Just saw Spartan

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Think along the lines of Collateral, The Jackal, Ronin, or the series 24.

If your fans of the above movies/show (I am) I think you'll like it, if not well.... maybe you won't. I was pretty much blown away, given the mixed reviews I wasn't expecting anything nearly this good.

For as little press the movie got I thought it was totally underrated, easily one of the best movies in the genre.

Agree/disagree?
 

Legendary

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2002
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Val Kilmer, right?
I wanted to see this but missed it in theaters, maybe I'll pick it up from blockbuster.
 

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: Legendary
Val Kilmer, right?
I wanted to see this but missed it in theaters, maybe I'll pick it up from blockbuster.

Yup, Val.

I don't even remember seeing trailers for it anywhere. I just happend to see the DVD and spotted Val's name, looked it up, sounded cool, rented it, impressed.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
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I'd not heard of it, and yeah I thought it was decent. Better than that drug one I'd never hear of with him in it ;)
 

trilks

Golden Member
Aug 16, 2002
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saw it, thought it was really good. one of the better movies i've seen in theaters in the past year or so.
 

MrChad

Lifer
Aug 22, 2001
13,507
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I rented this last night, but I didn't like it. Maybe it's just me, but the plot didn't make much sense, and I didn't like Kilmer's acting at all. :thumbsdown:
 

bigalt

Golden Member
Oct 12, 2000
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Originally posted by: Skoorb
I'd not heard of it, and yeah I thought it was decent. Better than that drug one I'd never hear of with him in it ;)

yeah, salton sea was kind of weak. but i still love val kilmer with all of my toes.
 

Trey22

Diamond Member
Oct 31, 2003
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Funny, a co-worker was just recommending it to me, and I was like :confused: , since that was the first time I had ever heard of it.

 
Nov 5, 2001
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saw it last week and almost posted how good it was for a sleeper....don't even remember it in theaters...it only made about $4.5 mil at the box office.
 

amoeba

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2003
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I found the dry acting annoying but if you are in to Mammon?sp? then I guess its ok.

Example :

Kilmer (channeling ICEMAN) : In the forest, always a shadow, in the city, always a whisper.

Black guy: Sir, what about the desert?

Kilmer : *pause* the desert? you don't wanna go to the desert.

me: WTF? ok.......
 

brunswickite

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2002
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Originally posted by: MrChad
I rented this last night, but I didn't like it. Maybe it's just me, but the plot didn't make much sense, and I didn't like Kilmer's acting at all. :thumbsdown:

yea i agree, that movie was terrible IMO.
 

sygyzy

Lifer
Oct 21, 2000
14,001
4
76
Originally posted by: amoeba
I found the dry acting annoying but if you are in to Mammon?sp? then I guess its ok.

Example :

Kilmer (channeling ICEMAN) : In the forest, always a shadow, in the city, always a whisper.

Black guy: Sir, what about the desert?

Kilmer : *pause* the desert? you don't wanna go to the desert.

me: WTF? ok.......

Sorry, I didn't follow any of that.
 

amoeba

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2003
3,162
1
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Originally posted by: sygyzy
Originally posted by: amoeba
I found the dry acting annoying but if you are in to Mammon?sp? then I guess its ok.

Example :

Kilmer (channeling ICEMAN) : In the forest, always a shadow, in the city, always a whisper.

Black guy: Sir, what about the desert?

Kilmer : *pause* the desert? you don't wanna go to the desert.

me: WTF? ok.......

Sorry, I didn't follow any of that.


yes, that was the point I was trying to get across. I think the director's name is Mammon or something close to it and hes known for the type of dialogue I posted.
 

MaxDepth

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2001
8,757
43
91
Mamet writes the way we talk. Just record one of your conversations that you have with someone else on a level that you use in your business/work. Now play back that conversation to someone who doesn't work in the same field. You'll notice that you talk in a specific shorthand to get ideas across quickly and without a lot of circumlocution.

To someone else it sounds like gibberish. Do your parents know what YAGT stands for? Does some look at you funny when you go out shopping with them and you point to an object and tell them its FAR?

I liked the movie becuase it didn't waste time with back story. It didn't waste time telling the audience what it is supposed to see. Yeah, I did't get most of what they were talking about in the beginning but I began to learn and that was fun too.
 

MaxDepth

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2001
8,757
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Originally posted by: amoeba
ok, I can see that.

Still, I felt Kilmer was channeling too much IceMan.

Yeah, his acting range goes as far as me throwing a Buick.
:p
 

Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,313
7
81
All of Mamets movies use the dialogue of the trade they are supposed to be in, so in general if like one of his movies you'll like them all, and the opposite applies as well.

I personally like it, because it forces you to pay attention. With Spartan, you would have been lost early on if you didn't listen to every single word. Spartan had a limited release, so it never was meant to be a blockbuster. People seem to have a love/hate feeling of Mamet's movies, so its safer to release it that way.
 

TitanDiddly

Guest
Dec 8, 2003
12,696
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Originally posted by: Operandi
Think along the lines of Collateral, The Jackal, Ronin, or the series 24.<BR><BR>If your fans of the above movies/show (I am) I think you'll like it, if not well.... maybe you won't. I was pretty much blown away, given the mixed reviews I wasn't expecting anything nearly this good.<BR><BR>For as little press the movie got I thought it was totally underrated, easily one of the best movies in the genre. <BR><BR>Agree/disagree?

Haven't seen it, check, check, and an extra large check. Will see this.