March 12, 2004

David Mamet may not be a great filmmaker, but with this moody political thriller he proves himself, once again, to be a thrillingly competent one. His tightly coiled plot and swift, economical direction shows up the bloat and incoherence that afflict most Hollywood suspense pictures these days, and the many little touches of Mametude — jagged one-liners, swaggering repartee, William H. Macy — make it unusually flavorful. Val Kilmer, his sorrowful cool nicely suited to the fiercely stylized acting Mr. Mamet requires, plays a secret agent who must rescue the kidnapped daughter of a prominent politician. The plot's twists and turns ultimately lead nowhere very interesting, but for much of its running time the picture hums along beautifully, fueled by a potent mix of technical assurance and professional braggadocio. — A. O. Scott

Article on 1/64-scale slot car racing, which is growing in popularity across America; distributors and raceway owners say group numbers in tens of thousands; most drivers are men age 30 to 60 who collect and race high-performance versions of toys they played with as children; photos (M)

Japan's Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus, affiliate of DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi Motors, says faulty design might have been cause in several accidents, including fatal one, involving wheels falling off moving trucks; Mitsubishi Fuso will recall 45,000 trucks to repair defective wheels (S)

Martha Stewart will learn soon whether she will be allowed to continue to be creative influence at company that bears her name; such role may not be acceptable to shareholders, business partners, shoppers and securities regulators; Stewart is not only founder, former chairwoman and fromer chief executive of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, but she is also largest shareholders; she is able to override votes of all other shareholders as woner of most of B shares; photos (M)

New York State education officials tell New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I Klein that Michele Cahill, his choice for Deputy Chancellor, will not be approved by state, prompting him to name high-ranking superintendent Carmen Farina acting deputy chancellor instead; Farina replaces Diana Lam, who resigned when accused of making inappropriate hiring choices; some in New York City Mayor Michael R Bloomberg camp worry that latest slam against Klein will reflect poorly on Bloomberg; photos (M)