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Spartan [2004]Snagging.org In association with Amazon.co.ukOnline Shop | Property Guides | Kitchen & Home | Garden Tools | Power Tools | Consumer Electronics Get the Snagging Checklist Here! ![: Spartan [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414P9PXH05L._SL160_.jpg) List Price: £12.99 Amazon.co.uk's Price: £3.98 You Save: £9.01 (69%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually dispatched within 7 to 11 days
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Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1Audience Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Binding: DVD EAN: 7321900388016 Format: Anamorphic, PAL Label: Warner Home Video Languages: Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Warner Home Video Region Code: 2 Release Date: February 21, 2005 Running Time: 103 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: 2003 Related Items:
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - A disappointment for this Mamet fanI like David Mamet a lot, but this one was a disappointment for me. There seemed to be two movies, the first in the U.S. to find a kidnapped girl. This is treated with intensity and action. Then, whoops, the twist and we're off to Dubai to fight kidnapping for prostitution and ruthlessness in high places, and we're again treated to intensity and action. The main guy is played by Val Kilmer as one of these humorless Hollywood heroes for whom there is no obstacle which can't be overcome and whose backstory, as they say, has hidden depths of tragedy and alienation. Mamet insures that we see the guy's back without his shirt on and it's not a pretty sight. We learn nefarious things are going on with the big man's staff (the big man is, I assume, the President and the girl's father; she's been kidnapped) and then all of a sudden William Macy takes center stage for the last ten minutes with almost no preparation. //Spoiler alert// Our hero, of course, is a loner -- which is a sure tip-off that anyone he sort of becomes close to is going to get killed. They do. Surprisingly for a Mamet film, there's not a single actor, in my opinion, who brought much interest to a part. However, one thing I liked about the movie and other Mamet films is that he doesn't explain the obvious, so you have to stay alert. But having said all this, some film critics I like have written good reviews of the movie. If you're interested in Mamet , take a look at The Spanish Prisoner and Heist. Rating:  - A THINKING MAN'S THRILLERDavid Mamet first caught my attention when he did a small grifter film called House of Games. It was released three years prior to The Grifters and I am quite certain that The Grifters took a lot of inspiration from House of Games. The Grifters had a high priced cast and more money was spent on the production but it was not quite as good as Mamet's masterpiece. Later, I would learn that Mamet would go on to write some of the best dialogue in all of film with movies like The Untouchables (just like a Wop, brings a knife to a gunfight), The Heist ( everyone loves money, that's why they call it money) and my favourite Mamet film, Glengarry Glenross ( I make $900,000 a year, that's why...). Mamet has a gift for the way people sound and the way they might deliver a line. Spartan continues his trend of interesting and crisp dialogue and fascinating characters. I have to agree with Roger Ebert when he says that this is Val Kilmer's best performance since Tombstone. He nails the character Scott, to a tee. Where as many action thrillers are about guns and explosions and certain bad acting, this is more about the characters. I am not saying that dumb action thrillers aren't fun sometimes, because they are. But if you like films that treat you like you already know what you need to know, and then proceed to show you things that you don't, then Spartan, like The Bourne Identity, is a film that you should enjoy. Val Kilmer plays perhaps a member of the Secret Service, or perhaps he is just one of those covert operatives that is so good at what he does that he is just an invisible spook who shows up to do a job that others have trouble with. Mamet has given us a character that is so exemplary and pensive and good at what he does that he is the paradigm that all others in his line of work should emulate. There is no hesitation with him. He is driven and he is serious and like The Terminator, he will not stop, ever, until he has finished the job. In this film, that job is to rescue the president's daughter, who was kidnapped while the Secret Service agent watching over her claims he was sleeping while she disappeared. But what the real reason is we may never know. There is the possibility that her disappearance may have political ramifications that would go as high up as the President himself. It is learned that Laura Newton may have been kidnapped in a scheme that involves an international sex trade with American women. The kidnappers do not know they have the president's daughter. And that may complicate things. What makes Kilmer's character so fascinating is the way Mamet writes him. This is a man who has seen much and done much and when the time calls for it, he does not hesitate to use whatever force is necessary to acquire information. He hunts down bar owners, prostitution ring leaders and terrorists. He kills death row inmates to get information, he roughs up middle aged women who hold keys to the case and he holds an extreme form or prejudice towards anyone who may be a link in solving the case. This is a job to Scott and he treats it like that. I think this is the fundamental difference in a film like Spartan and many other less intelligent films that try to glamorize political espionage thrillers. This film talks and sounds like you are literally witnessing what happens behind closed doors. It gives you the feeling that what are witnessing is everything that does not get reported in the papers. This is about as raw as it gets and Mamet can take full credit for writing and directing the film as beautifully as he did and Val Kilmer can be proud of what he brought to the table. This is one of the best films of the young 2004 and while it will be forgotten soon enough, when it comes out on video, it is a film that must be seen. 9/10 Rating:  - BrilliantI rented this film just to have a change from the normal style of films I go for like comedies and I'm glad I did. A very good film from start to finish. Val Kilmer's character was captivating with his "no nonsense" tactics and the supporting characters were also very good. I didn't expect much from the film so found myself repeatedly saying, "this is a good film" till the end. Straightforward, action packed, shocking and thrilling. A very decent watch, brilliant. Rating: - Intelligent thrillerVal Kilmer is back to top form here as the secret service agent at the top of his game who finds himself involved in a kidnap of a VIP politician - of course, this is David Mamet, so the plot has a way of going into blind alleys and left turns that you never quite see coming. In fact, do yourself a favour, and find out as little as you can about the plot, you'll enjoy the movie all the more! Having said that, the loose ends dont quite all tie up, and the ending does not live up to the build up, but this is only a minor quiblle when the acting and script are of this quality. The music is minimal, and the directing is not flashy, but all serves to further the story - a quality so lacking in Hollywood these days. The pace never lets up, and the script of course is sharp and real. William H Macy plays a small but pivotal role in a rare serious role, and the rest of the cast exude realism in all the roles, not least Ed Reilly who casts off his Married with Children tag with this one. This is not one to see just because you want action, but for an intelligent thriller that engages the brain, thumbs up. Rating: - Conpiracy in a kidnap thrillerThe daughter of a politician is kidnapped. The Secret Service are trying to find her before the press realise she's missing. An early lead suggests that she may have been ensnared by a white slave gang. Our hero is a stereotypical man-of-action who is part of the Secret Service investigation. However, he soon realises things may not be as they seem. Like any action film it is heavily plot lead and, similarly, it follows the form conspiracy thrillers in that the hero has to work out who really are the "good guys". If your kind of movie is Enemy of the State, Under Siege, etc then this is for you.  Try searching the Internet for "Spartan [2004]" or Ebay for "Spartan [2004]". You might also be interested in the following great products:
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