Synopsis

A hard-edged military operative is assigned to locate the kidnapped daughter of a powerful government official. As the investigation moves through Washington's political circles, covert military networks, and an international trafficking operation, he discovers that the official story may be part of a larger cover-up. His mission forces him to question whom he serves and how far he can go to uncover the truth.

Factoids & Trivia

• Although the story includes scenes set in Dubai, those sequences were filmed in the Los Angeles area.

• Retired Delta Force operator Eric L. Haney served as the film's technical advisor and briefly appeared on screen. His collaboration with the production later helped lead to *The Unit*, the television series developed from his military experiences.

• Val Kilmer trained in knife fighting for the role, even though much of that preparation is not prominently shown in the finished film.

• The knife used by Robert Scott is a Severtech automatic knife known as "The Spartan." The model was designed specifically for the film.

• The line "One riot, one Ranger" appears in this film as part of a recurring piece of military dialogue associated with Mamet's work. It was also used in *House of Games* and later in *The Unit*.

• The film had its international premiere at the Bangkok International Film Festival on January 31, 2004, before opening in the United States on March 12, 2004.