Product Reviews

SPARTAN

I purchased this film because I had already seen it and liked it very much.
"Spartan" was not a great big splashy feature release, but I tend to enjoy so-called "smaller" films as much as some big mucho-marketed Tom Cruise-esque films. It was either directed and/or written by David Mamet, whose work I'm crazy about. Mamet's plays and films are very intelligent, full of truly unexpected twists that make sense, are very funny in an understated way a and he uses and can attract top-flight accomplished, interesting actors.

Once you've seen this film, if you haven't already, you'll see that there is an exciting primary story line but I found the protagonist's story and his evolution the most interesting and done very well by Val Kilmer (before he got fat). Kilmer seemed to take to Mamet's trademark speaking cadence easily and, as he usually does, carries out the character's story in an understated fashion. Once I understood his character's so-called "arc" (which isn't exactly a brain-strain), Kilmer's subtle physical acting added a good deal to making Mamet's film intriguing and I don't mean slugging or shooting people. I was referring to his excellent ability to subtly convey an emotion or a mix of emotions in a small physical movement. Glenn Close is one of the absolute BEST at doing this and you can't even see what the microscopic physical change was, but suddenly, without a sound, everything has changed or been revealed.

I always enjoy seeing actors that I suppose I've pigeon-holed into a certain genre, and then do an excellent job in a completely different character type. In this case, I'm referring to Ed McNeill (sp??). In this film, Al Bundy he ain't and he's great.

The film-title's meaning becomes crystal clear approx. 85% into the film, for all of us who are not experts on ancient Sparta's history. Stay in school girls and boys.

Anywho, enough yakkety-yak outta me. It's great, IMHO! BTW, if you like David Mamet films and haven't seen "State and Main", SEE IT, say I. It was made within the last 10 years ago, I guesstimate, and definitely on DVD. It's, again, a "small film" and an insightful comedy about a film crew that invades a small New England town, behaving as if completing their film would be soooo much easier if there weren't all these pesky New Englanders living in the town.
Includes Wm. H. Macy, David Paymer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rebecca Pidgeon (is she/was she married to Mamet?),Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker ("I'm still faaaaaabulous even though Sex In The City has finished).

Thanks for reading,
ld1756

P.S. Many thanks to eBay and the seller for making this HDDVD available at such a great price! eBay is my first "goto" place for film, especially for older films and I don't mean "made in the 80's". Happy viewing!Read full review...

Val Kilmer is a top government agent who loves his country, but above all lives by a code above his oath.

Engaging tail about the kidnapping of the President's daughter which starts as a secret mission and ends in a false story and cover up. The hero's are at first pursuing the kidnappers, and all of a sudden are being hunted by the American Secret Service. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat and has a surprise ending.Read full review...

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This is a great movie 🎥

This is a great movie. It grabbed me in the beginning and never let go. I had an idea that it was going to have a lot of good action and it did not disappoint! The twist and turns in the plot were so often unexpected that l was on the edge of my seat until the end! I can definitely recommend that this one is worth a look but once will probably not going to be enough!Read full review...

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Spartan - Another great film by David Mamet

I initially purchased this item because I very much like the work of David Mamet, both in the movies and on TV. The hidden bonus was that I had forgotten how much I also like the performances of Val Kilmer. His performance in this movie is commendable. The dialog of the characters is vintage Mamet and Kilmer talks about that in an interview. There are several Mamet regulars who also appeared in his prior film, "Homicide" that also make the movie interesting.
In fact, I had to go back and view that film again to see how much they had changed over the past decade. I highly recommend this film because there are also several life lessons given throughout the course of the film inaddition to what I have mentioned before.Read full review...

excellent little unknown film

I got the privilege to see this at the theater when it came out, and I loved it. I have watched it several times since then, and it definitely holds its value. Mamet creates a very interesting story here. It's not as full of twists and details as his other plays/movies are, but it is very cleverly constructed. I don't want to give away much about the movie, so I won't go into plot details. I will tell you that Val Kilmer does a great job with his role. If you liked Man on Fire, then give this one a shot. I love both movies. MoF is the "revenge" scenario, while Spartan is more about the rescue. Excellent film.Read full review...

VERONICA MARS, IT'S NOT.

As a die-hard Veronica Mars fan, I'll admit I bought this movie for Kirsten Bell. Val Kilmer was a happy bonus. Reading the synopsis puts you in the frame of mind.. okay. She's kidnapped, let's go find her! The twists and turns were somewhat easy to figure beforehand. The nail-biting suspense I'd been waiting for was ultimately a let down. When you do find the "bad guy" you expect more from Bell's character than you receive. On the upside, the bad writing was superbly acted and wasn't a total let down for that reason.Read full review...

Action!

Fan of action and I do like Val Kilmer. About 1/3 of the way through and so far I have truly enjoyed it.

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One of the best movies you have never seen

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Action

Really good story

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movie review

It is a pretty good movie.

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