Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. I keep forgetting this one’s coming out. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve been bad about seeing things so far this year, and I haven’t really kept up with what’s onscreen each weekend. I think I’ve only seen 12 or 13 new films so far this whole year. Is this one worth getting out for? Let’s see what Memflix has to say about it:
Memflix joining you with a look at Shooter, the new film directed by Antoine Fuqua. I have needed an action fix for a long time. I needed a contemporary, hard R, shoot ‘em up. I had hopes for Smokin’ Aces, but it didn’t do much for me. I knew what it was trying to be, but my desire didn’t include over-the-top tomfoolery. I know I could get the action from 300, but it isn’t the contemporary feel I crave. So when I saw that Wahlberg was being directed by a man known for his action, I was excited. I just left the screening of Shooter and my desire is far from sated. Did it have the action I craved? Yes. Well, what’s the problem? There are some possible spoilers coming, depending on your definition of spoilers. The film breaks down like this. THE SET UP- Army sniper and counter-intelligence trained, Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) was on a mission in Ethiopia . Something went wrong and he retired. THE STORY- Danny Glover (some unknown intelligence agent, with all the mystery of Gumby) goes to the cabin in the middle of nowhere where Swagger lives (not unlike the cabin from Commando). They want him to stage an assassination in an attempt to find the ‘real shooter,’ who has plans of eliminating the president. Someone is killed with a high powered rifle and is subsequently set-up. If you’ve seen a trailer then all of this you know. This premise is what got me hooked and ready to go. I was anticipating a simple, action packed race towards proving innocence. Fuqua has proved that he can stage an action scene, so this should’ve been a no-brainer for success. But… they had to get political. In doing so, the flow of action and suspense is rendered obsolete. About half way through, I didn’t know what I thought the filmmakers wanted me to feel. Shooter has a strong first hour, but it falls apart at the introduction of the main bad guy, Dick Cheney (different name, but same look, played with ultra-hamminess by Ned Beatty). Eventually, I realized I was watching political opinion in the guise of modern day action. Wahlberg plays it straight and convincing. I enjoyed the technical jargon and the detail provided, it explained to the moviegoer how hard and involved the job of a sniper is. Swagger is a step ahead of the baddies, which is common for these films, but where Shooter excels and most fail, is making it entirely believable. He is expertly trained. We know this, not just because we are told, but in his actions and precautions. He knows what he is doing. This movie truly pays respect to those who kill for “God & Country.” It just doesn’t pay respect to the ‘action movie mold,’ or any movie mold for that matter. Once the convolution sets in, I started to realize just how bad the acting was. Elias Koteas, who I usually respect, plays the stereotypical misogynist, sadist, creepy, greasy bad guy. Every time he was on screen, I lost interest. There is a subplot involving him towards the end that strongly motivates another character's actions, but it is never fleshed out or explained. Something was definitely left on the cutting room floor. The cutting tore the subplot to shreds. The entire thing should have been excised and Koteas’s character along with it Danny Glover was a one hit wonder with Murtaugh and even then, his acting was terrible. He is not a good actor. He tried a growl in his voice to make us think he was really acting! All that did was add to the ridiculousness of his performance. Rhona Mitra plays a straight laced FBI agent. Her beauty, while appreciated, was distracting. Other than Wahlberg, the only actor who deserves recognition is the uniquely beautiful Kate Mara. She isn’t given much to work with and at times, it seems like she’s trying to add depth against the film’s wishes. Hollywood should take a long look at this incredibly gorgeous woman who has great potential for the ‘leading lady’ roles. As for Fuqua, the problems lie mostly with the script, but he missed some high notes. When the shot rings out and kills the man Swagger is being framed for, there was too much confusion around Wahlberg to feel any tension. He misses several more. I know I was supposed to be thrilled or tense, I just wasn’t. It seemed like Fuqua wasn’t confident enough to pull those off, which is strange, because he did a good job of provoking those emotions with Training Day. The cinematography is crisp. The scenery is at times, breathtaking. The acting, the bewildering script, and the sloppy direction, made what could have been a great little action movie, into a mess that will ultimately be dismissed and forgotten.
