Spartan is a film that tries to be smarter than it is by impressing us with it's fancy tactics and approaches, used as by Kilmer, a mercenary agent, enlisted by a higher power to locate the daughter (the hot sexy and young Kristen Bell) of a government official, whose been abducted and sold into sex slavery. To try and keep this hush hush, this mess must be cleaned up quick, and the daughter retrieved, to avoid wide spread publicity. Kilmer whose character doesn't muck around, even if means getting rough with a middle aged woman for answers, was really good here, this flick he did after impressing us in Wonderland as the infamous porno star, John Holmes. What's wrong with Spartan? The performances are solid, the script which I've read is tight, left in the hands of a great writer. I can just pin it down to a couple of small patches in the story, but it's a case of I've seen it all done before. What Kilmer and his men do, off the job, where they physically train through a lot of slog, running up and down hills, and the way they communicate, makes us think they're a different sort of people, if at time's not human. The movie's almost been written as if it's up to the audience to figure it out. I'll be honest, besides watching Kilmer, abducted beauty, Kirsten Bell, undressing before cool Kilmer, while holed up in a place in Beirut was probably one of the best sights of the film. I just found the film dull, and limited, like a movie that just doesn't full develop, but I'm just one judge.

I enjoyed the film thoroughly. It is plot driven and still finds an emotional reality for almost all characters. The action choreography is believable and engaging. But something I have always admired about Mamet's scripts is their plausibility. My favorites, like "Glengarry Glen Ross", could be taken directly from life. It was pretty enough to not shock the mainstream public but stayed true to Mamet's world. The number of people involved is small and this supports character development as well as the inevitable deceptions and twists. Even a criminal crew might perpetrate a careful plan as in "Heist".Here, as on his TV show "The Unit", Mamet steps into Jason Bourne or 24 size conspiracies and cover ups that don't pass my smell test. Don't get me wrong, conspiracies and secret murders are real, but I couldn't swallow this one in contemporary America. Although every detail is not spelled out, it seems that in the story, a gigantic rogue element of the US Secret Service decides that the politically expedient thing is to fake the accidental death of the President's teenage daughter while at the same time arranging for her to disappear overseas as a sex slave. Not completely clear is whether some of these events were unplanned. It is felt that since the daughter hates her father, she must vanish for him to be reelected. Then why not simply kill her in an apparent accident or suicide? And the plan goes off seamlessly, if not for one incorruptible super soldier plus a couple of short-lived idealistic assistants. This is wacko stuff like the Clinton murder theories and 9/11 conspiracies. It takes me out of immersion. The mere clear definition of bad and good guys ruins some of the Mamet magic. Your opinion may vary.By Hollywood spy action standards, it's still relatively realistic. It doesn't insult the viewer like a Mission Impossible or James Bond. That's a good thing. And maybe Mamet felt he had to up the ante in order to get the kind of budget that an action movie requires.Unfortunately it was no box office hit. I suspect that Kilmer's name didn't help even though it's one of his very best performances. And this was very much a film for adult men, limiting its marketability. It maybe broke even after DVD sales.I was so much more convinced and therefore engaged by Mamet's next film, Redbelt. Check that out by all means. Chiwetel Ejiofor was mesmerizing before his breakthrough "12 Years A Slave" turn. Sadly Redbelt also failed to find an audience and lost a lot of money. Maybe Mamet, like some of my other favorite directors Todd Solondz and the Duplass brothers, does best with ultra low budget outings that can turn a profit while grossing less than $5M domestic box office. I would hate to see Mamet unable to get projects made due to financial performance. His earlier work like House of Games and Spanish Prisoner looked cheap but they are mesmerizing and bear repeat viewing. I have to think they stand up better in the back catalog.

What can I say? Once again, Val Kilmer's role in this movie does not disappoint. Seeing him as a Secret Service Agent, going 'above and beyond' the 'call of duty' to save the life of a young girl was incredible! This movie had me on edge the whole time. I had no idea how the story would unfold, or how it would end. I must say, I was very pleased with the results. I cannot begin to imagine what Val must have been thinking as he took this character, and breathed "life" to its very soul. It was a touching story, and I was so proud to see him as a hero. Because really...that's what he is...a hero. Val...you are amazing. <3 Your amazing performance never disappoints your fans. Thank you!

Mamet's back again with his deceptive sleights of hand, rushing poor Val Kilmer from one precarious situation to the next as if trying to outdo "24".But breathless pace, self-indulgently clever (or rather not so clever) dialogue and plenty of mechanical twists and turns can't hide the fact that this flat and unconvincing charade never generates a shred of emotional or intellectual resonance.Watch those great 70s conspiracy thrillers instead. They were gripping and smart without being sophomoric.3 out of 10 mean Al Bundys