Spartan ***

Cast: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, Kristen Bell
Director: David Mamet

Marine operative Scott (Kilmer) is selected to help find the kidnapped daughter of a politician. He is given 48 hours to do this before the media gets wind of the story and runs with it. Aided by Curtis (Luke), he dives into an investigation that takes new twists and turns with each new bit of data they recover. It seems that the reason for the kidnapping might not be what everyone thinks, but that doesn't mean the the girl is not in danger. And as he draws closer to finding her, other forces begin to work against him to actively prevent him from succeeding. Director David Mamet has constructed an interesting tale with motivations that are sadly believeable in today's age. Spartan is an interesting film that is not afraid to slam the politics of today's world.

The Missing ***

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Jenna Boyd, Aaron Eckhart, Val Kilmer, Eric Schweig, Jay Tavare
Director: Ron Howard

This western is set in the late 19th century in New Mexico. Maggie Gilkeson, a frontier doctor, lives with her children and lover. Her like is turned upside down when her lover is murdered and her oldest daughter Lily is kidnapped by a group of military deserters and Indians led by an Indian mystic named Chidin. Maggie must enlist the help of her estranged father, Samuel Jones (who had left her to live with Indians), to save her daughter. Along the way they begin to reconcile their old differences. The Missing is a good western from director Ron Howard that has just a few flaws. The main flaw being its running time. This movie could have been cut 15-30 minutes in order to flow a little more quickly. Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett give excellent performances as an estranged father and daughter struggling to put things right with their family.