:Shooter (2007 film)

Force Recon Scout Snipers Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger and his spotter Donnie Fenn provide overwatch for a military mission in Ethiopia. The mission was successful, but the enemy militia assaulted Swagger and Fenn's position with helicopter support. The CIA officer supervising the operation disavows the mission and strands them in enemy territory, resulting in Fenn's death.

Three years later, Swagger is retired and lives in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Colonel Isaac Johnson seeks Swagger's help to prevent a possible assassination attempt on the President during a speaking event. Reluctantly, Swagger agrees and identifies Philadelphia as the best location, pinpointing likely sniper spots.

Swagger joins Johnson at an overwatch position during the speech. The shot kills Ethiopian Archbishop Desmond Mutumbo, the President's guest. A police officer on Johnson's payroll shoots Swagger, who escapes, disarms rookie FBI Agent Nick Memphis, and flees into the Delaware River. Soon, evidence, including Swagger's CheyTac M200 sniper rifle as the murder weapon, emerges, initiating a manhunt. Memphis grows suspicious of the rapid conclusions, exacerbated by the officer's odd death, and begins his own investigation.

Evading authorities, Swagger travels to Kentucky and meets Fenn's widow, Sarah, who treats his injuries. Sarah and Swagger feed Memphis information, furthering his investigation until he catches Johnson's attention. Johnson orders his men to kill Memphis. Before they can stage Memphis' suicide, Swagger kills them. Swagger releases Memphis and requests his help bringing down Johnson.

The two travel to Tennessee and meet with firearms expert Mr. Rate, who explains paper patching. Rate deduces that, aside from Swagger, the only other person alive capable of making such a shot is the wheelchair-bound Serbian sniper Mikhaylo Sczerbiak. Swagger concludes that he was used to conduct reconnaissance for Sczerbiak. At the same time, Sarah's connection to Swagger is uncovered, and Payne abducts her.

In Virginia, Swagger and Memphis infiltrate Sczerbiak's estate, where Sczerbiak reveals Johnson works for U.S. Senator Charles Meachum on behalf of oil conglomerates exploiting developing nations for profit. Under Johnson's order, Sczerbiak assassinated Mutumbo to prevent Johnson's crimes against humanity from going public. Swagger and Fenn had unknowingly covered the contractors who massacred an entire village on the Eritrea–Ethiopia border and were supposed to be killed to cover it up. As mercenaries close in on the estate, Sczerbiak reveals Sarah's abduction and then commits suicide. With the recorded confession, Swagger and Memphis shoot their way out. The pair escapes to Montana, tips off the FBI, and arranges a meeting with Meachum and Johnson.

Johnson, Meachum, and Payne arrive at the rendezvous point on a snowy mountaintop, with Sarah held at gunpoint. With Memphis as a decoy, Swagger eliminates Johnson's counter-snipers and disarms Payne, whom Sarah kills shortly after. Meachum cryptically implies he is not the only politician who works for the oil companies. Deducing that the proof will get them killed, Swagger destroys the recording as the FBI arrives to arrest him.

Swagger meets with US Attorney General Russert. With Memphis's assistance, Swagger discloses that his unattended rifles, including his supposed murder weapon, have all had their firing pins replaced with slightly shorter ones, making them unusable; Johnson's men had stolen the rifle and retrieved a bullet that he had practiced using as part of the setup. Memphis provides Russert with evidence cataloging Johnson's involvement in the village massacre and other crimes. Swagger's name is cleared, but Johnson cannot be arrested since his crimes fall outside U.S. jurisdiction. Privately, Russert casually notes that extrajudicial measures may be necessary to address the corruption before ordering Swagger's release.

Later, Meachum, Johnson, and their associates discuss their next operation before Swagger attacks and kills them all. He ruptures the gas line, frames Johnson as the assailant, and escapes just as the house is engulfed in a massive gas explosion. Swagger returns to Sarah in a waiting car and drives off together.

{{Div col|colwidth=35em}}

• Mark Wahlberg as Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger
• Michael Peña as FBI Special Agent Nick Memphis
• Danny Glover as Colonel Isaac Johnson
• Kate Mara as Sarah Fenn
• Elias Koteas as Jack Payne
• Rhona Mitra as FBI Special Agent Alourdes Galindo
• Jonathan Walker as Louis Dobbler, Meachum's aide
• Louis Ferreira as FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Howard Purnell
• Tate Donovan as FBI Special Agent Russ Turner
• Rade Šerbedžija as Mikhayo Sczerbiak / Michael Sandor
• Alan C. Peterson as Philadelphia Police Department Officer Stanley Timmons
• Ned Beatty as Senator Charles F. Meachum
• Lane Garrison as Lance Corporal Donnie Fenn
• Brian Markinson as Attorney General Russert
• Levon Helm as Mr. Rate

{{Div col end}}

{{Anchor|Writing}}

File:Markwahlbergshpr.jpg

The novel Point of Impact was in development first at Universal and later at Paramount for twelve years, with seven screenwriters attempting many adaptations. The author Stephen Hunter also tried to adapt the book but was put off by the experience and disconnected himself from the process. In 2000, William Friedkin agreed to direct the film with Tommy Lee Jones starring as Bob Lee Swagger.{{Cite web |last=Zoromski |first=Brian |date=2000-10-13 |title=William Friedkin Reveals Details on His Upcoming Projects in IGN FilmForce's Chat |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/10/13/william-friedkin-reveals-details-on-his-upcoming-projects-in-ign-filmforces-chat |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=IGN |language=en}} However, the writers were unable to complete a script, and Friedkin and Jones to decide to make The Hunted (2003) instead. That film incorporated many of Friedkin’s ideas for Shooter, and its protagonist L.T. Bonham was also based on Jones’s planned portrayal of Swagger. Friedkin expressed interest in additionally directing Shooter as a sequel to The Hunted, but ultimately did not.{{Cite web |last=Zoromski |first=Brian |date=2000-11-01 |title=William Friedkin and Tommy Lee Jones to Take on The Hunted |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/01/william-friedkin-and-tommy-lee-jones-to-take-on-the-hunted |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=IGN |language=en}}

Jonathan Lemkin read the book and some of the previous drafts and was able to avoid repeating some of the same mistakes. Lemkin updated the story away from the original post Vietnam setting, and restructured the story bringing the main event to the end of the first act, and to cut the multiple plot lines down to just the A story. His page 1 rewrite of the screenplay attracted Wahlberg and Fuqua, and on his second draft, the film got the green light to go into production. Unusual for a screenplay with such a long development process and multiple rewrites, Lemkin retained sole credit after Writers Guild of America arbitration, After Paramount secured the rights to distribute Shooter in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Focus Features came on board to handle international sales for other territories (excluding English, French and German-speaking territories).{{cite news |date=March 21, 2007 |last1=Fernandez |first1=Jay A. |title=A keen eye, and a dead-on aim |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-21-et-scriptland21-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927062622/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/21/entertainment/et-scriptland21 |archive-date=September 27, 2015 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 20, 2018}}

Most of the film was shot on location in New Westminster, Kamloops, Mission, Ashcroft and Cache Creek in British Columbia, Canada.{{cite web |url=http://adventurekamloops.ca/home_showSection_ID_621.html |title=Stories and Legends about Kamloops, British Columbia |publisher=www.AdventureKamloops.ca |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164217/http://adventurekamloops.ca/home_showSection_ID_621.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=October 20, 2018}} For example, Swagger's escape was filmed in New Westminster along the Fraser River, standing in for the Delaware River. The car chase that ends when it plunged into the river was filmed down 6th Street and off the Westminster Quay. The following scene of Swagger clinging to the side of a dredger was also filmed on the Fraser River near the Pattullo Bridge.

The assassination scenes were filmed in Independence National Historical Park in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The sniper location was created from using the exteriors of the church steeple at the junction of New Street and North 4th Street and combining them with an elevated view from another building to create a fictional vista of the park. The final scene was in Mammoth Lakes, California, in the lakes basin.

The mountaintop confrontation was shot on the glaciers of Rainbow Mountain, near the resort town of Whistler, British Columbia.{{cite web |title=Shooter Movie Production Notes {{!}} 2007 Movie Releases |url=http://madeinatlantis.com/movies_central/2007/shooter.htm |website=Made in Atlantis |access-date=October 18, 2021 |date=August 4, 2014}}

Shooter depicts a number of sniper tactics, thanks to the guidance of former US Marine scout sniper Patrick Garrity, who trained Mark Wahlberg for the film. Garrity taught Wahlberg to shoot both left- and right-handed (the actor is left-handed), as he had to switch shooting posture throughout the movie, due to Swagger's sustained injuries. He was also trained to adjust a weapon's scope, judge effects of wind on a shot, do rapid bolt manipulation, and develop special breathing skills. His training included extreme distance shooting up to {{convert|1100|yd|m}}, and the use of camouflage ghillie suits. Fuqua appointed Garrity as the film's military-technical advisor.{{cite web |url=http://www.visualhollywood.com/movies/shooter/about4.php |title=Shooter (2007) - Wahlberg Goes To Sniper School: About Training As A Shooter |work=VisualHollywood.com |access-date=November 25, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930131546/http://www.visualhollywood.com/movies/shooter/about4.php |archive-date=September 30, 2011}}

In the special features of the DVD, Garrity is interviewed pointing out that the shot fired in the assassination would not have hit the archbishop straight on, as in the film. When a round is fired it will fall from {{convert|30|to|40|ft|m|sigfig=1}} depending on the distance of the shot. To compensate, the round is fired at an arc calibrated by how far the round is going to fall, the distance of the shot, temperature, humidity, and wind. In his interview, Garrity said "At {{convert|2|yd|m}}, because of the hydrostatic shock that follows a large-caliber, high-velocity round such as the .408 Chey Tac (which is used in the shot), the target would literally be peeled apart and limbs would be flying {{convert|200|ft|m|sigfig=1}} away." The exit wound on the archbishop's head would have been too extreme to show in movie theaters. Instead, the movie depicts a much less graphic representation of the assassination.

Throughout the film, Swagger uses an array of sniper rifles, including the USMC M40A3,{{cite web |url=http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=16981 |title=Patrick Garrity, Shooter Interview |access-date=July 17, 2009 |work=UGO.com |last=Rogers |first=Troy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022025306/http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=16981 |archive-date=October 22, 2008}} the CheyTac Intervention,{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/shooter/4973 |title=Blu-ray review of 'Shooter' |date=July 31, 2007 |access-date=July 17, 2009 |work=DVDTown.com |last=Winkelspecht |first=Dean |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401185633/http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/shooter/4973 |archive-date=April 1, 2009}} and the Barrett M82.

{{Anchor|Score}}

The score to the film was composed by Mark Mancina, who recorded the music at the Todd-AO Scoring Stage in Studio City, Los Angeles, using a 77-piece orchestra conducted by Don Harper.{{cite news |last=Goldwasser |first=Dan |url=https://www.scoringsessions.com/2007/03/15/mark-mancina-scores-shooter |title=Mark Mancina scores 'Shooter' |work=ScoringSessions.com |date=March 15, 2007 |access-date=February 29, 2008}}{{cite web |url=https://www.scoringsessions.com/sessions/23379 |title=Shooter (2007) |website=ScoringSessions.com |access-date=November 25, 2011}} A score soundtrack was released by Lakeshore Records and co-published by Shoelace Music{{Citation|title=Mark Mancina - Shooter (Music From The Motion Picture)|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/10323341-Mark-Mancina-Shooter-Music-From-The-Motion-Picture|language=en|access-date=2022-02-17}} on March 27, 2007. The song "Nasty Letter" by Otis Taylor plays over the end of the film and credits.

{{Anchor|Box office}}

Shooter grossed $47 million in the US and Canada and $48.7 million in other territories, for a total gross of $95.7 million against its $61 million production budget.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl896632321/ |title=Shooter (2007) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=March 17, 2015}}

The film grossed $14.5 million in its opening weekend, finishing in 3rd at the box office behind TMNT ($24.3 million) and 300 ($19.9 million).

{{Anchor|Critical reception}}

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 147 reviews and an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "With an implausible story and numerous plot holes, Shooter fails to distinguish itself from other mindless action-thrillers."{{cite web |title=Shooter (2007) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shooter |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=October 22, 2014}} Metacritic assigns the film a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web |title=Shooter Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/shooter |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=March 10, 2010}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |date=March 26, 2007 |author1=Brandon Gray |title='TMNT' Sees Green on Crowded Weekend |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed7865348/ |website=Box Office Mojo |quote=Distributor Paramount Pictures reported that two thirds of the audience was over 25 and the CinemaScore was "B+." }}

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called the film "a thoroughly reprehensible, satisfyingly violent entertainment about men and guns and things that go boom." Dargis described director Fuqua's technique as overshot and overedited, but said he has a knack for chaos and the result is "pretty enjoyable."{{cite news |date=March 23, 2007 |first=Manohla |last=Dargis |author-link=Manohla Dargis |title=Load Up. Remove Clothes. Then Try Not to Lose Head. |work=The New York Times |url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/movies/23shooter.html?ref=movies |access-date=October 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021111458/http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/movies/23shooter.html?ref=movies |archive-date=October 21, 2018}}

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review but was critical of the weak characterization: "If the movie only lavished as much thought and care on its characters as it does on each intricate set piece, Shooter might have been a classic." Honeycutt says the problem is the screenplay by Jonathan Lemkin, and the source novel Point of Impact by film critic and author Stephen Hunter. He highlighted Peña for his performance, and praised the technical aspects of the film, particularly the stunt work, and the camera work of Peter Menzies Jr.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=8949 |title=Shooter Bottom Line: Above-average action with thinly sketched characters |first=Kirk |last=Honeycutt |date=March 23, 2007 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328034059/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=8949 |archive-date=March 28, 2007 |access-date=February 25, 2019}}

Tony Horkins of Empire magazine praised the movie: "The sequel-ready Swagger challenges Bourne's supremacy with an impressive shoot-'em-up, work-it-out action drama".{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=133311 |title=Shooter Review |first=Tony |last=Horkins |work=Empire |access-date=September 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116192736/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=133311 |archive-date=November 16, 2012}}

Some film critics saw the film as left-leaning in its politics, including arguing that the main villain (Senator Meachum) is an analogy for then Vice President Dick Cheney.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/02/men-gone-wild |title=Men Gone Wild: 'Shooter' and '300' |first=David |last=Denby |date=April 2, 2007 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=November 25, 2011}}{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/must-see-movie-shooter_b_45406 |title=Must See Movie: 'Shooter' |first=Thomas de |last=Zengotita |date=April 9, 2007 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=November 25, 2011}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/04/09/shooter_2007_review.shtml |title=Shooter (2007) |first=Jamie |last=Russell |date=April 13, 2007 |work=BBC.co.uk}}

{{Anchor|DVD|Video}}

The DVD was released on June 26, 2007, reaching the top of the US sales charts.{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/dvdnews/DVD-Sales-Shooter-Knocks-Out-Competition-5070.html |title=DVD Sales: Shooter Knocks Out Competition |date=July 5, 2007 |access-date=July 17, 2009 |work=CinemaBlend.com |last=Telsch |first=Rafe}} The film earned $57.6 million in DVD sales in the North America.{{cite web |title=Shooter (2007) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Shooter#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services, LLC |access-date=October 18, 2021}} Paramount Movies released the film on 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray on March 15, 2022.{{cite web |title=Shooter (2007) releasing to 4k Blu-ray in Limited Edition SteelBook |url=https://hd-report.com/2021/12/27/shooter-2007-releasing-to-4k-blu-ray-in-limited-edition-steelbook/ |website=HD Report |access-date=March 6, 2022}}

In 2016, USA Network picked up a series of the same name based on the movie, with Wahlberg as a producer and Ryan Phillippe as Swagger.{{cite web |last1=Prudom |first1=Laura |title='Shooter' Gets Series Pickup at USA Network |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/shooter-series-usa-network-pickup-ryan-phillippe-1201702474/ |website=Variety |access-date=February 10, 2016 |date=February 10, 2016}}

{{Portal|Film}}

• American Sniper
• Sniper (1993 film)
• Assassinations in fiction
• Shooter, an American television series

{{Reflist}}

{{wikiquote|Shooter (film)}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{IMDb title|id=0822854|title=Shooter}}
• [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/shooter-am15174 Shooter at AllMovie]
• {{tcmdb title|id=641884}}
• {{AFI film|64471}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|shooter|Shooter}}
• {{Metacritic film|title=Shooter}}
• {{Mojo title|shooter|Shooter}}

{{Bob Lee Swagger}}

{{Antoine Fuqua}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shooter (Film)}}

Category:2007 action thriller films

Category:2007 films

Category:American action thriller films

Category:American political thriller films

Category:Di Bonaventura Pictures films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Category:Fictional portrayals of the Philadelphia Police Department

Category:American films about revenge

Category:Films about assassinations

Category:Films about snipers

Category:Films adapted into television shows

Category:Films based on American novels

Category:Films directed by Antoine Fuqua

Category:Films produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura

Category:Films set in Montana

Category:Films set in Philadelphia

Category:Films shot in Philadelphia

Category:Films shot in Vancouver

Category:Paramount Pictures films

Category:Films scored by Mark Mancina

Category:Films set in Eritrea

Category:2000s political action films

Category:2000s American films

Category:English-language action thriller films