Shooter (2007/I)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Lemkin (screenplay)
Stephen Hunter (novel)

Release Date:

23 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Yesterday was about honor. Today is about justice.

Plot:

A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, he goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why.

Plot Keywords:

President | Marksman | Colonel | Framed | Offscreen Rape

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 15	8:00 PM	TMC
Tue. July 21	5:55 PM	TMC

Cast

Mark Wahlberg	...	Bob Lee Swagger
Michael Peña	...	Nick Memphis
Danny Glover	...	Colonel Isaac Johnson
Kate Mara	...	Sarah Fenn
Elias Koteas	...	Jack Payne
Rhona Mitra	...	Alourdes Galindo
Jonathan Walker	...	Louis Dobbler
Justin Louis	...	Howard Purnell
Tate Donovan	...	Russ Turner
Rade Serbedzija	...	Michael Sandor (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Alan C. Peterson	...	Officer Stanley Timmons
Ned Beatty	...	Senator Charles F. Meachum
Lane Garrison	...	Donnie Fenn
Zak Santiago	...	Senior Agent
Michael-Ann Connor	...	Junior Agent

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #43368) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Malaysia:18SG | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Germany:18 | Denmark:15 | Sweden:15 | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA | Japan:PG-12 | France:U | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Canada:18A | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | India:A

Filming Locations:

Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The left-wing website zmag.org can be seen on Swagger's laptop while he is reading the 9/11 Commission report. Zmag publishes articles by, amongst other academics, Noam Chomsky.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The pipeline shown at the beginning of the movie clearly shows "head pipes" on the support structures on either side of the pipeline. These prevent permafrost from melting from the frictional heating of flowing oil. Permafrost heaving is not a major concern of Ethiopian pipeline builders.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Donnie Fenn: Movement. Two men. Approximately... forty goats.
Bob Lee Swagger: They're not on anybody's side. We don't have to shoot them.

Movie Connections:

References Per un pugno di dollari (1964)

Soundtrack:

Nasty Letter

Recipe for a fantastic, intelligent action film

If you were to take the best parts of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series (Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger, Sum of All Fears) and mixed in the best parts of the only good Rambo film (First Blood) you would end up with something akin to Shooter. Shooter is a smart, engaging and all out enjoyable action flick that never pulls its punches and always surprises you when you least expect it.

Mark Whalberg plays the role of Bob Lee Swagger, a former military sniper who quit the army following a disastrous mission where his best friend and spotter is killed when they are left behind. Three years later he is hired by a Colonel (played with gusto by Danny Glover) to figure out how a suspected assassin is going to attempt to kill the President from over a mile away, a shot that few could make. Swagger figures out how it is going to be done and is asked to supervise locating the sniper on site. But on the day of the supposed assassination, Swagger is set up with the assassination attempt that kills a visiting diplomat. Swagger is then left on the hunt while trying to prove his innocence.

Shooter twists and turns with an elaborate conspiracy that is very convincing, though of course the writers wimp out and take the cheap road of drawing international oil into the plot (can't writers think of an original plot device?). However, this is hardly a drawback since the rest of the film is solid as a rock. The film really puts you into the shoes of a sniper and gives an impressive overview of the mindset that it takes to be as accurate as someone of the character of Swagger.

The only real distractions in the film would be Elias Koteas, whose psycho performance is heavy-handed and does not fit the film, and Kate Mara who has little to do throughout the film but appear upset or in distress. The film could have done without either characters or their respective actors. As well, some of the character relations seem forced at time, particularly in the relationship between Michael Peña's character of Nick Memphis and his FBI confidante Lourdes, played by Rhona Mitra. Their almost effortless camaraderie comes off as less than convincing.

Overall, Shooter certainly delivers as an entertaining thrill-ride that is certainly not dumbed down in the least. If you want an intelligent action film with lots of impressive gun play and several elaborate, thrilling action sequences to boot, Shooter is right up your alley and will not disappoint. 7.6 out of 10