So I watched Spartan last night with Val Kilmer and that dude from that movie that Denzel directed and the girl in the cowboy hat from Bait that I recognized because it was just on tv Sunday. It was my latest Netflix delivery and I needed to relax so I figured it might be a good movie to watch. Sometimes I get in the Netflix doldrums where I just don't want to watch the movies I have, but I feel like I'm wasting money if I don't watch them. Some movies just sit there for a while until I'm in the mood to watch them. I had The Triplets of Belleville for 4 months before watching it because I was never in the mood to read French, only to find out there aren't even any subtitles because there's barely any dialogue. I've digressed.
So I started watching Spartan and it was interesting enough to keep me watching, but I started to get annoyed as it moved along because the acting was so wooden. It was almost like they were doing a read-through instead of the actual performances. Luckily, the plot kept it going. Then all of sudden it hits me...
Did David Mamet write/produce/direct this?
So I of course had to pause and go to the pooter to check. I really need to write Tivo and tell them after they merge with Netflix they need to work a deal with IMDb so all I have to do is pause the tv and it'll take me to the imdb page for whatever I'm watching. I digress again.
So David Mamet did write and direct this and I'm reminded of other movies of his that I've seen that have that same feel to them. The acting is so stiff (don't get me started about his wife) and sometimes the dialogue seems like a first draft. But the plot usually keeps me interested. I find that a bit odd. I'm annoyed and intrigued at the same time. Plus I still keep hoping that Val Kilmer will slip back into his role from Real Genius one of these days.