SHOOTER

SHOOTER delivers what its title promises: a tense, rousing action thriller built around Bob Lee Swagger, a patriotic and honorable former Marine scout sniper. Mark Wahlberg is convincing enough that viewers will want to see him in more action roles like this one. The movie also gives its villainous retired colonel some depth.

The trouble comes when the story moves into wacky conspiracy theories about oil interests, Africa, and government power. Its Senator becomes a caricature, and the film's left-wing political spin can overwhelm the action. The content is equally serious: very strong violence with blood, including a man's hand and arm being shot off, along with plenty of strong and very strong foul language.

If you are a discerning adult who can handle those concerns, WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.

After a mission in Ethiopia ends in devastating betrayal, former Marine scout sniper Bob Lee Swagger retreats to an isolated mountain cabin. Three years later, a retired colonel asks him to help stop a possible assassination plot against the President.

Swagger soon discovers that he has been framed and is accused of killing an Ethiopian bishop. Wounded and hunted, he turns to unlikely allies while trying to expose the forces behind the conspiracy.

Three stars means SHOOTER is a solid, enjoyable action movie with significant flaws. The action is rousing, and Mark Wahlberg makes Swagger a convincing patriotic and honorable ex-soldier. The retired colonel is a villain with some depth, and the hero has enough presence to make viewers want to see Wahlberg in more action roles.

The political conspiracy weakens the film. Its ideas about a Machiavellian Senator, oil interests, Africa, and government bureaucracies become wacky, while the Senator himself is a caricature. The movie is entertaining, but its political theories keep it from being more satisfying.

SHOOTER presents an eclectic worldview. It includes politically correct, moral, patriotic, and anti-capitalist content, along with an anti-American view of FBI bureaucracy and U.S. government power being manipulated by oil interests. The film also includes a Christian element in its portrayal of an Ethiopian bishop as an honorable person whose assassination is connected to the larger plot.

The movie exalts patriotism, military skill, personal honor, and the determination to expose powerful people who abuse government authority. Its hero is an honorable ex-soldier who makes criminals pay for their crimes. At the same time, the story leans toward revenge and vigilante justice, presenting personal retribution as part of the answer to corruption. Its political perspective is strongly left-wing, especially in its portrayal of corporate and right-wing conspiracy.

The film's longing for justice is real, even though its answer is incomplete. Scripture calls God's people to “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

SHOOTER is rousing and Mark Wahlberg makes its honorable hero convincing. But the political conspiracy becomes cartoonish, and the violence and language are severe. For discerning adults who can handle those concerns, WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For family viewing, choose something else.