Spartan

David Mamet directs his own script about a world class covert operative (Val Kilmer) who is tasked to recover the kidnapped daughter of a VIP (presumably the President, though it is never explicitly stated). Mamet does a good job with the thriller conventions, and gives the movie a sleek, icy look. Kilmer is effective as the stoic, stone killer, but we never get beneath the surface with him; we never learn anything about him or what makes him tick. That may be Mamet's point, of course. Men like this, for all intents and purposes, do not exist beneath the surface. They are nothing but their mission and their skills. Unfortunately, it takes more than that to allow audiences to engage with a character. Still, the movie is gripping, twisty, and entertaining.