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	Movie Review - Spartan     (What this rating means)       Director: David Mamet Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada and William H. Macy Rated: R (Violence, Adult Language and Adult Themes) Length: 106 minutes Genre: Thriller Website: Spartan PLOT A "lone wolf" U.S. government secret agent, Scott (Kilmer), is assigned the task of rescuing the kidnapped daughter (Bell) of the President. A larger, more sinister plot with origins within the White House itself ensues. MR. SHADE'S TAKE This film had high expectations from me. First off, Val Kilmer is my favorite actor and I haven't gotten to see him on the big screen since Red Planet (not a good movie). Second, David Mamet wrote "Ronin," which is my favorite spy movie and is close to being in my top ten list. Fortunately this film didn't disappoint - it's not a great film but it is very good. Kilmer plays Scott, some type of military/secret agent brought in to find the daughter of a high profile politician (implied to be the President). Scott pretty much has free reign in finding her, so he uses some Gestapo tactics - he breaks the arm of a guy in one scene and in another tells a woman, "You can leave the information or your life in this room." Kilmer does a great job as Scott and needs to because the entire story revolves around him. For those of you who saw him in "The Missing," he has lost the beer belly. Johnny: True. He's still nowhere near as slim as he was back in his "Tombstone" days, but thankfully he no longer looks like Al Borland from "Home Improvement." Even though the rest of the cast have small parts, they make the most of it. Kilmer gets some assistance from a couple of recruits from the marines: Curtis (Derek Luke) and Jackie Black (Tia Texada). Curtis beats out the rest of his class for a chance at the special forces, which means helping out Scott. Tia Texada does her best Michelle Rodriguez impression as a tough Latino woman. William H. Macy plays Stoddard, your typical CIA/FBI/Secret Service boss agent. Ed O'Neill even has a cameo - he seems to be the head of the secret service. Kristen Bell does an excellent job as Laura Newton (the kidnapped daughter) in the short time she is on screen. The story is pretty good - there are quite a few double crosses and some plot twists. If you've seen any similar movies you'll probably see the twists coming, but since the twists aren't over-hyped it feels more like a revelation. This film reminds me of a cross between "Ronin" and "The General's Daughter." Like "Ronin," everything is very vague in the film - almost everyone goes by one name and their actual roles are not spelled out. Spartan's plot has some similarities with "The General's Daughter." Johnny: Such as? Thankfully for the producers of "Spartan," I didn't let Mr. Shade's shockingly descriptive comparison between the two movies deter me from renting "Spartan." If there are any school children out there who one day need to write a comparison and contrast between the plots of "Spartan" and "The General's Daughter," then allow me to direct you to Mr. Shade's line above. The similarities I mentioned were in the plot twists towards the end, and I didn't want to spoil the movie. JOHNNY'S TWO CENTS "Spartan" is a good movie that could've been great if it hadn't lost its steam about halfway through. The first half of the movie does a great job of grabbing your attention as the story is set up for us with a good amount of tension, and Kilmer is basically going around whoopin' some posterior cheek. Kilmer has one job - find the politician's daughter and don't worry what you have to do or who you have to do it to in the process. The arm breaking scene that Mr. Shade mentions is awesome, but the scene where Val Kilmer forces some guy to look at comprimising photos of Marlon Brando from the "Island of Dr. Moreau" set is just too much. Seriously, *nobody* deserves that kind of torture. The second half of the movie slows down a bit as Kilmer becomes involved in a standard rescue operation. It's not boring or unwatchable, and things don't devolve into a Michael Pare movie or anything, but it's just not as good as the build up. I would've liked at least a couple of more scenes with Kilmer doing his Dirty Harry impersonation. I was hoping Kilmer would drop an "I'm your Huckleberry" on somebody, but oh well, not every movie can be "Tombstone" I don't guess. This is a great rental. I honestly can't figure out why a smart thriller like "Spartan" was released on only 832 screens, while "Twisted" gets crapped out on about 2700. One movie stars Val Kilmer and does a good job mixing action with some unexpected plot twists, while the other stars a boyish-looking Ashley Judd and is about as original as a Julia Stiles romantic comedy. And then, to no one's surprise, nobody cares to watch a movie where Ashley Judd is mistaken for her brother, so it bombs at the box office. Big shock. MAMA'S APPROVAL This movie contains a fair amount of cursing and some sexual themes - the kidnapped daughter is sold to a white slavery ring at one point in the movie. The film has a very realistic feeling so the violence has a bit of an edge to it. No nudity, but this one is still not for kids. TRAILER COMPARISON Just like the trailer. The movie delivers everything you would expect it to - solid plot, good action, betrayals, and plot twists. THE GIST If you are a fan of Mamet or Kilmer or if you like the spy/political thriller genre, then "Spartan" is highly recommended.	RETURN TO HOME PAGE Ghouls Eagle Eye Righteous Kill Tropic Thunder Traitor Death Race Star Wars: Clone Wars The Dark Knight Journey to the Center of the Earth Hancock Weekend Results: 1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua($29,300,465) 2. Eagle Eye($17,709,817) 3. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist($11,311,751) 4. Nights in Rodanthe($7,368,259) 5. Appaloosa($5,050,310)

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