Does anyone else remember the original Mark Wahlberg? The Marky Mark that came not as a solo star but as a package, a Funky Bunch no less? Shooter (2007) places Wahlberg as far from that muscled rapper as possible, finally showing us a film which he can be proud of, a film that makes us forget his original rise to fame (thaknfully … who wants to remember Good Vibrations anyway?). Wahlberg himself has been credited as saying that with Shooter, he cast aside all other elements and chose a new film based on character alone. And it’s apparent as Wahlberg’s dedication to this character rings true. Before Shooter, we saw Wahlberg in movies such as Boogie Nights (1997 – hilariously bad acting), The Italian Job (2003 – which slaughtered a classic story) and The Departed (2006 – where he gave us a glimpse of his developments, helped along by a strong cast around him). But in Shooter we see a new dedication to acting, a new dedication to the character given. Perhaps he learnt something from Jack Nicholson or Leo DiCaprio on the set of The Departed, because Wahlberg’s performance in Shooter is more believable than anything he’s done before.
Wahlberg’s character, Bob Lee Swagger, is an ex-marksman, tempted back into the job in a visit by Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover). Colonel Johnson asks Swagger to plan an assassination on the U.S. President, to figure out if it is at all possible, after a death plan is uncovered from somewhere inside the U.S. Government. But the whole thing is a set up, and Swagger soon becomes the number one suspect when the President is apparently shot. And the chase begins. As he runs, Swagger crosses the path of FBI Agent Nick Memphis (Michael Pena) who begins to question Swaggers guilt. As the evidence stacks up for, rather than against him, Memphis is at odds with his position and the need to uncover the truth.
As a conspiracy flick, Shooter does well. You never quite know what is happening on the big scale, or why Swagger has been targeted. We know the baddies from the start, but not their motivations. This leads for some interesting developments that keep the viewers guessing. Outside of plot, the visuals are amazing. As Wahlberg plays a sniper, there are obviously a lot of gun scope images, where we see what he sees. They’re pulled off fabulously. The untrained eye has no idea what they’re looking for until it’s been hit. And then there’s the fight scenes – pipe bombs, napalm, helicopters, everything combines flawlessly to provide us not with explosions for the sake of explosions, but with effects that help move the story, adding detail when detail’s necessary. I give the movie 4 stars, partly due to the wonderful script, but also because it introduced us a Marky Mark we won’t cringe away from.
I agree that Mark Wahlberg really stepped up his game for this film. And, as one who normally shies away from conspiracy movies, I was actually drawn to this film because it wasn’t completely focused on the conspiracy aspect. It was a character film dedicated to Bob Lee Swagger and who he is as a man and how he handles his business. Marky Mark really filled the role beautifully and, you’re right, it was his best acting job to date.