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Too much of everything

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I'm a fan of David Mamet's movies (both his and the ones he wrote the screenplay for) . "House of games " is one of the best movies ever made. Mamet's other contributions to cinema are great too (including "The Untouchables " and "Ronin" ). So , I was curious about this one . This time Mamet tries a political action thriller. The result ? Surprise , but a bad one.Mamet has always been a rather weak director . I admit that . Still , his flat sense of direction worked quite well in his movies , mostly because they were very theatrical from the nature of plot. Hell , I think that's why "House of games" has surrealistic , hypnotizing feel to it. The problem with "Spartan" is this is an action/thriller . All the action scenes here lack tension. They look like they were directed by amateur. The movie also never has any sense of entertainment . There isn't a moment when you feel that time is running out for our heroes.What is more surprising is the rather bad plot . The story is very predictable and you don't have to be a genius to figure out most of the twists. Worse , some of the twists are rather forced (the sign , the scarecrow sitting on the chair when you need it ) . There is one really good twist at the end of movie , but on the other hand Mamet also throws a rather forced deus ex machina at the end. The dialogue is also bad , very dour , very forgettable . It's surprising , because Mamet always crafts the dialogues very carefully . He knows how to write a stylish dialogue . Here the dialogues are purely informational. The acting is good . Val Kilmer gives a really good performance , one of best in his entire career (along with "Tombstone" and "The Heat"). He plays his character just like he should (and could) play Batman all those years ago in "Batman forever" . Silent , brooding , tough and honorable. Kirsten Bell has a small , but good role in the movie . It was good to see Ed O'Neill ("Married with children") in a convincing serious role and William Macy is pleasure as always. Overall , the acting is the best thing in the movie.I also like the bitter mood of the movie . The story here sadly feels like something that could happen in real life and it makes "Spartan" different than most Hollywood thrillers .It doesn't change the fact that weak screenplay , bad dialogues and crappy direction make this one a misfire in Mamet's career . I give it 4/10.

Maverick Ranger Scott, known for ruthless, unorthodox methods but good results, is called in to help the secret service after Washington big whig's brat daughter is abducted while studying at Harvard. Scott quickly realizes the protection detail's prime suspect, her boyfriend Michael Blake, is innocent and dumped her for being a drug- addicted slut. Next he traces her to a bordello, only to realize the captors didn't realize who she is but simply recruited her for the Middle Eastern white slavery market, and are likely to dispose of her rather than confront her father. But instead of the support expected in such high-profile case, Scott gets orders to work in secret before the press catches on, and even finds his quest sabotaged. Mamet all the way. Dialog, story-line, but it's also a wee bit different than most Mamet work!It's a really tight story, well acted and keeps you on your toes. Well done. A twisty turny masterpiece.

David Mamet is running out of gas and seems a bit desperate here.Successful long form cinema requires more than the exploitation of one skill, especially when it is word-oriented.His approach to narrative starts with the words. He does not define characters per se, but urges and only if those urges emerge for word clusters. So he is all about rhythm, association, patter. His last few projects approached the power of words by themselves from different directions. Here he relies on the notion that military types — at least in movies — have a clipped cadence that is unique and exploitable. I admit that I find it engaging just because of the novelty of the thing. But then, looking at how Lincoln is distended on squashed pennies is interesting in the same way. In the past — in his early plays — you could enjoy how these things took on lives of their own, sometimes adopting and driving characters, sometimes situations and they engaged. But that was because they were raw, intuitively found in the conceptswamps at the edge of safe imagination.But as he has become more successful, he lost his ability to risk and his approach became commoditized. The patter here is established early in the movie, in scenes that have nothing to do with the story. He justifies it by introducing characters that matter later, but that is all superfluous. This is a mess, a waste. There is one scene that grabbed me though and I wish most films had a device this powerful. An agent was seeking the return of a kidnapped woman, the daughter of the President. He is pulled off the case, but has found something troubling. By an unlikely coincidence he encounters another agent who at first thinks him to be an invader. What happens next is an amazing shift, a pleasing one that drives the narrative for another few, dead episodes.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

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.