott (Val Kilmer) as he oversees a hardcore brutal course that sifts out the Secret Service wheat from the chaff. While having not much to do with the core plot it shows us a lot about Scott, who is efficiency in motion.There is not a moment, thought or emotion wasted in anything that he does, Scott is all business all the time and is a purpose-built machine ready for anything at any time, equipped with a myriad of skills and driven by duty and relentless logic.Scott is the "Guy they call on when something needs fixing or doing", something that no-one else is willing or capable of doing. As he says at one point in the story he "Obeys orders, he doesn't give them".On the way home from the course Scott is headed off at the pass and told he is needed. Without a moment's hesitation or a question of why or what he grabs his scant belongings and boards the helicopter to Boston…The case with which Scott is merely a part of is BIG and IMPORTANT. It necessitates a large scale operation with members of various acronym laden departments (CIA, FBI etc).Again nothing is explicitly stated by any character so if you snooze you lose valuable knowledge and could perhaps get a little lost (this is not the film to walk away to grab chips and coke for a few minutes).The trail covers a lot of territory, some information is sourced in Boston but the plot eventually moves to another country altogether.The script plays no favourites with characters, as soon as you think that this guy or that gal will be along for the ride they vanish – sometimes forcefully, some return later, others can't – people die, no-one knows kung-fu or pretend killing techniques, there are no clever robots, and no elaborate traps or huge explosions.Along the way there are dead ends, conspiracies and unexpected turns of events, and not everyone is an ally… The film's poster simply says "She is Missing", we eventually learn who She is and details about the hows and the why's but that means little to Scott, who simply states "I am here to get the girl back (Sir), and there is NOTHING that I will not do to get the girl back".I've seen Spartan perhaps 5 times now, I know exactly where things are headed but the pleasure is getting there, I am by no means a Val Kilmer fan but he puts some credits in the bank with his performance as Scott, although the entire cast is excellent from Kilmer down to the various minor roles. I love a good mindless shoot 'em up with obvious set pieces, throwaway quips and pointless violence as much – perhaps more – than anyone. But occasionally I love being tested by a film that demands attention and is more than willing to leave viewers behind if you don't or if you can't keep up. Spartan is such a film. I can't say Spartan is all that under-rated, it has a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is a +6.5 on the IMDb, but I will say it is woeful under-recognised in that hardly anyone I know has seen it. That's a shame, because even though I can't tell you much about what you're missing out on, suffice to say if you haven't yet checked out Spartan I think you're missing out on a Great modern film.Final Rating – 8.5 / 10. Crackling dialogue, a complicated yet plausible plot and a terrific cast make Spartan an action drama worth searching out.

Val Kilmer is an actor I have always been fond of. Sure, he has been in a lot of crap lately, but back in the day he was dedicated to his craft. His last good film was Felon, since then it's been down hill for the poor guy. Spartan, the Mamet written and directed feature was his last big starring role in a film that would have been seen because of him. Much like The Salton Sea, the film was good, seen by few and has a few detractors that take away from the overall enjoyment of it.Kilmer plays Scott, an agent sent to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a high ranking United States government official. Kilmer plays the role with determination, next to no emotion and a sense of realism. He isn't Rambo, killing hundreds of guys without reloading, but he does know his way around a gun. Spartan sets itself apart from those films because it's more interested in the characters and the story than the action. Mamet has a keen eye for dialogue, most people either love it or hate it. Watch Glengarry Glen Ross to see just how good his writing can be. Here it actually sounds a bit off. I don't know if it's the delivery, or the writing, let's just say both. Some of the dialogue the characters would spew had me scratching my head in confusion.The action, very little. Only when there needs to be, the rescue is quick and dirty, no car chase sequences out of the city at the last minute. This isn't a Michael Bay film. There are twists and turns, as to be expected with any film that deals with governments, these twists don't come as a surprise. You know there will be cover ups, double crosses and people who aren't who they claim to be. It's all part of the genre. Spartan isn't great, but it's good enough to dedicated 2 hours to. Kilmer plays a more toned down Jack Bauer type character, not showy at all. Kilmer needs to finally put those low rent direct to DVD crappy films behind him and choose roles that will get him back on the map. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was brilliant and I believe that a film like Spartan, might actually help do the trick.

Prior to reading Inside Delta Force (by Eric L Haney) I would have viewed this as just another super spy movie that was entertaining. Now, knowing how much of the trade-craft featured is true and accurate, brings the story to a whole different level. Although the storyline premise is a bit out there, I found the path that Val Kilmer's character takes to be mesmerizing. Having to shift from "just following orders" to thinking for himself becomes a conflict for the character. In the end, doing what is right despite the cost. Drawing on the true character that draws men like this to this type of work in the first place.On a side note, for those that are fans of Mamets TV show The Unit (also based on Haney's book). Check out how many actors from this film crossed over to play guest roles on the show. Bill Macy, Ed O'Neil, about 3 or 4 others.