Wahlberg and Cast Save Shooter

Shooter, the new action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg, is one of the few films of its genre in wide release early this spring. Like many action films, it is predictable and preposterous in its plotting and unabashedly so. And yet Wahlberg and his supporting cast are engaging enough to make the film a fun romp in high adventure escapism. Cast members of lesser talent may have dialed in their performances and collected their paychecks with minimal effort, which would have reduced the film to yet another forgettable action yarn. Thankfully, the actors and a somewhat talented crew nearly rise above the material, making Shooter a mildly memorable action drama.

The film owes pieces of its story to a number of highly successful movies from recent years. Its plot is reminiscent of those in Tears of the Sun, Training Day, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshalls, and it even includes a small dose of Rambo: First Blood. Familiar plot elements shouldn’t come as a total surprise. Shooter was directed by Antoine Fuqua, the talented filmmaker who directed Tears of the Sun and Training Day. While Shooter may not be the best film in this lot, it is marginally better than at least a few of them.

Wahlberg portrays Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-US military marksman who drifts into seclusion after losing a very close friend while trying to escape from enemy territory. He’s lured back into duty to try and prevent an assassination attempt on the President of the United States. An African government official is killed instead, and Swagger is subsequently framed for the murder and the assassination attempt. Swagger enlists help from Sarah Fenn, the fiancée of Swagger’s deceased friend, and teams up with a young FBI agent to find out who was ultimately responsible for the set up and why.

Shooter, which is based on Stephen Hunter’s novel, Point of Impact, features several fun, inventive performances. Danny Glover portrays a conniving colonel, and Ned Beatty hits just the right note as a corrupt senator. Wahlberg, fresh from his Oscar-nominated turn as a Boston detective in The Departed, continues to shine as a leading actor in mid-tier Hollywood action movies, and his performance here is no exception. Wahlberg is competent and comfortable as the rugged and ruthless Swagger. The thirty-five-year-old actor, who has seemingly carved a nice niche for himself, is slowly emerging as Hollywood’s “go to leading man” for mass-audience action films while other actors in this genre seem to be at curious crossroads in their careers.

Despite predictable plotting, Shooter attains a certain level of craftsmanship. From its pitch perfect performances by Ned Beatty to its overall conspiratorial tone, the film ultimately reflects some sense of purpose. Never mind that the film’s purpose is revealed in a devilishly-delivered platitude about the hypocrisies of the American political system by Beatty’s rogue senator. Shooter’s release comes at a time when American citizens question the legitimacy and truthfulness of various parts of the U.S. government. As we watch Swagger trying to outwit his highly-placed nemeses, we begin to wonder if there isn’t at least a hint of verity in the film’s underlying cynicism about honor, service, and justice in the U.S.

Grade: B-