"If it ain't me and it ain't her, kill it." This sentiment is echoed throughout David Mamet's (State and Main) lackluster new thriller, Spartan. At times, the dialogue is indecipherable due to short, clipped sentences and an abundant use of pronouns, but the movie's plot is not original enough to warrant this confusion. The plot is predicated on absurdities that are very difficult to reconcile, and this violent, gritty film is ultimately unsatisfying. Val Kilmer (Heat) plays the lead character, presumably named Scott, although his name is only mentioned once. He is an agent hired by the government to track Laura Newton, played by Kirsten Bell (Pootie Tang), the kidnapped daughter of a high-ranking government official. The investigation is halted when Newton is pronounced dead, but Scott receives inside information from his partner that she is still alive and is being sold in a slave-smuggling ring.

Kilmer proves that he is willing to do whatever it takes, kill as many people and defy as many orders as needed to get the girl back. He is the definition of a David Mamet action hero, using words sparingly and weapons frequently. His dogged pursuit of the girl is at odds with the wishes of the government, as the government would prefer her to be dead than reveal the reason she was not under surveillance at the time of her kidnapping.

Spartan is an entirely generic movie that deviates little from a standard thriller. It features corrupt politicians and renegade agents, and is the type of movie that makes the entire world believe that American authority is hopelessly corrupt. All the characters are archetypal, so much so that they are mostly nameless. The audience does not know how important Laura Newton's father is, except that she is "the Laura Newton" and that her father is "running for re-election."

There is no context placed on Val Kilmer's presence, except that he is a man who can get the job done. All of his Kilmer's partners materialize seemingly at random, and they are the stereotypical eager young marines, willing to do whatever is necessary to help their determined boss.

The only good performances were easy to overlook because of the short camera time spent on them. Ed O'Neill (Married...With Children) plays the director of the search for Newton, and does so very effectively. William H. Macy (Seabiscuit) is an agent that materializes from the bowels of headquarters and makes an equally random appearance in the climax of the film, despite that he was in the film for about two minutes prior to the conclusion. His performance is good however, with none of the usual goofiness that he normally exudes.

This movie is focused on Val Kilmer, and sadly, he does not deliver. Kilmer's pronounced lack of intensity is really what relegated this film from mediocre to plain bad. Since the movie was based entirely around one man, an engrossing main character would have worked wonders to salvage this film, but Kilmer was not the man for the job.

The plot moves at such a break-neck pace that it does not allow for viewers to easily follow along. If the audience concentrated, however, it would recognize all the loose ends and, in some cases, the sheer stupidity of the plot. When the girl is kidnapped, her high-ranking political father had pulled the secret service from her so that he can have an affair. This pivotal moment in the movie is absurd, as surely any man who has his daughter guarded by the secret service warrants having more protection for himself and would not need to "borrow" one agent from his daughter.

Mamet, a playwright-turned-screenwriter and director, is famous for his terse dialogue and gritty violence. Spartan does nothing to alter this image. Mamet wastes no time on cinematography or character development. Characters appear at random and disappear just as easily. The fast pace of the movie is Mamet's attempt to create a film that is not spoon-fed to the American public, thereby making a statement about the typical Hollywood action movie. However, the plot is not original enough to drive home any strong, anti-establishment proclamation. Rather than creating an intricate crime drama, he created a boring, predictable film that will soon be forgotten.

With poor acting, indecipherable dialogue and a plot riddled with holes, Spartan is not worth the $8 ticket price. The dialogue is confusing, the plot is absurdly simple and the audience will wonder why the characters in the movie did not just use full sentences and people's names instead of their prolific usage of pronouns.