Shooter - 2007

Paramount Pictures, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Grosvenor Park Impact Productions

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Cast:

• Bob Lee Swagger – Mark Wahlberg
• Nick Memphis – Michael Pena
• Col. Isaac Johnson – Danny Glover
• Sarah Fenn – Kate Mara
• Jack Payne – Elias Koteas
• Alourdes Galindo – Rhona Mitra
• Michael Sandor – Rade Serbedzija
• Sen. Charles Meachem – Ned Beatty

Story: A Marine Sniper and his spotter are assigned to a covert operation with the CIA in Africa. As the team they are covering is withdrawing, they take out enemy targets, but they are much larger and better equipped than they were led to believe. During the battle, the spotter is killed, but the sniper, Sgt. Bob Lee Swagger, manages to escape without the support of the team in charge of the operation. Two weeks later, the CIA operative in charge suddenly disappears without a trace, and Swagger retires. Three years later, Swagger is living alone in the mountains, his only companion his dog. He gets a visit from Col. Johnson who wants Bob Lee to plan an assassination of the President in order to prevent the real thing from taking place, or so he is told. Systematically, Bob Lee is framed for the assassination of an African Archbishop who is on the dais with the President during a speech in Philadelphia, and he enlists the aid of his spotter's ex-wife and a suspended FBI agent to get to the bottom of the matter and prove his innocence.

Review: Don't you wish guys like this existed? Along the lines of Batman and The Punisher, this character is the epitome of a modern “superhero” who survives attempt after attempt to kill him and ultimately knows the game of war better than the professionals. Mark Wahlberg is exceptionally suited to this role as the rough and tough Marine disillusioned at his country's treatment and sanctioning of “black ops” while abandoning the men who carry them out. Michael Pena is the young FBI agent overcome by Wahlberg as he is making his escape from the men trying to kill him. Pena develops the character with finesse, so you believe the transition he undergoes from FBI agent to Swagger's assistant and contemporary. Kate Mara as Sarah Fenn is refreshing and believable, moving from confusion to commitment to rage in her efforts to help Swagger. Elias Koteas is the brutal, cold and ruthless enforcer whose experiences have led him to believe he is above the law. Both Danny Glover and Ned Beatty are impeccable as Col. Johnson and Sen. Meachem, the villains behind the scene, all more villainous because the operate under the guise of law. Overall the film is quick and tight, with clearly defined good guys and bad guys, and the cinematography, photography, and script are a perfect fit. Rated R for violence, language, and sexual sadism, it is sad to say the teens have probably seen this level of violence in the online games they play, but the little ones probably don't need to see it. Collectible if you like action genre films, or just like good stories.