Review of Shooter (2007) by Olaolu A — 17 Apr 2012

A solidly entertaining, fast-paced thriller that should satisfy anyone on the hunt for a decent adrenaline rush. It delivers what most would expect from this sort of movie including a likable hero, detestable villains and lots and lots of action. It's nothing new but it's rendered with consummate professionalism and skill by director Antoine Fuqua, who's probably best known for the darker and grittier crime thriller, Training Day, which was his sophomore effort. This time around, his efforts are more straightforward but no less assured. The pacing is tight and energetic and the plot is sufficiently developed so that it doesn't seem like just a flimsy excuse for the set pieces but things don't get so convoluted that the movie runs the risk of losing the audience.

One refreshing aspect of this film is that it doesn't feature a hero who's completely made of stone. Like many leads in these sorts of films, Bobby Lee Swagger (man, I betcha no one would *ever* think "total redneck" with that name!) is resourceful and quick-witted but he isn't completely devoid of emotion and he will bleed if you prick him (or, more appropriately, kick, punch or shoot him). The film's rather straightforward, kick-ass-and-take-names approach harkens back to the actions flicks of the late 80's and early to mid-90's; however, one notable difference here is that instead of Schwarzenegger, Stallone or Keanu Reeves in the lead, we have Mark Wahlberg, who has built a reputation for being a solid actor rather than merely being just an action icon. For the former-rapper-turned-actor, this role was the immediate follow-up to his Oscar-nominated role in The Departed; here, he gets the opportunity to play a more conventional character who is far less abrasive and more admirable. With Wahlberg in the lead, it doesn't take any time at all for us to get behind Swagger and root for him to get back at the people who framed him for an assassination.

It also helps that it's just as easy to despise the villains as it is to cheer on the hero. As a corrupt Senator and his two cohorts in crime, Ned Beatty, Danny Glover and Elias Koteas all create characters for whose comeuppances we would actively clamor. In the case of Koteas' character, Jack Payne, I personally wanted to kill him myself after one particularly heinous act - although, thankfully, the incident was merely implied and not shown. Not that I wasn't any less unfavorably disposed toward Beatty and Glover in this particular film. It takes good actors to make you hate their characters with such white-hot fervor and you'll likely be wishing all three of these creeps dead before the end of the first reel so I would say the actors succeeded in their jobs. Other notables in the cast include Michael Pena, as a cop who becomes Swagger's ally after being initially distrustful of him, and Kate Mara as Sarah the widow of one of Swagger's Marine buddies (if you can't guess what how things will develop between Bobby and Sarah, you seriously need to watch more movies).

As with many politically-inflected action flicks of this sort, this movie is very much a product of its time. Back in 2007, when this film hit movie screens, Bush was still in office and the general consensus was one of cynicism toward the political process. That spirit comes across here from time to time but this film is far more interested in pumping the adrenaline than in becoming a polemic. Sure, it occasionally takes aim at certain aspects of the political system but no one attends this sort of movie for a lecture on politics; they show up for two hours of no-frills entertainment and in that regard, this movie delivers the goods. For anyone on the hunt for some testosterone-fueled escapism, this Shooter definitely hits its mark.