The new trend among Hollywood hitters looking to bag quick bucks is shooting big-budget TV commercials. But if they're going to bank on their silver screen credentials, shouldn't their ads be judged accordingly? To review a new crop of spots directed by Oscar nominees and box office giants, Radar coralled their counterparts: movie critics.

In the first installment of Spot Reviews, we ask Jeff Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere, Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel, and Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune to weigh in on Ford commercials by David Mamet, the man behind State and Main, Ronin, and Wag the Dog. The pair of ads show two men in darkened cars, speaking in swift, wry tones about the Ford Edge's charms when compared to luxury autos like Lexus and BMW.

Jeff Wells: "Mamet made me laugh out loud, and that's significant. I love the term "library quiet" and those actors say it twice. Talky, obviously, but succinct and to the point. The only weird thing is that faint homoerotic undercurrent, which is not like Mamet at all. The way those guys are looking at each other ... I don't know, but they're a little too good looking and using that subtle, smoothy smile on each other—and I'm telling you right now that straight guys don't talk to each other this way about cars. So it's basically Ford by way of Mamet by way of Jean Genet and Rainer Werner Fassbinder."

Roger Moore: "Mamet's Ford commercials you'd recognize as Mamet or somebody else imitating Mamet in a flash. Shadowy faces deliver staccato dialogue, delivered like a Tommy gun from a gangster film noir. I thought those were imitation Mamet until I read otherwise."

Colin Covert: "Here is Mamet in all his manly gravitas. Each word, each angle is precisely chosen for maximum effect. Terse dialogue. Tense showdowns in dark, mean alleyways. Chin stubble. Who knew that an economy car had trunk room for so much testosterone? Mamet is taking us to the edge ... Ford Edge, that is."

The Final Verdict: Strong enough for the Midwest, but gay enough for the coasts. This little chunk of classic Mamet will sell Fords to football players and interior designers alike. Four out of five stars.