SHOOTER: ALMOST HITS ITS MARK
One man against a government that we shouldn’t trust, Shooter has a dark look that resonates in today’s society. Mark Wahlberg, playing the title character, is a little over the top. Director Antoine Fuqua ((Training Day) doesn’t trust the government anymore than he trusts our police officers.
Bobby Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) used to be a sniper for the military. He retired after his best friend and he were abandoned in Ethiopia to die by their employer. His best friend was killed. He now lives in a cabin alone with his dog. He doesn’t trust the government but has a high sense of duty to his country. Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover) visits Bobby Lee and asks him to serve his country one more time. He needs Swagger’s help to prevent the president from being assassinated. When Swagger gives in and helps, he is framed for the murder of Ethiopia’s prime minister. He goes on the run with the help of his best friend’s widow (Kate Mara) and FBI agent Nick Memphis (Michael Pena).
The story has predictable elements. You can see from the minute that Colonel Johnson pulls up to Swagger’s cabin that he is up to no good. Same goes for the help you know will come from FBI Agent Nick Memphis. But the film becomes less predictable in second half. It brings the message that justice is not always served as it should be. Wahlberg is militant and hard as Bobby Lee. Isolating himself in the woods, tracking the internet like a conspiracy theorist, he even has a big dog that drinks beer. It almost feels like a beer commercial on how to be a real man. Shots of the American flag flying convey that we question our government but we are nonetheless patriotic. The action is nonstop. You can see Pena’s character move over to Swagger’s side when they are talking to a man to try and find the real killer. Pena wears a Che Guevara t-shirt, making the scene a little too obvious.
Swagger’s character could be less clichéd, less like Rambo. This would have made it easier to take him seriously and believe in his cause. And even though the second half was less predictable, the first could have used a little polishing.
Shooter is worth watching for the action and second half of movie. Just add this to the number of movies that don’t trust today’s government. But it’s patriotic to question them, nonetheless.
Report Card:
Story-B-
Acting-B-
Visuals-C
Originality/Innovation-B
Enjoyability Grade–B.
DVD Extras-B
Overall Grade-B-
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