Spartan
Short description
Spartan is a 2004 action thriller about a military operative, Scott, who is sent to find Laura Newton, the missing daughter of a senior American government figure. Scott trains recruits to act without hesitation, and he brings the same ruthlessness to the search, working alongside a younger colleague named Curtis. When the official account of what happened to the young woman is announced publicly, Scott does not accept it and keeps investigating on his own, running up against people prepared to go further than he is in order to protect a political career.
David Mamet directed and wrote the film, the sixth feature he directed and the one that followed Heist. Val Kilmer plays Scott, with Derek Luke as Curtis, William H. Macy as Stoddard, Tia Texada, Ed O'Neill and Kristen Bell as Laura Newton. Art Linson, Elie Samaha and David Bergstein produced the Germany-United States co-production, which runs 102 minutes.
Made for about 19 million dollars, Spartan took in roughly 8 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from around 34,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 out of 10 from a much smaller 436 votes. A critics' rating of 6.7 out of 10 from 131 reviews places it slightly above both audience scores, suggesting reviewers responded to it a little more warmly than viewers did.
What's left behind the scenes
- Kilmer and other actors prepared for filming by training alongside former military personnel.
- The house in Dubai featured in the film is actually a Moroccan-style mansion located in the Hollywood Hills (it once belonged to legendary musician Chuck Berry).
- During a lunch discussing the project, producer Art Linson informed director David Mamet that the film's budget would be smaller than he had anticipated. Noticing Val Kilmer sitting at a nearby table, with whom Linson was well-acquainted, the producer asked the actor to join them and discuss the upcoming film. The plot and directorial concept impressed Kilmer so much that he immediately agreed to play the lead role for a modest fee. This allowed Franchise Pictures to launch the film into production.
- David Mamet made changes to the script during filming, using a standard typewriter with a cardboard box serving as a stand.
- The prototype for Val Kilmer's character was former special forces operative Eric L. Haney, who worked on the film as a technical consultant.
- Director and screenwriter David Mamet incorporated real stories from the past of various US military special forces units into the plot, as told by Eric L. Haney, among others, who dedicated 20 years of his life to a military career and at one time served under the command of Colonel Charles Beckwith, the founder of the “Delta Force” unit. Haney participated in the making of the film as a technical advisor, weapons expert, and Val Kilmer's military affairs consultant.
- At the end of the film, viewers see a noticeably heavier Val Kilmer. The actor specifically gained weight for filming in Oliver Stone's biographical drama 'Alexander' (2004).
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