Great sniper action

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2016)

After being abandoned on a mission that didn't officially take place marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger resigns and makes a new life for himself in the remote mountains on Wyoming. Three years later he is approached again; intelligence has discovered a plot to assassinate the president using a highly skilled sniper; it will be Swagger's job to figure out how and where it will be done so the shooter can be caught and his backers identified the problem is the people he is working for are setting him up to take the blame. Swagger manages to get away from the scene but is badly injured. He is now the most wanted man in America and he is determined to find out who framed him and why. The only people on his side appear to be Sarah Fenn, the wife of his former partner, and Nick Memphis, a rookie FBI agent.
This movie gets off to a fine start with its effective prologue before getting into the main story. Then after an efficient set up the action starts and seldom lets up for too long. Mark Wahlberg carries the film in the role of Swagger; he is believable in the role. Swagger is a great lead character as he isn't too invulnerable; he gets shot and has to deal with the consequences. Michael Peña also impresses as Memphis; playing him in a way that isn't stereotypical for this genre. Danny Glover is solid enough as the chief bad guy Colonel Isaac Johnson and Kate Mara is good in the role of Sarah. The action is exciting; mostly it involves shootings, not surprising given the film's title, but there are also explosions and some fights. While there is inevitably some blood the gore isn't excessive. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the action genre and those who enjoy a good conspiracy.