Although the plot gets away towards the ending of the film, Shooter is still an entertaining ride with even a few moments of suspense thrown in for good measure. The movie also manages to pack in plenty of action to keep the audience interested in what is happening on the screen.
Shooter was directed by Antoine Fuqua (who knows how to handle big action scenes thanks to films like Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, and the Replacement Killers). It was based on the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter (who has written several books about his Bob Lee Swagger character). The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, Danny Glover, Kate Mara, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, and Ned Beatty. Let me say up front, I have not read any of Hunter’s novels about Swagger so I am not sure how close the film followed Point of Impact.
In the movie, Wahlberg is Bob Lee Swagger – a master marksman for the military who becomes a recluse living in the mountains after a job goes wrong and his spotter is killed. He is coaxed back into government work by Colonel Isaac Johnson (Glover). It seems there has been a threat made on the life of the president, and Swagger is the best chance the government’s got at figuring out if it can be done. After some soul searching, Swagger agrees to help stop the shooter. However, he soon finds out that it is a setup, and he is the fall guy for the assassination attempt (there is more to the shooting, but I don’t want to give it away).
On the run, Swagger is forced to seek help from his dead spotter’s girlfriend Sarah Fenn (Mara), and FBI agent Nick Memphis (Peña) – who believe Swagger is innocent. He also has to deal with being hunted by Johnson and his secret squad of soldiers looking to tie up loose ends before it can be traced back to his boss Senator Charles F. Meachum (Beatty). Unfortunately, Johnson figured Swagger would just stay on the run, and isn’t quite prepared when Swagger decides to go to war with him to clear his name.
This is where the movie gets really good. There are lots of big action scenes with Swagger putting his marksman skills to good use; using homemade napalm to wipe out multiple bad guys; and even showing some skills at hand to hand combat.
While all the action is going on, Swagger muddles through the mystery of who set him up, and starts to put the clues together. This leads to a showdown in the snow; another showdown in a government office; and a final showdown – which sets us up for a sequel (which I am not opposed to seeing).
While Shooter has some faults, Fuqua makes sure his movie is entertaining enough for the audience to look pass its problems. The film’s pace never really slows enough for you to notice the weaker moments of the script or the improbability of some of the things Wahlberg manages to accomplish throughout the film ("MacGyver" would be proud). The sniper scenes are cool, provide some thrills, and Fuqua manages to match the look and feel of some of the recent “realistic” spy thrillers (such as the Jason Bourne films).
Wahlberg fits the Swagger role (much the same way Matt Damon fits Jason Bourne), but sometimes wobbles a bit on the dialogue. More than once it seems he is simply reading his lines with no real idea about what he is talking about. Glover and Peña provide solid performances in the film, and work in their roles. Glover is a natural villain, and seems to be enjoying the chance to play a bad guy. Peña works as the new recruit not quite sure if he is doing the right thing, and not fully sure how much he can trust Swagger.
While I liked the film, parts of the movie really annoyed me. For some reason, the actors chose to mumble their lines left and right (especially Glover who talks in a whisper most the time). While this might add some suspense from time to time, it also makes the film’s plot a bit murky to follow. It is a little thing to complain about, but I found myself having to back the film up and turn on the subtitles just so I could figure out what was being said. This doesn’t ruin the film, but might annoy some viewers like it did me.
The film’s ending is also a bit of a disappointment. It is almost like Fuqua and company wasn’t sure how they should end the film. Instead, we get several showdowns which make you start waiting for the credits rather than enjoying the movie. I did like the final conclusion, and how it was left opened for a sequel without being obvious about it. Again, I haven’t read the books so I am not sure how closely it followed what Hunter did in the novel.
The DVD comes with some decent special features that fans of the film will enjoy, but are fairly standard for this kind of release. The first is a commentary track with Fuqua – where the director talks about the film’s visual effects, realism, and the politics involved in the film’s plot. There is a 21 minute “Survival of the Fittest: The Making of Shooter” which follows the film from the creation of the plot to the filming. The seven-minute “Independence Hall” was interesting and features the film’s military advisor discussing what went into the shooting of the film’s assassination scene. Finally, there are seven deleted scenes – which run about 11 minutes and expand a bit more on characters.
Although Shooter probably isn’t the best film from Fuqua or Wahlberg, it does manage to keep the audience entertained. It is fairly predictable, but Fuqua and company keep the action cranked up so the audience stays into what is happening on screen. If you enjoy action films with some suspense, I would recommend Shooter.
Shooter is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an August 13th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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