There are certain directors who could film a person reading a book and you'd be able to find something truly wonderful within it. David Mamet is one of those directors for me. He is hands down the modern master of con-game thrillers.
Scott (Val Kilmer, TOMBSTONE) is a tough-guy CIA agent who we meet as he's training new recruits Curtis (Derek Luke, PIECES OF APRIL) and Jackie Black (Tia Texada, NURSE BETTY). Scott gets called onto a top level kidnapping case. It's the president's daughter, Laura Newton (Kristen Bell, POOTIE TANG). How could the Secret Service let this happen? That's about as much information as I will reveal. The trailer does great disservice to the film's surprises. So I'd recommend not watching it before seeing the film.
But let me introduce you to a few other key characters though. Burch (Ed O'Neill, TV's MARRIED WITH CHILDREN) is the agent in charge of the search. Stoddard (William H. Macy, FARGO) is a liaison to the White House. They play crucial roles in getting to the bottom of the mystery.
The plot loops up and around and then turns back on itself by the end. It's what you'd expect from Mamet if you've seen HEIST, SPANISH PRISONER or HOUSE OF GAMES. And with Mamet's signature dialogue flare, the film sounds like no other globetrotting action flick. Many Mamet critics dislike his flat sounding speech patterns, but here it feels so right. The CIA agents talk like they're talking to other CIA agents, not the lowest common denominator in the audience. We learn simply by watching professionals do their jobs.
The entire cast is great, especially Kilmer. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy as Scott. Going to extremes is not something he is afraid of doing. He's perfect for this assignment… maybe too perfect. Scott was chosen specifically to follow precise orders without question. The deeper he gets the less he trusts anything that he has learned. Likewise Bell is very good as the kidnap victim. I've never seen her before (POOTIE TANG was not top on my list to see), but she makes an impression. Luke plays an eager recruit who is a character that doesn't stop working when the camera isn't on him.
Besides being a great thriller, it also makes an interesting commentary on how corrupt politicians, or more accurately, their advisers can become. What is the real cost of winning at any cost? This is a great entertainment.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
