Spartan is the latest film from writer/director David Mamet, a legendary playwright who I believe to be one of the finest screenwriters of the last twenty years (I would rank him among the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Steven Zallian).

The twisty, turvy Spartan features Val Kilmer as U.S. government Special Agent Scott, a tough military man who is assigned the seemingly impossible task of finding and rescuing the kidnapped daughter of a high-profile politcal figure. To find her, he must survive a series of double crosses and heartpounding shockers.

Leave it to Mamet to fashion a thriller that actually offers up sufficient surprises, but in an understated, realistic manner. This is an unpredictable suspense yarn with three dimensional characters instead of propped-up cardboard cut-outs, and that in itself is quite refreshing.

Mamet (who also penned the brilliant Glengarry Glen Ross) is well known for the rather strange, unique rhythm of his dialogue. This is something that tends to turn many people off (I personally find it compelling). When you see a Mamet movie or read a Mamet play, there is always something distinctively Mamet about it. The sometimes odd manner in which the characters of his universe talk, is the veteran's trademark and I wouldn't have it any other way. As is the case with most of Mamet's projects, Spartan is extremely talkie and chalk full of colorful wordplay, (although it should be noted that the use of the "F" word is not nearly as prominent as it's been in some of his past pictures).

Mamet has also emerged as an outstanding director through the years (see State and Main, Winslow Boy, and The Spanish Prisoner). Spartan is clearly his most restrained work, and while that trademark dialogue is present, there isn't quite as much of it.

The neatest trick in Spartan, is the manner in which the action unfolds. Mamet has written the piece in a way that the audience kind of figures things out as the characters do, and this makes the proceedings extremely exciting. It's also clear that Mamet is using elements of real life in this understated political thriller (I couldn't help but think that the kidnapped girl is somehow loosely based on one of George W. Bush's infamous daughters), some of which made me sick to my stomach. Mamet kept making me ask myself, "at what point does one place his own career and global responsibility over that of a loved one?

Val Kilmer is solid as the cold and callous marine who, beneath it all, does have a heart. Derek Luke (who made a huge impression in Antwone Fisher) is outstanding as Kilmer's right hand man. Kristen Bell steals the show as the kidnapped victim - a sad, lonely soul whose yearning for love and self identity gets her into a world of peril. This is the first thing I've seen this young actress in and she sort of reminds me of Matchstick Men's Alison Lohman. Her vulnerable portrayal of Laura Newton lends a huge boost of dramatic energy to the brisk and bristling Spartan. For whatever reason, Rebecca Pidgeon (a Mamet film regular) is nowhere to be found among the terrific cast.

There were moments in this picture that didn't quite work for me. Kilmer's verbal exchange with Tia Texada toward the end of the film felt overly melodramatic and out of character. Ultimately, though, Spartan is alive and unpredictable (complete with a bittersweet ending) and with the brilliant Mamet at the helm, it's that all-too-rare breed of thriller; one with surprises.