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Spartan

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Spartan (2004)

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Reviews Counted:129

Fresh:82

Rotten:47

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: A good cast and Mamet's mastery over the written language elevate an otherwise conventional thriller.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Robert Scott (VAL KILMER) is a career military officer working in a highly secretive special operations force. A man hardened by years of brutal service, he is respected by his peers and elders in... Robert Scott (VAL KILMER) is a career military officer working in a highly secretive special operations force. A man hardened by years of brutal service, he is respected by his peers and elders in the world of espionage. When Scott is recruited to find Laura Newton (KRISTEN BELL), the daughter of a high-ranking government official, he is paired with novice Curtis (DEREK LUKE), who becomes his protégé. Working with a special task force comprised of Presidential Advisors, the Secret Service, FBI and CIA, Scott and Derek stumble upon a white slavery ring, which may have some connection to Laura’s disappearance. As the story unfolds, the straightforward search-and-rescue mission becomes complicated by the political ambitions of those in high places – like Stoddard (WILLIAM H. MACY), a political operative who may know more than he’s telling about the clandestine circumstances surrounding Laura’s abduction. Scott and Curtis are at the brink of tracking Laura’s whereabouts when the mission comes to an abrupt conclusion, with the media issuing reports of the girl’s death. Scott returns to the quiet life of landowner in a rural location and awaits his next assignment in relative peace. But Curtis can’t rest. In his naiveté, he seeks out Scott to confide his belief that Laura is in fact alive. If she is, their continued unofficial investigation will put them as well as Laura at the center of a dangerous conspiracy that reaches the highest levels. Franchise Pictures presents Spartan, a political thriller written and directed by DAVID MAMET and starring VAL KILMER, DEREK LUKE, ED O’NEILL and WILLIAM H. MACY. Spartan is produced by ART LINSON, MOSHE DIAMANT and ELIE SAMAHA, and executive produced by FRANK HUBNER. The director of photography is JUAN RUIZ ANCHIA; the production designer is GEMMA JACKSON; and the editor BARBARA TULLIVER. Spartan will distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. -- © Warner Bros. [More]

Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Tia Texada

Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Tia Texada, Kristen Bell, Ed O'Neill

Director: David Mamet

Director: David Mamet
Screenwriter: David Mamet
Producer: Moshe Diamant, Art Linson, Elie Samaha
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Reviews for Spartan

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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...feels rather synthetic...transparent suspense that carries some mediocre thrills...pretentious-minded political pap.

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
03/14/04
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

Spartan is a technical achievement, impressive for the things it does well and unfortunate that so much more might have been improved.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
03/13/04
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

The problem with Spartan isn't so much that it's mediocre but that it could be a whole lot better.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
03/13/04
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

This conspiracy-laden film provides a super combination of spy movie thrills and trademark Mamet smart dialogue.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/12/04
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Cool-edged simplicity...a crime thriller for the terrorist age.

Full Review Source: Mixed Reviews | comment Comment
03/12/04
Gabriel Shanks
Gabriel Shanks
Mixed Reviews

Is Spartan a perfect, or even a great, movie? Probably not. But in its prickly irascibility and deeply unsettling intelligence, it makes for a very, very good one.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/12/04
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post

Until its final stumble, this intelligence thriller ... is charged with brilliance.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/12/04
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

David Mamet's political thriller about the disappearance of the president's daughter is an unsatisfying slipknot of a film -- it looks tight and elaborate, but give it a tug and it goes flat.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/12/04
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Despite its many failings, Spartan is better than most of what passes for thrillers down at the multiplex.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
03/12/04
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

A thrilling military puzzle not to be attempted by the faint of brain.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
03/12/04
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

The first hour of Spartan can make you sick with dread, like the first season of the TV series 24 ... The last half-hour of Spartan is still entertaining, but it's laughable.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
03/12/04
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

A cold piece, mechanistic and only intermittently involving.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
03/12/04
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

A genuinely ugly film.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
03/12/04
Arthur Salm
Arthur Salm
San Diego Union-Tribune

The odd thing is that Spartan, despite its lofty goals, is no more convincing than a Schwarzenegger or Stallone action flick.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
03/12/04
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

An entertainingly over-the-top tale of good, evil, sex, and betrayal.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
03/12/04
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

An engrossing, densely plotted thriller.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
03/12/04
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

If Spartan is preposterous, it's also weirdly watchable, since Mamet packs his movie with more plot than I've seen in the last 30 Hollywood thrillers combined.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
03/12/04
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

A serious disappointment...one Mamet shell-game that's not worth laying down a bet on.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
03/12/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Good film. Very good.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
03/12/04
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

This isn't a genuine Mamet thriller, but a cheap copy.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
03/12/04
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Spartan

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June 06, 2005: Milian and Bell Feel the "Pulse"
Variety reports that pop star Christina Milian ("Be Cool") and actress Kristen Bell ("Spartan") have signed on to appear in the Weinstein Company horror... More...

March 30, 2005: Weinsteins to Restart Dimension with an All-New "Pulse"
The Hollywood Reporter reminds us that there's always another Japanese horror flick worth remaking. Dimension Pictures has just signed Kristen Bell ("Spartan," TV's... More...

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