Shooter

By: Major Issues

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, Kate Mara, Tate Donovan, Michael Pena
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
 
It may have taken those Hollywood suits longer than the Vietnam War to do it, but by Abraham’s whiskers they’ve finally got it right. When you’ve got to assassinate a major political target, by God you call in the marines!

I’ve seen more movies about killing dignitaries that have botched up this vital element than I’ve had rationed dinners in some south east Asian jungle. Why on God’s green earth a heavily financed government agency would go to mercenaries or red necks to pull an assassination off, I’ll never know. Especially when they could go to their country’s highly trained military snipers to do it, and eliminate the need for the word ‘attempted’.

You can imagine how thrilled I was then, when I saw Shooter. Those of you have not had the pleasure of watching this fine film give me 20, then listen up!

Highly trained marine sharpshooter Bob Lee Swagger (Marky Marksman Wahlberg) is sent home from his tour of the Middle East after his spotter is killed during a scouting mission. Why he was sent home I have no idea. Why he’d want to live a quiet life in the woods instead of blowing up insurgents I have even less idea. Those questions get neatly put to the side when he is wisely called back into service when the government learns of a plot to kill the president.

What happens next gets a bit complicated for you pansies to grasp, so I’ll make is as simple as possible. He is set up as the suspect shooter, gets shot, then sets out to take his revenge.

Needless to say, numbnuts, that when one highly trained marine is out for vengeance, there are not too many things that will stop him from completing his mission, which Swagger does in style. Considering he has a swag of military issue equipment at his disposals, was there really any doubt. He’s a highly trained fighting machine, goddamit – adapt and hand-to-hand combat, guerilla warfare, medical procedures, and of course, has a specialty in camouflage and sniper tactics.

The man is a credit to his country and the armed forces. If you have any interest in seeing how a marine would survive in an urban environment, being hunted down by local law enforcement, then you got two choices.

1. Watch First Blood
2. Watch Shooter.

Do I make myself clear?

Verbatim:
Bob Lee Swagger: “You don't understand how serious this is. They killed my dog.”

In a word: Bullseye