SPARTAN (DVD)

Director: David Mamet (Spanish Prisoner, The Winslow Boy, one of the most notable writers in US)
Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke

I often find David Mamet's dialogue stilted and obtuse. I also find that good acting turns that stilted dialogue into something special (please see Glengarry Glenross if you haven't already). I mean, who can argue that Shakespeare's dialogue wasn't also stilted and obtuse, and few would argue that his stories didn't turn out pretty well. Here Mamet turns a lame-brained special agent movie into a Greek tragedy merely with his dialogue - and a few solid bits of plot construction. At it's heart, though, the plot was nothing more than a Secret Service agent trying to find the President's daughter who has been unknowingly kidnapped by an international sex slave ring. I mean that's just absolutely absurd and awful, just terrible - but somehow Mamet makes it more. Where at first glance we see only Val Kilmer shooting bad guys, we soon see kings plotting against their own children and the Spartan soldiers of everyday society learning to be more than simple "worker bees" for their kings. I'm surprised, but this was quite a good movie.

Standouts: Wonderful script. Fine acting job by Val Kilmer.
Blowouts: Nothing really missed too badly.

Grade: B+