STARSKY & HUTCH Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller – the comedy duo of this decade apparently - score once more with this fun remake of the 1970’s TV series "Starsky and Hutch." I don’t remember too much of the original series but I am sure this adaptation is an improvement; it is set as a prequel to the series and shows how Starsky & Hutch came to be a crime-fighting team. Stiller and Wilson play true to form with Starsky (Stiller) the uptight by the book detective who drives away partners who don’t share his single minded devotion to the letter of the law, while Hutch (Wilson) is the type of cop who supplements his income by robbing the bad guys while claiming he is working "undercover." They are assigned to work the case of a murder victim washed up in the bay (there is a wonderful scene in which Starsky has to convince Hutch not to push the body back out to sea, so someone else can find it and deal with it) and uncover a plot to widely distribute a new and improved type of cocaine (nicknamed "New Coke") spearheaded by Vince Vaughn, an evil mastermind/corrupt businessman. You can predict how this movie will go but there is fun to be had along the way, most of it in the interaction between the two stars. Also along for the ride is Snoop Dogg, playing Huggy Bear, an informant who gets to go undercover in fabulous way and Will Farrell, as a convicted felon with a dragon fetish. I am sure we will see a sequel to this prequel in 2005, and that’s not a bad thing. SPARTAN This new film by playwright David Mamet is without question the most exciting movie out there right now. Mamet dispenses with all the movie clichés so celebrated by the cop-movie genre and goes right into his streamlined story of international intrigue and espionage. Val Kilmer stars as a government operative who is assigned to the case when the daughter of the President of the United States is kidnapped, and who is drawn increasingly into a situation he doesn’t understand. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to watch a film that has so much trust in itself and in its audience that it doesn’t stoop to spoonfeeding its plot to you. While "Starsky & Hutch" is defined by its predictability, you really can’t tell which way "Spartan" will go from one minute to the next. Motivations aren’t clear, betrayal is everywhere, characters die when you don’t expect them to and it all comes together in the end. I really don’t want to reveal too much of the plot here cause the surprises are worth it – so do go see this film. Excellent supporting performances by Kristen Bell as the kidnapped first daughter, Derek Luke and Tia Taxada as government agents who try to help Kilmer, and the always stellar William H. Macy as a high level Presidential advisor who has his own motivations in the case. April Roberts ~ aroberts310@nyc.rr.com