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Shooter poster

Shooter

year 2007decade 00sdirector Antoine Fuquagenre Actiongenre Thrillergenre Drama

124 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Mark Wahlberg Bob Lee Swagger
Michael Peña Nick Memphis
Danny Glover Colonel Isaac Johnson
Kate Mara Sarah Fenn
Elias Koteas Jack Payne
Rhona Mitra Alourdes Galindo
Ned Beatty Senator Charles F. Meachum
Rade Šerbedžija Mikhayo Sczerbiak / Michael Sandor
Tate Donovan Russ Turner
Levon Helm Mr. Rate
Alan C. Peterson Officer Stanley Timmons

Shooter | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Shea Serranoproducer Craig Horlbeck format 15th Anniversary
Explore episodeClose episode

Most Rewatchable Scene

Last 25 minutes; Philadelphia assassination setup; escape after the cop shooting

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:05Read transcript
  • The opening Ethiopia mission is praised: good opening credits, a control room abandoning the mission, and Swagger picking off men from extreme range.
  • Sniper spotters are useless once a fight starts, and Memphis learns combat skills from Swagger in about a day and a half.
  • A marksman taking one do-or-die shot at a helicopter is a favorite trope.
  • Glover's visit to Swagger's cabin is a string of action-movie cliches, including the dog barking long before anyone arrives.
  • Swagger surveying the three candidate cities is rewatchable, and Philadelphia is a great sniper location.
  • The archbishop shooting and Swagger's escape run about eight minutes; the cutting is odd, with people vanishing from and returning to the room.
  • The brightly lit car-wash escape and driving the car into the river are favorite beats, with a comparison to The Fugitive.
  • Swagger rescuing Memphis from the staged-suicide machine leads to the classic "You set me up? You used me as bait?" exchange.
  • In the outdoor battle Swagger kills about 40 men without being hit.
  • Silent outdoor tactical kills homage First Blood, with the mud-camouflaged tree kill in Rambo II as the best version.
  • The snowy-mountain hostage exchange is confusing but enjoyable, including a villain laughing after his hand is shot off.
  • The log-cabin finale has villains drinking scotch and smoking cigars before a body drops through the ceiling.
  • The last 25 minutes, from the outdoor killing spree through the mountain and cabin to the final disabled-rifle reveal, are named the favorite; the Philadelphia sequence is conceded as the best single scene.
  • The Philadelphia assassination is chosen for its suspenseful setup with the waving flags and the reveal of the remote sniper rifle. — Chris Ryan
  • The escape, from being shot by the cop to being pulled away on the river, is the favorite rewatch because the film's knowing cliches give way to creative touches like cauterizing his own wound; the final act also succeeds by shrinking to the cabin. — Shea Serrano

Picking Nits

Abandoned mission; unexplained cooperation; trunk supplies; lone investigator; teacher disguise; stairwell dog; undisguised Eagles gear; late pointing; license plate photo; repeated boasts

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:59Read transcript
  • A nit is raised early: a conspiracy-minded recluse agrees at once when an unnamed agency asks him to plan a presidential assassination.
  • Aborting the opening mission and leaving the two men behind strains faith in the military.
  • The film never explains why conspiracy-minded Swagger helps the government, or why he never realizes he is being framed.
  • It is doubtful every FBI car trunk holds blood-clotting supplies; the river escape is also listed.
  • Kate Mara's character having no boyfriend for three years in rural Kentucky is not believable.
  • Memphis is the only one investigating, despite spotting that CNN had pre-cut footage within 12 minutes.
  • A rural third-grade teacher suddenly plays bait in a blonde wig like a movie star, or Holly Hunter in The Firm.
  • Swagger foils several cops and a German shepherd, twice pulling the fake-surrender gun grab while the dog falls over the stairwell.
  • The most wanted man returns to Philadelphia without a disguise, wearing shiny Eagles gear.
  • Online discussion says a straight-on head shot would have been gruesome, explaining why the archbishop's shooting is barely shown.
  • Glover starts pointing constantly about 35 minutes from the end.
  • Glover photographs the car to capture a license plate he could have memorized.
  • Glover repeatedly telling people he always wins wears thin.

What’s Aged the Best?

Opening credits; dog-killing revenge motive; Philadelphia setting; character names; evil Danny Glover; R rating

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:11Read transcript
  • The opening credits hold up, and Swagger seeking revenge for his murdered dog foreshadows the John Wick series.
  • Philadelphia is underused in movies; Wahlberg again wears Eagles gear, apparently kept from Invincible.
  • Philadelphia's colonial architecture suits conspiracy thrillers, peaking with Blow Out.
  • Boston would fail as an assassination city because escape routes are limited; Philadelphia is judged the right sniper city.
  • The name Nick Memphis and the other names hold up, while the villains get bland names like Colonel Johnson; Pena later favored characters with Latino names.
  • The 'one dead man talking to another' line is cited as an action staple.
  • Evil Danny Glover is a highlight; Lethal Weapon overshadowed his range, and his villain potential went unused for years.
  • A favorite line is Glover insisting he is covered and telling them to call the Joint Chiefs.
  • Moving to an R rating after Wahlberg signed on was a smart move, since a softer sniper movie cannot work.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Runtime; implausible drive times; burned evidence; unaddressed implied assault; wig ponytail

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:25Read transcript
  • At about 126 minutes the film is a little fat, especially the middle stretch with Kate Mara; about 110 minutes would be ideal.
  • Kate Mara's Kentucky accent is praised, though it softens as the film goes on.
  • The travel is implausible: a 10-hour drive from Philadelphia to Kentucky while bleeding, and about 26 hours from Tennessee to Bozeman while the most wanted man alive.
  • Burning the evidence that could clear Swagger is questioned; a counterpoint says he baited them, knowing the removed firing pins would clear him.
  • The film hints that something terrible happened to Kate Mara's character while held by the henchman, then never acknowledges it beyond her shooting him repeatedly.
  • Wahlberg's ponytail is too long and looks like a wig; either grow it or skip it.
  • Cutting off the ponytail is read as symbolic of returning to military readiness.
  • No aged-worst item is offered; this participant loves a ponytail and disagrees. — Shea Serrano

Casting What-Ifs

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:18Read transcript
  • The segment opens with a joke that Chris should have a ponytail by the 500th episode.
  • William Goldman did script-doctor work; an older Swagger was envisioned, with Clint, Robert Redford or Harrison Ford, all of whom passed.
  • An older sniper is not believable because eyesight worsens by the mid-40s.
  • Keanu reportedly passed, joked as having filed away the dog-revenge idea for later.

Recasting Couch

Casting left intact; less creepy Elias replacement; Taken 2 actor for the wheelchair role

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:37Read transcript
  • The casting is liked and would be left alone.
  • A slightly less creepy Elias replacement is floated, but no name is offered.
  • For the wheelchair guy, maybe use the guy from Taken 2; the passage is garbled and no actor is named.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Development history; filming locations; CheyTac rifle; sniper authenticity; weight loss

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:07Read transcript
  • The film was in development for 12 years, with seven screenwriters.
  • The assassination was filmed at Independence National Historical Park and the finale at Mammoth Lakes, California.
  • The main rifle is the CheyTac M200 Intervention, with a laser rangefinder, night vision and ballistics software, called the Ferrari of sniper rifles.
  • Online debate questions whether Wahlberg's eye-closing technique is authentic.
  • Marine scout sniper Patrick Garrity trained Wahlberg to shoot with both hands and handle adjustments; the sniper work is judged mostly authentic.
  • The soup-can shot shows Wahlberg lying frog-legged with his dog, which is funny.
  • Precision Remotes, the website Memphis visits, is real.
  • Wahlberg lost 20 pounds for a character who drinks Budweiser in the morning.
  • The dog was a Bernese Mountain Dog and English Mastiff mix, and a trailer shows an unused remote-detonated jet scene.

Apex Mountain

Sniper movies; homemade IVs

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:23Read transcript
  • Wahlberg could claim Shooter as his peak after The Departed, but Ted, a giant hit, is agreed to be his real Apex.
  • Fuqua gets a no; his Apex is Training Day, or jokingly executive-producing Mayor of Kingstown.
  • Danny Glover and Ned Beatty get a no.
  • Sniper movies get a yes with Shooter called the best sniper movie; one participant prefers Sniper.
  • Homemade IVs are a yes, including the thick needle jammed into flesh. — Chris Ryan
  • Philadelphia assassinations get a no in favor of Blow Out.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

USA series already made; Shooter 2 wanted

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:59Read transcript
  • The question is effectively answered by the USA series, which was canceled a while ago.
  • A Shooter 2 is still wanted, with Netflix urged to fund it given the trending numbers.
  • The closing plea asks Netflix to make Shooter 2 with Wahlberg, Fuqua and Pena instead of more Spenser Confidential-style projects.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Swagger's funding; unreported Home Depot napalm purchases

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:22Read transcript
  • Earlier topics count as covered: Team Kate versus Team Rooney, John Wick and the missing Shooter 2.
  • How Swagger pays for his shopping is unclear, since he never robs anyone and a credit card would ping.
  • No one reports him buying napalm ingredients at Home Depot despite his face being on the news.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Swagger

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:35Read transcript
  • Swagger is judged a 10 out of 10 title versus a 9 for Shooter; the book title Point of Impact is not as cool.
  • A possible explanation, the Swagger Like Us song, is dismissed because it came a year later; it should have been called Swagger.

More from the conversation

A Ringer network plug mentions No Skips and The Watch before a movie-trailer cold open.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:19Read transcript
The episode marks Shooter's 15th anniversary; the anniversary list is checked each December, and Shooter stood out.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:06Read transcript
By 2007 studios had figured out this audience: a star on the poster, a gimmick, action, and five good scenes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:56Read transcript
Shooter checks every action-movie box: the name Bob Lee Swagger, a former best who quit after a botched mission, a dead partner, isolation with his dog, Budweiser, one more job, a setup, and life on the run.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:11Read transcript
Further checklist items include an elite skill, a quiet man who reveals he is smart, feeding his dog from his mouth while reading the 9/11 Commission Report, and the ponytail.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:35Read transcript
Bob Lee Swagger comes from Stephen Hunter's Point of Impact series, framed as dad-bookshelf fiction in the Reacher zone; the premise is The Fugitive with a sniper instead of a doctor.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:29Read transcript
Sniper movies, including Sniper with Berenger and Billy Zane and its many sequels, are praised for technical wind-and-distance setups.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:07Read transcript
Shooter laid out franchise real estate that John Wick later took; a global conspiracy from the start left no room to grow, though conspiracy sequels could have worked.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:27Read transcript
Superhero movies took over the next year with Iron Man and The Dark Knight; Wahlberg began a B-movie run including Max Payne, Contraband, Broken City, 2 Guns, Mile 22 and Spenser Confidential instead of building a franchise.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:52Read transcript
Wahlberg's mid-2000s run is traced from Rock Star and Planet of the Apes through I Heart Huckabees, Four Brothers, Invincible, The Departed and Shooter; the Departed-to-Shooter stretch is called a favorite.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:06Read transcript
The favorite Wahlberg mode is a dumb guy who thinks he's smart (Boogie Nights, Pain & Gain); the least favorite is deliberately smart roles like The Gambler and Mile 22, though Shooter's Coriolis-effect talk works.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:03Read transcript
Repeating the same premise for 20 years wore thin, with Spenser Confidential a letdown; an IMDb listing shows a long-gestating Six Billion Dollar Man project.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:23Read transcript
Antoine Fuqua's filmography is praised, including Training Day, Brooklyn's Finest, The Magnificent Seven, the Equalizer films, The Guilty, Southpaw, Tears of the Sun, and Mayor of Kingstown as executive producer.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:42Read transcript
Fuqua's muscular style excels at action set pieces and spatial clarity, such as the presidential-assassination setup and the moment just before violence, with Equalizer and Training Day comparisons.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:10Read transcript
In the big outdoor shootout Wahlberg takes down dozens of men while the geography stays clear, with Pena calling out positions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:52Read transcript
Early Kate Mara appears a year after Brokeback Mountain; in the Rooney-versus-Kate debate, one host now leans Kate because Rooney works sporadically, and another has always been Kate, first noticing her in House of Cards and praising her Southern accent in a thankless role.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:21Read transcript
Michael Pena's Nick Memphis is called a favorite Pena role: he goes from disarmed and humiliated to sniper-capable, refuses to feel ashamed after the escape, and adds comic beats; End of Watch remains the top Pena role for two hosts.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:32Read transcript
The Swagger-and-Memphis pairing hints at an unmade buddy road movie two-thirds through.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:15Read transcript
Pena always adds an unexpected curveball, as in Ant-Man and Narcos, but recent IMDb whiffs prompt a call for a Pena revival.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:52Read transcript
The film cost $61 million and made about $95.7 million; it recently trended on Netflix for weeks and is judged better than most Netflix originals, in the Triple Frontier tier.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:22Read transcript
A Triple Frontier episode is floated, and the Netflix algorithm may have helped greenlight films like it.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:16Read transcript
The USA Shooter series with Ryan Phillippe is praised; his other films come up, including Antitrust, which is rejected as a Rewatchables pick.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:20Read transcript
The premise, a shadowy agency asking Swagger to plan a presidential assassination so it can be stopped, is questioned mid-walkthrough.
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:56Read transcript
A digression covers LA car chases that never end in the ocean and the joke airport-garage escape plan tied to Dr. William Simmons.
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:06Read transcript
A twice-used cliche has unlikely figures, the ballistics expert and the wheelchair-bound expert, reveal the whole conspiracy.
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:40Read transcript
The mountain hostage exchange suggests MTV's The Challenge and other reality shows borrowed its wide mountain-finale look.
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:39Read transcript
The film is more political than it first seemed: online readers see Ned Beatty's senator as a Dick Cheney analog, with Bush-era, 9/11 Commission, Abu Ghraib, JFK, zmag.org and 1946 Battle of Athens references.
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:13Read transcript
The plot barely registers on repeat viewings: a family member's question could only be answered with 'he's killing the bad guys,' and Swagger would thrive as a YouTube conspiracy creator today.
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:59Read transcript
A read Wikipedia summary explains the senator-led conglomerate and the Ethiopian village massacre over an oil pipeline, a plot the hosts admit never registered, compared to The Fugitive's forgotten drug plot.
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:18Read transcript