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Spartan

(2004, Rated R, Thriller, Starring Val Kilmer, William H. Macy, Tia Texada)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Very violent movie ultimately just falls apart.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Anti-gay epithet.
  • Violence:

    Intense peril and violence, brutal beating, many characters killed. Peril.
  • Sex:

    Sexual references and non-graphic situation.
  • Language:

    Very strong language.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Drinking, smoking, reference to drug use.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Spartan

Parents need to know that this movie has intense peril and a lot of graphic and explicit violence, including knives and guns, and many characters are killed. Characters smoke and drink and there are drug references. There are sexual references, including references to sexual slavery, and one mild and non-explicit sexual situation. A character commits suicide (though that is later called into question). As in almost all Mamet movies, characters use very strong language.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the compromises made by the characters in this movie, including the willingness to violate the rights of suspects in order to get information quickly and the willingness to compromise loyalties and risk lives in order to win an election. How do they decide what their priorities are? What is the difference between the way Scott regards his orders at the beginning of the movie and the way he does at the end? Why? What does it mean to say that "We're just two men in green?" What does it mean to say, "You're going to be taking that fight to bed with you for a long time. You don't gotta do it all now?"

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