| Product: |
Shooter (HD DVD) |
| Date: |
17.03.08 (86 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great action, realistic military
Disadvantages: Glover is awful, been there, done that
The latest rent cheque crossed my sweaty palms. What should I do with this money? Should I invest it in buying my own house so that I could stop losing all my money to my landlord? Should I save up some money towards a holiday as my partner and I have never been away in 7 years together? Of course not, these suggestions are far too sensible for the likes of me, when my partner gave me the last rent cheque I went out and bought a new HDTV. So what does every HDTV need? A HD film player! Walking home that day weighed down with a BluRay playing Playstation 3 I realised that I would have to rent a film to watch in crystal clear High Definition. So I arrived at my local Blockbuster and what did I see? Almost all the BluRay films out, leaving me with 'Shooter' as the only film I had not seen. Would 'Shooter' live up to what I believe that my first HD film experience should be?
Bob Lee Swagger was a sniper for the military who specialised in covert ops behind enemy lines. When an op goes wrong and his spotter is killed Swagger becomes disillusioned with the US military and leaves to become a recluse. Here he stays until gruff military man Colonel Isaac Johnson turns up offering him another chance at patriotic duty. The US military fear that the President may be under threat from a mysterious sniper and they want an expert to scope out the situation for them. Reluctantly Swagger goes along with the plan, but things do not go as planned when the President is shot and he suddenly becomes suspect number 1. With his keen military training can Swagger prove his innocence and uncover the real culprits before it's too late?
'Shooter' has been describes as a very liberal film in America because it attacks the US military and explores the idea that it may be inherently corrupt. With so much money made in politics from arms sales, is it not in the politician's interests to keep fighting, therefore making more money through arms sales? However, to over analyse the political aspects of this films would be giving it far too much intelligence as it is essentially nothing more than a fun action thriller. In terms of bad guys using corrupt government types is not new, the Bourne films are a recent example, so 'Shooter' is on familiar ground.
It is this sense of familiarity that could be considered 'Shooters' undoing. There is nothing new in this film that is not in several other man-on-the-run pictures. The levels of tension are never as high as seen in films such as 'The Fugitive'. This is not to say that the action is not fun. The sniper scenes are excellent and an attack on a home is a particular stand out. The new style of realistic violence works well in the film and gives it the military precision it seeks so much.
With a decent story and good action sequences the film probably suffers the most in terms of acting. Mark Walberg can never be described as the most charismatic actor and once more he goes through the motions in this film. The one thing that can be said of Walberg is that he takes on roles that he knows suit his bland style. As a military man he is trained to be impassive, ruthless and without emotion - all the things that Walberg does well. It is the role of Danny Glover as Johnson that is the most shocking. Glover is known as a staunch liberal in America so he would have jumped at the chance of putting one to the man through this film. Unfortunately, he is almost unintelligible in this film. He mumbles his way through it so much that you may have to put subtitles on - it really is that bad. I am unsure if this was an acting technique, or if Glover has suffered from some illness; in any terms he is awful.
So is 'Shooter' a radical liberal picture that will force the viewer to re-evaluate their opinions of the American Executive? No. What it is instead is a passable action thriller than will waste 90 minutes not unpleasantly. On a positive note it seems quite authentic and the action sequences are good. Negatively, some of the acting is poor and it is a little preachy at times. My advice would be to wait for it to come onto TV as it is about that level.
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Year: 2007
Cert: 15
Starring: Mark Walberg
Price: Seems unavailable to buy on Amazon or play
Import amazon uk - £30!
Extras
Having mentioned that the film was rented for its BluRayness I must say that the transfer is an excellent one. The opening shot that swoops into the hidden position of the sniper looks absolutely amazing and was a worthy first scene for my HDTV. You could see every blade of grass as you got closer. This quality remains throughout and is of a higher quality than the film probably needs to be. This is a great indication for the future of the format if even mediocre films look wonderful.
Summary: A decent action thriller that is a treat on HD
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