wheelz-lv A former sniper (played by Mark Wahlberg) gets recruited by a secret government agency to investigate threats of a possible assassination attempt of the USA president. However he gets crossed and becomes the main assassination suspect himself, luckily he manages to escape and sets on a path to exact justice on those who are actually responsible.In my opinion, this one of the best movies starring Mark Wahlberg as a lead. The movie has a good story with some unexpected twists, so it keeps you entertained and guessing about what to expect next. For action fans there are plenty of chase and shootout scenes throughout the movie, and, of course, Hollywood likes those explosions whether or not there's an actual need for them :)Definitely worth your time.
Eric_Cubed Well, there's not too many that liked or even mildly appreciated "Shooter," but I am happy to say I am one of the few detractors. It's a formula for sure, but somehow by some miracle it all comes together as a very enjoyable film with a strong political message. Let's start with the acting. It turns out Marky Mark is a fairly fine actor in the right role, much like Brad Pitt (e.g. as Pitt appeared in 12 Monkeys). He gets into character, loses himself, and because he has this skill, the audience believes the character's hype, no matter how ingratiated. Michael Pena is the Latino call to Don Cheadle, two of the finest, most likable, most entertaining and most fun to watch actors of this generation or any other (see Pena's performance in Ant-Man, and Cheadle's role in Traitor for further evidence). Danny Glover, Elias Koteas and Ned Beatty are all pitch perfect (especially Beatty). The formulas' are aplenty and abound, which is why this is not a four start movie. The Fugitive template is used well, with the usual clichés: escaping protagonist after car crashes in the water, hero violates every law on the books and in the end is bafflingly exonerated, the token slow motion patriotic scene of Marky and a few others. But unlike the Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal or Nicolas Cage revenge flicks, this one comes with a strong message: political corruption is a conglomerate, and cutting off the head of the snack only results in another group of people, cartel-like, assuming the roles of their predecessors. "You can't kill human weakness with a gun," Beatty states, and deep down in our cultural hearts we know this is true, for our entire political institution is based and predicated on the weaknesses and vulnerability that created it (also known as the human condition): greed, avarice, jealousy, money, power, loss---they all figure in and are part and parcel of our organizational belief system (warrior values, simplistic either/or thinking, propaganda). It's Shakespearean, it's archetypal, and it's completely true, relatively, for all celluloid is a painted picture of the Zeitgeist Gestalt (the notion that art, that being movies in this case, imitates life and vice-versa). And in America, the our system is essentially narcissistic, grandiose, entitled, arrogant, self-absorbed. Objectifying with abandon. Sadly, that is our generational norm, our legacy, one we must change if everyone is to survive. Perhaps this is a bit too much to read into "Shooter," but the sensibility, the nuance of what I am getting at is still there. So 3/4 stars! Watch it NOW!!!!
witster18 Really strong start.Wahlberg is perfect for the role. "Shooter" is a nice mix of "The FUgitive" and "Jack Reacher".The action is great, and Wahlberg's acting here, which is mostly physical, is really good. There's some decent actors in ing roles, but it's the political stuff that really 'gets in the way' here. WHen the film starts to dive a little too far into the political realm late, it really only highlights the improbability and ridiculousness of it all. We could have just shortened things a bit and left all of that a little more vague and it would have worked so much better.Or better yet, traded some of that stuff for the possible love-connection, while politically incorrect, might have added some spice with a little more impact than the political meanderings. It's like the ideas in the plot were good, but the execution failed. I think the writing in some of those scenes just kinda makes it seem a bit over-the-top. For example a late scene where he meets with the Secretary of defense and others is just awful. The pipeline stuff and mass-grave stuff are really good ideas, but the writing and scenarios/scenes for these ideas never come to fruition. BUT, there's a lot of good here. When they're not overdoing the political stuff, they're making an excellent action film. All the sniper-stuff is just cool, and Michael Pena is always a great under-rated casting.THis is a strong "6", and for action fans, I can certainly recommend this. Could've salvaged a 7 if not for some late/weak scenes.
