Missed its (Marky) Mark

SHOOTER

Its perhaps a little deceiving to tag this movie with the line “From the director of Training Day” as it bears no resemblance in tone or sophistication to the 2001 movie with Denzel and Ethan. From the trailer I imagined it to be something similar to an Arnie flick (back in his heyday). Sadly this film is neither realistic, nor tongue in cheek, but sits somewhere uncomfortably in-between. The film desperately wants to be taken seriously (as the straight faced performances would have us believe), but the dialogue is simply too preposterous. Some of Danny Glover’s lines are downright laughable.

I’ve always imagined Wahlberg would suit a “one man against the world” movie, and you can certainly see the potential here. And much like a fine wine, this man just seems to get sexier with age :P However, his characters demeanour is so icy and detached as he dispatches the various assailants, that after a while you loose all sympathy for his cause. Without the whimsical one-liners to lighten the mood (something Arnie did so well), the protagonist comes across as nothing but a cold-blooded murderer.

The acting is too uneven (all round), the plot is unbelievable and the film just drags on FOREVER. Just when you think its over, its keeps on going!! “Shooter” ran for 120 minutes, which in my opinion was 120 minutes too long!