Every talented artist, be they a musician, painter, writer, actor or director, can screw up once in a while. Paul McCartney sold the rights to The Beatles' song catalogue to Michael Jackson. Steven Spielberg directed Hook. Martin Scorsese directed New York, New York and now playwright/filmmaker David Mamet has written and directed Spartan.
Val Kilmer plays Robert Scott, a military officer and respected Special Forces operative. When Scott is recruited to find Laura Newton (Kristen Bell), the daughter of the President of the United States (it's never mentioned that Laura is the President's daughter, but it's pretty damn obvious), he is paired with a novice named Curtis (Derek Luke), who starts to become Scott's protégé.
Working with a special task force comprised of Presidential Advisors, the Secret Service, the FBI and CIA, Scott and Derek stumble upon a white slavery ring, which may have some connection to Laura's disappearance. Scott and Curtis are at the brink of tracking Laura's whereabouts when the mission comes to an abrupt conclusion.
Scott returns to the quiet life and awaits his next assignment in relative peace. But Curtis can't rest. He seeks out Scott to confide his belief that something still is not right with this case. If what he suspects is true, their continued unofficial investigation will put them, as well as Laura, at the centre of a dangerous conspiracy.
I am a big fan of David Mamet and have been since his electrifying directorial debut 17 years ago with House Of Games. The often, but not always, profane-heavy dialogue, delivered in Mamet's trademark fractured style, snaps crackles and pops with life, while the plots of his films are intricate, involving and a lot of the time, fun. One only needs to see gems such as Games, The Spanish Prisoner, Heist or the uncharacteristic but excellent The Winslow Boy and Things Change to witness Mamet's genius in full effect.
Spartan is the work of a genius as well, albeit one done on his day off. Some choice verbal nuggets here and there aside, Mamet's directing and writing duties are plodding and unfocused. Spartan wants to be a character study as well as a gripping suspense thriller, but it doesn't deliver in either department. Red herrings are plentiful and distracting, while the characters don't seem to have anything interesting or meaningful to do or say.
Our interest is held for about an hour or so as we try to figure out where the hell all of this is heading, but once that direction is made clear, our fascination gives way to boredom. Mamet has often used the con as an effective plot device in his previous work. Here, he uses it as a way to take 10 dollars / pounds out of our wallets without giving much in return.
The performances by the leads, which are the sole reason to recommend this film, make the most of the material. Val Kilmer does a decent job as the hardened agent, while Derek Luke offers some solid support as his protégé. Ed O'Neill and William H. Macy are also good, if underused, in their brief supporting roles.
David Mamet has had a very strong track record so far with his cinematic work, so I feel confident that Spartan is a mere bump in the creative road that will most likely be remedied by his next effort.
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