'Spartan'

An excellent political thriller, written and directed by David Mamet with his signature staccato, urgent and driven dialogue and characters.

The movie got trashed in most reviews, so it simply disappeared from theaters soon after its release in early 2004.

Absorbing, twisting plot, and a superb cast.

Val Kilmer — yes, that Val Kilmer — is excellent as intelligence operative Robert Scott, whose job is to follow orders and fulfill the mission objective, at any and all costs.

Black ops are just the beginning of his activities.

When Scott has to act on his own, however, things get difficult, and the final third of the movie, when he's out there all alone, the force and malevolence of the U.S. government united in an effort to destroy him, is very tight and tautly suspenseful.

The film's got a bunch of other excellent actors and actresses you've seen before but couldn't name along with William H. Macy, who's always superb.

I could wreck things for you by describing the ingenious plot — but I won't.

You could do a lot worse with your $7.49.