'Shooter' shoots itself in the foot

Rating: 5/10 (29 March 2007)

The new Mark Wahlberg film thinks it has many tricks up its sleeve. The plot of "Shooter" involves a suspected presidential assassination, a covert government conspiracy, genocide in Africa, oil pipelines, rogue agents, and corrupt politicians. Don't be fooled, however, by the film's overly elaborate and obtuse plot: there's less here than meets the eye. "Shooter" is just your standard action thriller dressed up to seem smarter and more intelligent than it actually is. It wants to be the next "Syriana" but fails.
"Shooter" is a very loose adaptation of Stephen Hunter's novel, "Point of Impact," about a former military sniper on the run from corrupt government agents. Mark Wahlberg plays the former military marksman, Bob Lee Swagger, a patriotic man who used to have great faith in the priorities of the American government. His belief systems were destroyed in his last mission in Ethiopia. In the opening scene we witness how Swagger was sent to Ethiopia to defend some African villagers. To Swagger's surprise, his superior officers shut the mission down and order all witnesses, including Swagger, to be killed. Swagger survives and goes into semi-retirement out in the American West.
Swagger is now a changed man, someone much more cynical then he was before. When he gets a knock on the door one day from government agents he's understandably unenthusiastic. One of the agents, Colonel Johnson (Danny Glover), however, makes him an offer he can't refuse: help protect the president of the United States from a suspected assassination attempt. The shooter is an expert marksman so it will take another expert marksman to stop him.
The rest of the film, unfortunately, does not live up to the promise of these early scenes. Suffice it to say, Swagger is being conned by the very people he thought he could trust. Swagger, we're led to believe, is just one part in an elaborate conspiracy to deceive the American public and distract them from the truth. The truth involves the cover-up of crimes committed by Big Business in compliance with certain shadowy figures in the American government.
Swagger, now on the run, is trying to uncover the truth so he can prove his innocence. He finds a couple of allies along the way, including the widow of a dead friend from his military days. Kate Mara plays the widow, Sarah Fenn, a poorly written role that simply serves as a convenient plot device. Swagger also finds a friend in Nick Memphis (Michael Pena), a young FBI agent who comes to suspect that the government has something to hide. Michael Pena ("World Trade Center") turns in a tepid performance in yet another poorly written role.
"Shooter" contains just about every conspiracy theory cliché you can think of. What's frustrating, however, is that the film really doesn't seem very interested in the ideas it's presenting to the audience. It certainly never feels very compelling or convincing. Watching "Shooter" is like listening to a guy who keeps hinting at terrible things to come and then says "never mind." For a film trying so hard to be provocative you would think "Shooter" had something important to say. It ends up being rather boring and uneventful despite all the plot twists and turns.
The director of "Shooter" is Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day," "King Arthur"), an action director and nothing more. Fuqua's talents are limited to staging stunts and spectacular car chases, so it should come as no surprise that "Shooter" feels like your standard action thriller. What this film needs is more attention to characterization instead of elaborate action sequences. The action and violence, although well staged, lacks suspense and a proper payoff.
"Shooter" is a film that takes advantage of people's fears in a post 9/11 world. We're living in a cynical time in which fewer and fewer people trust what our government is telling us about our role in the world. So isn't it about time that Hollywood made a political film that actually had some politics to it or at least something important to say? "Shooter" is not that film I'm afraid. Its plot is absurd and convoluted and its characters are without depth. For those looking for a great American political thriller, I'd suggest the original "Manchurian Candidate": that film still has the power to shock and surprise even today. I'm willing to bet that even conspiracy theory nuts will be dissatisfied with what "Shooter" has to offer.