Movie Review: Shooter by ME

Title: Shooter
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Rhona Mitra, Danny Glover
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua
Produced By: Erik Howsam, Mark Johnson, Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Genre: Action/Adventure, Thriller and Adaptation
Release Date: March 23rd, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
Distributors: Paramount Pictures

Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg), a former Marine Corps sniper who leaves the military after a mission goes bad. After he is reluctantly pressed back into service, Swagger is double-crossed again. With two bullets in him and the subject of a nationwide manhunt, Swagger begins his revenge, which will take down the most powerful people in the country. -Yahoo! Movies

Shooter tries really hard to break out of the standard double cross revenge flick. And while giving one hell of an effort, the end result is the same, even with the mild, yet slightly confusing twist to the story. Marky Mark (those jokes never get old do they?) proves once again that he can scowl real well and mumble half of his lines. What's different about Shooter is we get to see him shoot numerous people in the head from varying distances. Also, this movie tries to toss to much of a "message" in amongst the action. I just wanted to see a straight up action flick, like Commando! Sounds like I didn't like the movie doesn't it? Wrong, I enjoyed this movie well enough and I know that my father is going to love it. It has everything an action movie needs to be a success.

The real stand out to me was Michael Pena who plays FBI Agent Nick Memphis. He is first introduced as the inept agent who lets Swagger get away. Up for a review in which he will most likely lose his job, he decides to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of a situation that just doesn't seem to add up. He ends up helping Swagger deal out his version of justice and provides a lot of the humor. Which you know every action film has to have a healthy dose of. Wahlberg is Wahlberg, he has a certain gruff appeal and that's that. Danny Glover and Ned Beatty try to be the bad guys but I will forever see them as Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon and Otis from Superman respectively. Kate Mara plays Sarah Fenn the ex-wife of Swaggers Army buddy that gets killed in the beginning of the movie. Who also just happens to be the only person he can turn to for help after getting shot. The one real surprise is that usually in a film like this Fenn would be a love interest for Swagger, and while this doesn't happen you can tell that it actually did and was edited out, quite badly I might add.

I said earlier that I liked this movie and I think I still do. I should probably try and back that statement with some proof huh? Well, the effects were great, exploding helicopters, numerous head shots, napalm bombs, self surgery and even a dismemberment. Cast wise, Elias Koteas, who I remember as Casey Jones in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is great as a sadistic henchman of Danny Glover. One of the best scenes for me is when Swagger and Memphis go see a shooting expert in the mountains of Tennessee. The old man that they see is just absolutely hilarious and almost worth the price of admission alone. And what man can resist Kate Mara in a bra wielding a shotgun?

Even though my arguments seem to cancel each other out I would still recommend this to action junkies; at least for a matinée showing. I plan on renting it on DVD if that's any indication.

Until we see Marky Mark and the Deadly Funky Commando Bunch,
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Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com