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After his partner is killed in a mission gone wrong, marksman Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) retires from the Marines and moves out to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. He lives a reclusive life—just him and his dog and his guns and his Internet connection—like a modern-day Grizzly Adams, complete with scraggly facial hair (ah, how far he’s come from his Calvin Klein underwear model days…). But then he gets a visit from Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover), who informs him that the government has intercepted anonymous communication about a plan to assassinate the president. Colonel Johnson asks Swagger to help—to figure out when and where the assassination attempt will take place, so they can stop it and capture the would-be assassin.
Ever the patriot, Swagger finally agrees to help—but he soon discovers that the whole thing was a set-up. An African archbishop is killed, and Swagger takes two bullets before fleeing the scene. Suddenly, he’s a fugitive, accused of trying to kill the president. Only two people believe that he’s innocent—Sarah (Kate Mara), his old partner’s widow, and rookie FBI Agent Nick Memphis (Michael Peña), who tries to put the pieces together and realizes that they just don’t fit. With a little help from Sarah, Swagger sets out to figure out who set him up and why—and he begins to uncover a huge government conspiracy.
Shooter is a good old-fashioned political action movie, reminiscent of old favorites like The Fugitive. It’s two hours of non-stop action and suspense—not to mention really cool shootouts and explosions that you’ll feel all the way down to your toes. But it takes more than just a lot of cool fight scenes to keep me from getting bored (I’m talking to you, 300), so I was relieved that Shooter actually has an interesting story, too. Sure, the whole government conspiracy thing has been done before (which can probably explain my distrust of politicians in general), but it’s done pretty well this time around. It gives all the shootouts an interesting foundation, and it gives viewers a reason to care about the main character.
I hate to admit it, considering how difficult it’s been for me to get beyond the whole Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch thing, but Wahlberg is really starting to grow on me. And as an action hero, he just works. The tough, gritty roles suit him—and he’s quickly becoming one of those stars that I can’t help but love. And, fortunately, this time around, he more than makes up for Glover, whose performance is so sloppy that it’s often hard to figure out what he’s saying.
If you’re in the mood for a good shoot-‘em-up action movie, you can’t go wrong with Shooter. The story is intriguing, and the action will have you gripping your armrests. After another long, boring week in a cubicle coma, it’s a much-needed adrenaline rush.
