Bourne clone does good

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2016)

A straightforward gung-ho action thriller without an ounce of originality to go with it and yet it doesn't suffer at all because of that. SHOOTER encapsulates the best and worst of modern cinema. Yes, it's a film that looks good: incredibly slick, with a realistic script most of the time, excellent special effects work and a good pace. Yet it's so derivative – particularly in a shoehorned car chase that screams THE BOURNE SUPREMACY – that only those who aren't fussed at all about unoriginal films are likely to enjoy it. Luckily, I'm one of those people, fully aware that all films and their plots have been done before and that there really is nothing new under the sun.
Mark Wahlberg gives one of his better performances as the stoic hero, and he's given good opponents in Danny Glover and Ned Beatty, two actors who are rarely seen these days. The underrated Elias Koteas also has a nicely menacing part. But the addition of the excruciating Kate Mara detracts from the enjoyment, and the scenes she shares with Wahlberg just seem to go on and on. Luckily she's become a much more interesting actress in the subsequent years; here, I'm sure her character could have been written out of the script to better effect. Still, good action sequences and some gritty violence propel this one along nicely, and it's a film I wouldn't mind seeing again some time, one of those easy watches that you want to see when your brain's a bit tired.