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.

The Prophecy - 1995

First Look International, NEO Motion Pictures, Overseas FilmGroup

Written and Directed by Gregory Widen

Cast:

• Thomas Dagget – Elias Koteas
• Gabriel – Christopher Walken
• Katherine – Virginia Madsen
• Simon – Eric Stoltz
• Lucifer – Viggo Mortensen
• Jerry – Adam Goldberg
• Mary – Moriah “Shining Dove” Snyder
• Rachel – Amanda Plummer
• Joseph – Steve Hytner

Story: A young man is about to become a priest. He prostrates himself before the cardinal, is prepared to say his vows, but suddenly a vision comes over him, a vision so bleak and full of despair, he cannot continue. Flash forward several years to this same young man, now a Los Angeles police officer, who is called to a murder scene normally off his shift. A man has been run over by a car in an alley and smashed into a wall. In the room the man has jumped, or was pushed, from, is a copy of a book written by Thomas Dagget, the police officer who wanted to be a priest. The coroner informs Dagget of some irregularities with the body. He has no, nor has ever had, eyes. His bones have no indication of growth. And in his possessions is a hand written Bible with an extra chapter that refers to a second war in heaven. Soon Dagget discovers he is caught in the crossfire in a war between angels over the right of man to be in heaven.

Review: After his incredible success with the Highlander franchise, Gregory Widen wrote and directed this incredible eerie tale of suspense and horror. The characters are crisp and fresh, and the cast depicts them with an eerie sense of reality. Elias Koteas is incredibly adept at his role, portraying the disillusioned Dagget with a humanity we can all associate with. Eric Stoltz is adept at his role as Simon, the angel from the forces loyal to God's will concerning man. Christopher Walken is the perfect Gabriel, smiling and deceptive, treating us “talking monkeys” with the same sort of casual disdain as one may treat a retarded child. Virginia Madsen plays the lone teacher for what remains of an abandoned mining town, and she portrays the role in such a manner as to have us believing she has taught school for years. While the remainder of the cast is proficient and talented in their roles, special mention has to be made of Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer. He delivers his lines with such precision of depth and directness, you can believe he is the devil incarnate. Rated R for violence, gore and language, this is truly a work of art. Collectible as the first in a series of five films, or by itself as just an incredible work of fiction and the imagination of Gregory Widen.