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Starring: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Johnny Messner, Tia Texada, Kristen Bell, Alexandra Kerry
Directed by: David Mamet
Screenplay by: David Mamet
Release Date: March 12th, 2004
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language.
Box Office: $4,434,432 (US total)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Tagline: She's missing.
Robert Scott (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 (Luke), who becomes his prot?
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 (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 naive 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.
About the Production
Known for his caustic dialogue, incisive characterizations and skillful dramatic craftsmanship, writer-director David Mamet has amassed a prolific catalogue of stories about the varied characters and cultural dynamics that comprise the American experience. His diverse work has examined the not-so-quiet desperation of con men, salesmen and Hollywood producers, the truths and consequences of romantic relationships, and the complexities of sexual harassment in an age of Political Correctness.
Spartan, Mamet's ninth film as a writer-director, is a political thriller in the tradition of Three Days of the Condor and Seven Days in May that explores the inner workings of a highly secretive governmental task force and the people who serve its win-at-all-costs agenda. "I've always been interested in political things," says Mamet, who anchors Spartan around the character of Robert Scott, a highly skilled and remarkably efficient soldier who has long prevailed by following his belief that the end justifies the means. He leaves the thinking to others and carries out his assignments without question, because he believes - no matter how brutal his mission - that he is working for the benefit of the country.
Scott: I ain't a planner. I ain't a thinker. I never wanted to be.
"Scott has been told 'If you stop thinking and simply follow these tasks, you will be rewarded, and you will be accepted into this elite warrior class, but you must never question the rectitude of your superiors or the worth of the tasks,'" Mamet explains. "Then he's put in a position where he has to question his assignment and redefine himself as a warrior."
To play the role of Robert Scott, whose quest to find a missing girl evolves into a quest to find the truth and, ultimately, to find himself, Mamet turned to multi-faceted actor Val Kilmer. "I love Val and adore his work," says the director. "I've always been fortunate enough to work with good actors. When I write for good actors, I always leave something out so they can bring something to it, and Val certainly does that."
"Scott is a man of action," Kilmer notes. "In the world of espionage, people like Scott have to do things that are sometimes illegal, but they don't question the legality or efficiency or timing - they only think about whether it is or isn't murder. If the government sanctions it, it isn't murder. And that's who my character is…at first."
The character of Curtis, Scott's naïve but talented protégé, provides further insight into the unconventional code of ethics that governs Scott's world. But Curtis' dogged pursuit of the truth could compromise their mission and cost lives in the process.
"Curtis represents the conscience of the hero, because he's so new to this warrior class, he keeps asking the questions that have been eradicated from Scott's conscience," says Mamet, who offered Derek Luke the pivotal role after being impressed by his performance in Antwone Fisher. "Curtis makes Scott realize that he has become what he beheld. That in his own quest for personal power, he has put his conscience on hold to serve those whom he's elected to believe. In so doing, he has become just like them."
"Curtis looks up to Scott, and as his father was in the same outfit, he tries to build a relationship, a camaraderie with him," Luke explains. "But Scott sets Curtis straight right away. On a mission, a personal bond can get you killed."
Curtis: Thank you, sir. My name is...
Scott: Do I need to know? If I want camaraderie, I'll join the Masons.
There's just the mission.
The covert investigation into Laura Newton's abrupt disappearance is headed by Burch, a powerful political appointee portrayed by longtime Mamet compatriot Ed O'Neill. "Ed O'Neill is a great, great actor," Mamet attests. "We go back to Chicago where he, Bill Macy and I founded a theatre company in 1971. Ed and I started working together in the mid-Seventies."
As O'Neill describes Burch, "He's the man behind the power, the guy who makes all the hard decisions. Burch is certainly manipulative and cold-blooded, which the audience has to determine may or may not be a necessary part of his job. It's the old argument that Brutus was a good man, but Caesar was a better ruler. Because good men don't often make good rulers."
It's Burch who sees potential in Scott, whose perceptive skills and willingness to commit to the mission make him the best man for a dirty job. "Scott says what Burch needs to hear," O'Neill says, referring to a scene in which Burch asks the task force what will happen to Laura Newton. Scott is the only one to voice the harsh truth: "They're going to kill her."
Burch: I'm out of time. What about if we go off the meter? I need a man, a man who can unquestioningly follow orders.
Scott: The door's closed, sir.
Just as Scott and Curtis are on the brink of targeting Laura's location, the mission abruptly ends in the wake of media reports detailing Laura's death. Cleaning up the loose ends falls to Burch's right-hand man, Stoddard, played by Mamet's fellow Atlantic Theatre Company founder, William H. Macy.
Like Scott, Stoddard put his conscience on ice long ago. "I'm playing a guy who really does not question the rights or wrongs of something," Macy recalls. "When David called me to do this, he said 'Stoddard is the guy that all the bad guys are afraid of.' He's the guy who cleans things up, or conversely, makes things go away. I've always wanted to play a character like this because to a certain extent, loyalty is a wonderful thing. Great organizations require complete and total loyalty, but when you get a guy like Stoddard, who is loyal to a fault even in a good cause, that loyalty can be used for evil purposes."
"I cast Macy 'cause he's owed me $2,700 since 1970," Mamet jokes. "I keep thinking if I employ him, as I've been fortunate enough to do for 30 years, that maybe he'll come to his senses and pay me back."
Macy pays nothing but compliments to his acclaimed colleague. "David is a rooting, tooting genius," the actor enthuses. "He'll come in at five a.m., say hello to twenty extras, and fourteen hours later, he's calling them by name. He'll stop the set on a regular basis and say, 'Can we just marvel at this magnificent set? Can we have a round of applause for our wonderful set decorators?' Which is not to say if you're screwing up on a Mamet movie you don't get your head handed to you, but he is just so generous that he makes everybody want to do their best. He inspires you to go beyond."
 Production notes provided by Warner Bros. Pictures. |
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Spartan