A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the President. After being double-crossed for the attempt and on the run, he sets out for the real killer and the truth.
After Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) and his spotter Donnie Fenn (Lane Garrison) are left behind enemy lines during a failed mission, Donnie is shot and killed, and Swagger manages to escape, but after returning to the U.S., he retires from the military. Three years later, Bob lives in the mountains of Wyoming along with his dog Sam, far away from the hustle and bustle of any major city.
One day, he is approached by retired U.S. Army colonel, Isaac Johnson (Glover), who claims that the government has uncovered a plot to assassinate the President of the United States. Johnson states that a sniper, capable of shooting a target from at least a mile away, will kill the President at one of his upcoming rallies and asks Bob to scope out the three different cities where the attack could transpire in the hopes of thwarting the attempt. Bob agrees and determines that the location will be Philadelphia. He is invited to watch the proceedings on the day, but quickly realizes that he has been set up after someone tries to kill him. Shot and wounded, Bob manages to escape and travels to Kentucky, where he enlists the help of Donnie’s widow, Sarah (Kate Mara). Along the way, he saves the life of Nick Memphis (Michael Peña), an FBI Special Agent who feels Bob is being set up and agrees to join him on his mission to clear his name and bring Johnson and his cohorts to justice.
Director Antoine Fuqua always manages to produce enjoyable action films; “Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Equalizer,” “The Equalizer 2,” and “The Magnificent Seven,” to name but a few, and “Shooter” is no exception. Mark Wahlberg struts his stuff as he shoots, stabs, breaks necks, and blows bad guys to smithereens, and we all cheer him on as our central antagonists, Danny Glover, Ned Beatty, and Elias Koteas, all smear the screen with astounding arrogance, and masterful self-admiration. Michael Peña and Kate Mara are the perfect companions for Wahlberg, and while the story hints at a romantic character arc for Bob and Sarah, it stops short of anything physically happening, probably out of respect for the deceased Donnie. This is one of Wahlberg’s best action roles to date, and it even spawned a TV series of the same name starring Ryan Phillippe in the role of Swagger. The movie’s conclusion leaves the door wide open for a sequel, and given the political climate around the world today, and the number of dictators and tyrants worldwide, Bob Lee Swagger’s return could wipe the smile off their faces and their heads from their shoulders.
Available on 4K Ultra HD March 15th
