The Winslow Boy (1999) and after: State and Main (2000), Heist (2001), Spartan (2004), Boston Marriage (1999)

Mamet followed the successes of 1997 with another superb film, The Winslow Boy, in 1999. Much of the work thereafter, however, has been characterised by looser structures and a seemingly wilful obscurity or controversial subject matter, possibly in keeping with the new roles he adopted as columnist for the Guardian and blogger for the online Huffington Post. Only with the television series The Unit (2006-present), devised and sometimes written and directed by Mamet, and currently in its third season, has he returned to popular acclaim.