Shooter (2007/I)

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Lemkin (screenplay)
Stephen Hunter (novel)

Release Date:

23 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Yesterday was about honor. Today is about justice.

Plot:

A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, he goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why.

Plot Keywords:

President | Framed | Marksman | Colonel | Presidential Assassination

Cast

Mark Wahlberg	...	Bob Lee Swagger
Michael Peña	...	Nick Memphis
Danny Glover	...	Colonel Isaac Johnson
Kate Mara	...	Sarah Fenn
Elias Koteas	...	Jack Payne
Rhona Mitra	...	Alourdes Galindo
Jonathan Walker	...	Louis Dobbler
Justin Louis	...	Howard Purnell
Tate Donovan	...	Russ Turner
Rade Serbedzija	...	Michael Sandor (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Alan C. Peterson	...	Officer Stanley Timmons
Ned Beatty	...	Senator Charles F. Meachum
Lane Garrison	...	Donnie Fenn
Zak Santiago	...	Senior Agent
Michael-Ann Connor	...	Junior Agent

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #43368) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Malaysia:18SG | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Germany:18 | Sweden:15 | Denmark:15 | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA | Japan:PG-12 | France:U | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Canada:18A | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | India:A | South Korea:15 (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The sudden cut to the Montana Senator shows him firing a shotgun near the camera in hunting gear very similar to Dick Cheney; he then sits next to a large table embroidered with 'CMF'.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the mountaintop exchange scene, not one of the actors seems to be effected by the considerable down-force caused by the still spinning rotor blades of the helicopter as they get out of it. Even Fenn's shoulder-length hair moves only slightly and the snow beneath their feet seems completely unperturbed by the wind caused by the helicopter. A helicopter touching down in a snowy location would cause a small blizzard and anyone getting out would at the very least be hunkered down and making some attempt to cover themselves from the wind and snow, rather than casually strolling along.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Donnie Fenn: Movement. Two men. Approximately... forty goats.
Bob Lee Swagger: They're not on anybody's side. We don't have to shoot them.

Movie Connections:

References "Dr. Phil" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Nasty Letter

Very good at illustrating the systemic aspects of Imperialism

I was quite skeptical at watching the film, and didn't even get around to watching it until just last night(5/13/08), well over a year after it came out. What I saw was a pretty good political analysis as to what the major cover ups are and the cause of this Imperialist oil war.

Yes, they do sprinkle a big ole plop of conspiracy theory, notably burying the snipers who did JFK in the desert. The line, "I still have the shovel" was quite amusing. Yes, the protagonist is a superman with the penchant for arriving in the nick of time and the ability to kill everyone. Chuck Norris isn't as bad as this guy.

What I found to be impressive though was that the movie placed the blame on a consortium of haves. It did not narrowly define exactly who the enemy is, so much as allow for a broader condemnation of capitalism and imperialism. The FBI agent sympathetic to the hero even goes so far as to wear a Che t-shirt.

So, when the aptly named Swagger tells Sarah Fenn, his buddies ex-wife, that the reason he took on the mission was because he fell for patriotism, we are given a quick condemnation of the flag waving jingoism that the US is trying to use to recruit young people for their imperialist wars. The WMD's are brought up, and are quite resonant in the context of a system without morality and only haves and have-nots.

I was impressed with the film.