Artist: Movie ReviewTitle: Shooter (Film)Rating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Edwardo Jackson
Jaded patriot and retired gunnery sergeant turned reclusive
mountain man Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) is recruited to plot a
Presidential assassination attempt in order to prevent one by the
shadowy Col. Isaac Johnson (Dannny Glover). Guess what…setup! Bob
Lee goes on the run not only to prove his innocence but also to bring
down the cigar-smoking powers that be, armed only with his
counterintelligence training, itchy sharpshooter trigger finger, and
the aid of one intrepid rookie FBI agent (Michael Pena).
“Some people don’t know what to do when their belief system
collapses. Bob Lee is one of them.” No kidding, Col. Johnson. Living
up to its name right out the box, Shooter (Paramount Pictures) is, quite simply, a lot of
fun. Summery in its flashy cinematography, slo-mo explosions, and
NRA-approved exercising of our 2nd Amendment rights, Shooter is a
VERY smart action thriller that can make its detailed talk about
ballistics look as sexy as Wahlberg’s career-mandated, countless de
rigueur shirtless scenes (don’t fret, ladies; Marky Mark still has
more six-pack than a liquor sto’). Surprisingly, the brassy, ballsy
script by Jonathan Lemkin (The Devil’s Advocate) was adapted from the
first in a series of Bob Lee Swagger (gotta love that hillbilly
justice name, no?) books from Washington Post film critic Stephen
Hunter. Can you smell sequel?
That’s not to say this is a perfect (action) movie. Shooter has some
stock conventions (“information above your pay grade” talk went out
with Inside Man) but it never holds you back from the fun,
distracting you just when you need it with the tease of skin or bona
fide Michael Bay flames. Rising star Pena enjoys some moments
of earnest comic relief as Swagger’s slyly cynical but unlikely
spotter; Elias Koteas has a distinctly creepy, disgusting vibe for a
lackey henchman; and a whispery, hoarse-from-all-his-evildoing Glover
is gleefully villainous. For overkill, there’s Nip/Tuck’s Hades-hot
Rhona Mitra and the luminous Kate Mara (We Are Marshall), with her
reddish-brown tresses, light dusting of freckles, and scorching brown
eyes. Mark Wahlberg,
with his Ph. D. in Badassery, (Bob Lee) swaggers about the screen with
his hero’s squint and economy of words, a MacGyver of survival, taking
on all comers with an artillery that should get him on the cover of
“Guns & Ammo.” All held together by the formidable talents of Antoine
Fuqua’s eye for appealing landscapes, penchant for some rousing stage
combat, and love of a good car chase, Shooter hits its mark.
Edwardo Jackson (ReelReviewz@aol.com) is an author and LA-based screenwriter, visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com