SHOOTER
***
R for strong graphic violence and some language.
2 hrs. 6 min.
written by: Jonathan Lemkin (screenplay) & Stephen Hunter (novel 'Point of Impact')
produced by: Lorenzo Di Bonaventura & Ric Kidney
directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Here's a well executed movie that feels like when of those solid, well-paced thrillers from the 80's. That's a compliment. It'd be far too easy to dismiss director Antoine Fuqua's film as mindless multiplex mayhem, but that's not the case here. there's a lil bit more to this movie than what you might be expecting. Underneath all the conspiracy and crazy action, there's actually a good degree of jabbing at the current administration. Imagine that! It's not out of context, it definitely fits the feel and story. You have to wonder just how many viewers caught on to the not-so-thinly-veiled caricatures of the government's elite. Watching this film and noticing all this, I had no idea if any political statements I was catching was in Washington Post film critic Stephen Hunter's novel (upon which Fuqua's film is based). Could be that adapter Jonathan Lemkin elevated a few things, making it a bit more timely a film that would otherwise be nothing more than a straight-to-video snooze.
The....um, shooter is Bob Lee Swagger (
Mark Wahlberg), who, if his name didn't give it away, is a die-hard American patriot, proud to serve his country and lay down his life, if need be. Trained as a covert scout sniper, Swagger's got an eye for laying waste to targets that are far beyond the range of most normal gunmen. After a black-ops mission goes sour in Ethiopa where his spotter, Danny (
Lane Garrison) is killed in a messed-up government fiasco, he hangs it up and spends his days in the mountains of
Wyoming with his dog. Of course if he stayed there, what what the shooter be shooting? Wildlife? Well, the government knows his number still and Swagger gets dragged back into service by shady Colonel Isaac Johnson (
Danny Glover). Asked to map out a hypothetical assassination attempt on the president's life, it's not long before Swagger finds himself framed for a murder he didn't commit and on the run with two bullets in him, trying to keep away from the long arm of the corrupt, morally twisted law.
Swagger makes it to
Kentucky where he manages to take refuge with Donnie's widow Sarah Fenn (
Kate Mara). She saves his life by removing the bullets embedded in his body, and soon a healing Swagger hooks up with the only who other person he thinks can help him, novice FBI agent Nick Memphis (
Michael Peña). Turns out
Memphis was blamed for allowing Swagger's escape, and in the process of being disciplined for negligence has independently learned that Swagger may have been framed for the assassination by rogue elements within CIA. Swagger hooks up with
Memphis just in time as he winds up saving his life from some rogue government spooks, in one of the many very cool sniper scenes.
The film unfolds like a surprisingly old-school action flick, replete with tough guy walks to camera filmed in slo-mo, a wise old munitions expert (
Levon Helm, formerly of The Band) who guides Swagger in his quest and devious machinations overseen by high-ranking government officials, like Senator Charles F. Meachum (
Ned Beatty). Plenty of stuff goes boom, in fact stuff goes boom big-time;
Mark Wahlberg gets to mutter plenty of giggle-inducing lines under his breath --
"I don't think you understand - these people killed my dog" is one of the more amusing snippets -- and Fuqua gets to show off just what he does best: filming frenetic action sequences that look incredibly alluring and brutally violent, often simultaneously.
There is plenty to like here if you think this kinda movie is your bag. The casting was good, I usually am not a huge fan of Wahlberg but he fit the part well here. I have to say it does have some of the best sniper scenes I've ever seen, so if you're into the technical and precision aspects of taking out a target from miles away, then this one's for you. Another thing that sold me on the film was actor
Elias Koteas as a baddie henchmen working for Glover's Colonel. Anything he's in, I'm there. Unfortunately.
Rhona Mitra is underused as possibly the only FED who can assist Nick Memphis in helping Swagger. Too Bad, I like her. Appearing to be mindless on the surface but raging against the political machine just beneath it, "
Shooter" ultimately comes off as an odd blend of slightly lefty while maintaining some deeply red state beliefs about, among other things, the right to bear arms. It's a little cheesy, a little murky but entertaining in a way that only big-budget studio shoot-'em-ups can be.