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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

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

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.

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.