Not much to recommend it, eh?
Well, tonight, I watched it... And was blown away!
First, I was surprised to see David Mamet being both the writer and director. Steven Culp, Ed O'Neill, Kristen Bell and William H. Macy are in the cast. Then as the plot unfolded, it seems the First Daughter goes missing just as the reelection campaign is starting. As Val and other government agents begin to tracker her down, it appears she has been kidnapped by Arabian crooks who white slave young girls into Mideast prostitution ring.
Val and the Feds are pretty ruthless in searching for the girl and follow the trail with a planned strike into Dubia to rescue her. Yet the generic CNN flashes that the First Daughter has been found drown in a boating accident. The rescue is folded
Val goes on leave when one of the agents brings him proof the girl was not drown and is, in fact, in Dubia. Val decides to go after her, but when he apporaches the grieving First Lady, a female Secret Service Agent stops him until he shows the proof.
The Secret Service Agent tells him the Prez flew in to 'tom cat around' and pulled his daughter's security detail, thus allowing her to be taken. When Val asks why would the Prez & First Lady allow such, the Secret Agent replies, "These people are animals!"
Bingo! The Arkansas Razorback Band started playing "Hail to Chief" in my mind.
Yes, I can imagine Bill and Hillary allowing the small sacrifice of their daughter to their political goals. These are the folks who allow nothing to stand in their way.
Well, the films plays out in a predictable fashion and in the end, the whole kidnap matter is played out to praise the Prez and his reelection. But it is a fairly entertaining film, especially the Clinton slant.
Now, I hate films where the US Government and/or Government Agents are always the bad guys, but this one is more plausible that most. Especially when you listen to the Democrats every day spout lie after lie after lie.
I am sure some will say Hollywood would only allow a film to show Republican/Conservative Presidents to be bad guys, but with this President being a 'tom catting' slime can only mean Clinton.
No wonder the film never had any buzz and went straight to video and cable
Any one else, seen this and had the same reaction?
Was this on cable or DVD?
Val Kilmer was once asked to name his list of the ten best movies of all time. He named:
• The Salton Sea (2002)
• Pollock (2000)
• The Saint (1997)
• The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• Tombstone (1993)
• The Doors (1991)
• Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid (1989)
• Willow (1988)
• Top Gun (1986)
All are movies that he had either a staring or supporting role.
I must've seen a different movie. This was a metaphor against US Involvement in the Middle East, "Stay out of the Desert", the William H. Macy character was the neo-Con villain, and the film ends w/ the noble hero unable and unwilling to return to the U.S., symbolically renouncing his citizenship because of the U.S.'s foolish intervention in the middle east. So what the president in the film is a pervert? That's Hollywood's view of balance. "We'll admit that Democrats are perverts, but you admit that everything about you and your GOP worldview is Nazified and 110% evil! That's fair!" The evil Gov't in Spartan veiled itself in patriotism and mantras of working in "America's best interest". The key message of the film was that the war on terror is a sham and neo-cons are fascists, and all noble leftists basically have "no home" (referring to the final line)in modern day America.
We bought the DVD recently. It's a very good movie and Mamet is wonderfully literate.
I saw it; liked it very much.