Review of Spartan (2004) by Orlok N — 07 Jul 2008

"Where is the girl? WHERE IS THE GIRL?" This question is asked forcefully by brutality-prone agents throughout this film, but perhaps a better question would have been "Who." It is obvious from the start that she is very important, since teams of agents work at the risk of death to get her. But her exact identity is not revealed but by little pieces through the film. Soon it becomes apparent that she is the daughter of someone high-up in government, probably as high as it gets. By this time, much blood has already been spilt on her behalf. "Who" is unanswered intentionally; the force doesn't mention that because to them it doesn't matter. She is merely a mission, and one that must be accomplished at all costs.

But the real story here is not of a search but of corruption. There is corruption of a high-government office, of the Secret Service, and above all, corruption of the main character's soul. Val Kilmer portrays a hardened soldier, a man literally lost in his work. He appears onscreen constantly, perhaps to prove that the character never sleeps, eats, or exists outside of his duty. His trained mind only permits thoughts or actions that are according to orders, and he will do "whatever it takes." The girl needs no identity because he has no identity; even he describes himself as "just a worker bee.".

The characters' lack of a true self prevents the audience from becoming emotionally involved in the story. When an agent dies, for example, little loss is felt other than the loss of their ability to achieve missions. The story intrigues with plenty of twists, but one must almost extract them as they are not exactly offered freely by the plot. Despite the coldness, this film will amply entertain the audience without ever really forming a connection with them.

P.S. Did anyone else feel compelled to answer the puzzling line "I saw the sign" with "and it opened up my eyes," a la Ace of Base?