U.S. government agent Scott is assigned to rescue the daughter of a high-ranking government official. As willing as he is to bend the rules to get things done, though, Scott is shocked to find that others are willing to go even further to protect a political career.
Not one character makes sense, there is no shred of craft, and the script sounds like it was written by a 6-year-old who has accidentally swallowed a microchip.
– Rex Reed,
New York Observer,
18 Mar 2004
rotten:
Spartan is the same old stuff, but now it's been thoroughly Mametized, like a spray-on treatment you could spritz out of a can.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
21 Mar 2004
fresh:
Mamet's understanding of the essentials here and his skill in supplying them are not major achievements for him, but it would be wasteful not to recognize them.
– Stanley Kauffmann,
The New Republic,
21 Mar 2004
fresh:
Both technically accomplished and moderately entertaining.
– Andrew Sarris,
New York Observer,
25 Mar 2004
fresh:
The real violence, as is always the case with Mamet, lies not in the mayhem but in the thrusting rhythms of the dialogue.