I just saw Spartan today. It was a pretty good movie. It wasn't all that original, but it was written and directed in such a way that for the most part it had the feel of an orginal movie. You can never expect too much from these sort of thrillers. Mystery about some crime/international incident, backroom politics leads to a double-cross, running from the very people you worked with, pushing forward when you should have played it smart and done the wrong thing, and then conclusion. It's usually the same, but a good movie in this genre will usually leave you feeling like you sorta knew what was going on, gives you a legitimate twist and then takes you for a pretty good ride.
Val Kilmer was as cool as ever. Ever since Top Secret he has been one of my favorite actors that just has that aura of cool. Tia Texada is in the movie and I can't figure out if she is pretty or not. They seem to have used a lot of makeup on her, and there is something askew about her lips and her face in general. She has that Michelle Rodriguez look, where you are sorta attracted to her, but there is something "off" yet perhaps that is why she is attractive. Not necessarily beautiful, but attractive in the actual definition of the word. That is there is something that attracts you to her.
Of course I could be crazy but perhaps that is the real charm, like the imperfect stamp that is actually more valuable than if it was perfect.