Mark Wahlberg proves his action movie chops and succeeds!!

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2007)

Shooter was just one of those action films. It won't be a stone cold classic and it won't take home any Academy Awards but you pay your ten bucks, watch explosions, chases, and the intense hero kick some villain ass and you love it and that's exactly what Shooter is and does. Shooter succeeds on so many levels. In many ways Shooter borrows from great action flicks from the past but manages to make those pieces it's own shtick and pull it off. Shooter also has a plot that makes for the best action films...vengeance.
Mark Wahlberg has had some great roles in the last few years but this is really the first time I've seen him grab the reigns of leading man and really prove himself and he does that. The film, with a lesser star, might have been mediocre at best but Wahlberg adds significant class to the role. Michael Peña is perfect for supporting actor as Wahlberg's improbable partner. He does a terrific job and is a great action sidekick with a tinge of humor to his performance. Kate Mara is the sexy female lead to Wahlberg's rough and rugged masculine role. She spends her first few moments on screen in a bra and underpants but she still holds her own and makes the role significant enough to warrant mention. Her and Wahlberg have excellent chemistry although their romance is not explored to it's fullest for the sake of the action. Danny Glover, Elias Koteas, and legendary Ned Beatty are the main villains who go to great lengths to set Wahlberg up for the assassination of the President. The three of them are appropriately villainous but considering the amplitude of what the villain does in this film they aren't used as much as they could have been.
Shooter almost HAS to be a praised action film because director Antoine Fuqua is no stranger to the genre having directed utter action classics such as Bait, Training Day, and Tears of The Sun. He does know what makes a great action film and that includes a good, strong story and plot and Shooter has that. We are inundated with the history of Wahlberg's character and then get to know him through his decisions and lifestyle. The final showdown has everything that a great action film should have complete with intense explosions, shootout and the bad guy getting his just end. Best of all Shooter is just a kick ass movie that you can sit down and enjoy beginning to end. It's not without it's flaws, I wouldn't say it has quite the staying power of some action films and I admit it is a little forgettable in the long run but for the time I spent in that theater, I loved every minute of it. Check this one out for sure!! 8.5/10