Shooter, He Said

I know that if "she" ever decides to write this column that she and I will agree on one thing. this film is as commercial as they come and not all that well done. We should have known it was going to be one of those brainless action adventure films when we saw the back row of the theater was a solid line of junior high school kids.

I have never been a big Wahlberg fan. Despite the running love affair that the critic's have with "Boogie Nights", I thought the film sucked. (I'm sorry, I couldn't resist that) He has that look about him that permits the playing of characters that are brooding and act on basic instincts. Thoughtful, intelligent or cerebral is defiantly a stretch for his limited acting ability.

All that being said, the character he plays in "Shooter" is not thoughtful, intelligent nor cerebral. He is a highly trained and skillful counter insurgency warrior and with our troops in Iraq fighting this kind of war, we are suckers for this kind of myth making. Our hero is, and I'm sure they focus grouped this one, Bob Lee Swagger. The name has all of the attributes of race car, football and southern rebel that can be stuffed into it. Unfortunately, the face that popped into my mind is comedian, Will Ferrell in his role as race car driver Ricky Bobby.

This whole redneck image is enhanced by the love interest. Bob, (Remember to spell that with one O not two), in his moment of need turns to the widow of his fallen partner Sarah, played by Kate Mara. While she is an attractive and skilled actress, her syrupy southern drawl only serves to drag us further down this cartoon like action adventure trail.

The scene that will immortalize this film occurs shortly after Bob learns that the bad guys concoct the story that he is that guy that tried to assassinate the president. They postulate that since he knew he would never be able to go home he shot his dog. Later, Sarah is begging him not to go after the men that have framed him. They have all of the resources, manpower and money. He could never beat them. He agrees, but argues, "You have to understand, they shot my dog."

If this film had anything going for it other than a high body count and some flagrant, gratuitous violence it might have been fun, but the script was so uneven, the dialogue was so flawed and premise so ridiculous that nothing other than teenagers that talk during the whole
film could be more aggravating, but I'll let her tell you about them.