Sniper

In film, on television and in books, folks have always been fascinated with snipers, myself included. Growing up, I think I watched this movie in today's review a couple hundreds time courtesy of countless airings on TNT and AMC. Well, it's been years, but I watched it straight through for the first time in years. It's the original and still the best in a franchise that has spawned four sequels, 1993's Sniper.

With a long career under his belt, Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger) is the Marine Corps' most respected sniper, piling up 70-plus confirmed kills. His last mission though was a costly one, his young spotter killed because of an early extraction following a successful kill. He doesn't have long to dwell on it though as a new mission and orders come through for him. Working with an inexperienced SWAT sharpshooter with NSC connections, Richard Miller (Billy Zane), Beckett is tasked with going deep into the Panamanian jungle with two objectives. An election is coming up and intelligence indicates a drug lord will back a general who will lead a violent coup, all of it against American interests. Beckett and Miller must take out both men, both of whom are expected to meet at a well-guarded villa in the jungle. They butt heads almost immediately, Miller in command but Beckett with the know-how. Can they make it through this suicide mission?

Oh, my, how fast the time flies. I was only 8 years old when 'Sniper' was first released in theaters, but this action flick was a cable TV staple in the late 1990s. Young, impressionable me soaked it up and watched it over and over again. It doesn't quite hold up as well 20-plus years later, but it's still an above average action flick. From director Luis Llosa, it was filmed on-location in Australia and feels familiar. If you've seen war movies, sniper flicks, you've most likely seen variations on this story. It tries to accomplish a lot, delving into the background and mindset of snipers, but is most comfortable in the moments on a jungle creep inching closer to a shot and a kill. Small scale with less than 10 speaking parts, it's the better for the focus on Beckett and Miller.

Two actors who never quite became as big a star as they could have, Berenger and Zane are excellent together. This isn't a buddy dynamic as the duo heads into the jungle. This is a rivalry, a conflict, eventually a life and death struggle as the mission develops. Berenger is at his tough, growling best as veteran sniper Thomas Beckett. He's near the end of his career but still has few rivals. He tries to get Miller through the message but the inexperienced spotter and fellow shooter isn't having it. As they travel to the jungle villa, we get to know the duo through their conversations, tough guy dialogue about their experiences, how they got here, and where they hope to end up. Again, familiar but enjoyable. Zane doesn't get lost in Berenger's shadow, holding his own. There are some surprising twists in the mission as Beckett and Miller genuinely come to blows and more as the pressure becomes too much.

This is a movie about those two roles. The targets are targets. That's it. No backgrounds, just guys who need to be killed. Some other key parts include J.T. Walsh as Beckett's commander back at base, Aden Young as the spotter in the opening mission, and Ken Radley as El Cirujano, a former CIA operative now working as an enforcer for the drug cartels. Naturally, he's got some history with our Mr. Beckett. 

For the small scale, generally low budget flick, 'Sniper' tries its best when it comes to the action and the good, old-fashioned shooting scenes. The violence is quick and startling with only some use of slow motion (thankfully), and that comes in death throws as nameless baddies take a bullet. With a 98-minute flick, there isn't a ton of action, heavy duty action at least. The first hour there's some quick shots, some fire fights but nothing crazy. That's saved for the finale as Beckett and Miller descend on the villa to take their shots amidst guards and patrols. It's a really cool, straightforward action scene that's packed to the guts with tension. The entire last half hour is the movie at its strongest, a series of twists and surprises and chases and shootouts, including one very genuine, truly surprising twist.

It's a good movie, obviously not a great one. It has its limits, but as far as non-blockbuster action movies go, it's pretty good. Who would have figured back in 1993 that it would inspire four sequels, starting in 2002 and continuing more recently with 2011's Sniper: Reloaded and 2014's Sniper Legacy? Overall, it is a fun, progressively mindless series, and it's always cool to see where it all started. Now how about another sequel with Beckett, Miller and Chad Michael Collins as Beckett's similarly skilled sniper son? Get on it, Hollywood!

Sniper (1993): ***/****

Memphis Belle

My favorite book, Joseph Heller's Catch 22, is a fictional account of American bombers in World War II flying over Italy, trying to survive the lunacy and craziness of war. It is an intensely funny story in its dark humor. At its base though, the story of the pilots and crews of the bombers and fighters is an incredibly heroic story, like it is documented in 1990's Memphis Belle.

It's May 1943 and World War II is very much still up for grabs. On a daily basis, hundreds of Allied planes fly over Europe -- especially France and Germany -- bombing key targets, but the daytime raids have produced heavy casualties. Among the crews of the Eighth Air Force is the Memphis Belle, a B-17 bomber commanded by Capt. Dearborn (Matthew Modine) with co-pilot Luke Sinclair (Tate Donovan), navigator Phil Lowenthal (D.B. Sweeney) and bombardier Val Kozlowski (Billy Zane). The Belle has made it through 24 missions virtually unscathed and now sits one mission away from being rotated home. Army public relations (including smarmy John Lithgow) has caught wind of the remarkable story and plans to make national heroes out of the crew. The 25th mission awaits though, a heavily guarded factory deep in Germany in the city of Bremen. Can the Belle's luck hold out once more?

The reviews from critics and fans are fairly positive, but not quite as positive as I thought they'd be. I loved this movie. It is cliched at times and relies on some well-worn story points, but the cliches have to come from somewhere, right? Like so many of the best war movies, director Michael Caton-Jones doesn't glorify war and all its brutality. Instead, he glorifies the men who fought the war. What they did regardless of personal beliefs and convictions was heroic, putting their lives on the line. Add in the element of being so close to going home, and that heroism and fear is ratcheted up. Even in the mission, there are moments where Modine's Captain could basically save them all, but they continue on with the objective. They fight through their worries, concerns and fears, working together to accomplish something bigger than them.

I was somewhat surprised that the movie focuses exclusively on that last mission, the 25th, because I was expecting more of a tour of duty story. Glad I was wrong though because having the story take place over 24 hours is a stroke of genius. The tension, the impending doom, the possibility of failure keep 'Belle' moving at a lightning pace. Much of the last 2/3 of the movie is set entirely in the Belle, giving a claustrophobic, closed in feel. You feel like you're flying over Germany with the crew, almost willing the plane and crew to make it. Not surprisingly, the mission doesn't go off without a hitch. The tension is unbearable as the mission continues, right up until the ending. Is it ever really in doubt? Not really, but Caton-Jones does a great job of at least keeping you guessing. Credit to him for keeping the viewers on their toes. 

The ensemble cast here assembled is interesting because in 1990, these were a lot of rising stars. The catch? None of them ever became truly huge stars. The story at 106 minutes manages to give each member of the crew some much-needed characterization. It's not in-depth by any means, but we at least get a sense of who these men are. Modine, Donovan, Sweeney and Zane are nicely cast as the officers of the Belle. No one truly stands out because they're all just solid. That's a positive if it didn't come out that way. The crew includes Eric Stoltz (radioman), Sean Astin (ball turret), Harry Connick Jr. (tail gunner), Reed Diamond (nose gunner), and Courtney Gains and Neil Giuntoli as the waist gunners. Stoltz as the intellectual and Connick Jr. (even getting a chance to sing) stand out from the group. Also worth mentioning is David Strathairn as the group commander, making the most of a small part.

As far as war movies go, 'Belle' has a handful of truly powerful, moving sequences that make it memorable, rising above so many others. Connick Jr. sings Danny Boy quietly the night before the final mission to a silent hangar packed with people (watch it HERE). Riding out to the plane, the crew softly sings Amazing Grace to themselves. It could have been too artsy or pretentious, but it works. Arguing with Lithgow's PR officer, Strathairn reads letters he's received from the families of his pilots and crew members killed in action. The mission itself has too many moments like that, the feeling like you've been punched in your throat. It's the type of moments that make a good movie a great one.  You can watch the entire movie HERE at Youtube.

Memphis Belle <---trailer (1990): ****/****

Sniper: Reloaded

Released in 1993 to modest business in theaters, Sniper has gained a bit of cult status over the last 18 years.  How can this movie be that old?!? It made about $18 million in theaters, wasn't received well by critics, and stands currently with a 5.8 rating at IMDB.  Starring Tom Berenger and Billy Zane, it was the story of two snipers -- one experienced and one newbie -- on a near-suicidal mission deep in South America to take out a Panamanian rebel leader. It was a staple on TNT and AMC over several years, and I saw it countless times.  I understand why some people dislike it, but it's a well-told story with two always interesting main characters.

The cult status came in the form of three straight to DVD sequels, including most recently 2011's Sniper: Reloaded, a reboot almost of the small-scale franchise. I've only seen the first sequel, 2002's Sniper 2, and while I enjoyed it, I can admit it's not a very good movie.  Haven't got around to seeing 2004's Sniper 3, but I'll get to it sooner or later.  Seeing that a third sequel was being released on DVD (without Berenger), I was skeptical, but Zane's presence certainly softened the blow.  The most recent Sniper entry is pretty cookie-cutter, nothing fancy, nothing too showy.  Not surprisingly though, the best thing going is the reappearance of Zane as Richard Miller, the protege and sometimes adversary of Berenger's talented sniper, Sgt. Beckett.

Working with UN forces in Congo training the Congolese army, U.S. Marine Sgt. Brandon Beckett (Chad Michael Collins) is the lone survivor from his unit on a rescue mission. The son of famous sniper Thomas Beckett, Brandon joined the Marines almost out of spite for his father.  Now, seeking vengeance for the death of his men and questioning why he survived, Brandon realizes he's stumbled into something bigger than him.  He wants nothing more than to kill the sniper who slaughtered his men and wounded him in the process.  With pressure from above to back off, Beckett continues to investigate, even being joined by CIA sniper Richard Miller (Zane) who's looking out for the son of his teacher, friend and sometime enemy. The two men may have bit off more than they can chew though, finding themselves in a sticky situation with American weapons reaching Congolese rebel groups.

Straight to DVD has never been a strong calling card for me going into a movie.  My first thought is usually 'If it was good enough, it would have been released in theaters.' Thankfully, 'Reloaded' avoids a lot of the pratfalls other DVD entries usually get tripped up around.  Yes, the story is predictable, the dialogue not always the most realistic, and the cliches fly left and right.  Overall, 'Reloaded' doesn't have the feel of a straight to DVD movie. Director Claudio Fah (yes, that powerhouse of directing) films his story in South Africa so visually there's a good jumping off point. It is hard to make Africa look bad. Second, the music is good, and most importantly, the action is handled well and choreographed nicely.  Lots of blood squibs and some surprising amounts of graphic violence pepper the story as needed. A classic this is not, but for a straight to the store movie, it ain't bad.

Playing Beckett's son, Chad Michael Collins has some big shoes to fill, stepping in where Tom Berenger left off.  While he looks freakishly familiar (he looks like a thinner Sam Worthington to me), I haven't seen him in anything else than this sequel.  He is a bit wooden in his delivery and doesn't miss many opportunities to strip down and flex (I'm assuming for the ladies in the audience), but he does a decent enough job in the lead.  Brandon does seem to pick up sniping rather quickly though, a little too quickly for my liking.  Also in the relatively unknown cast is Annabel Wright as Lt. Ellen Abramovitz, a United Nations officer working with Beckett, Richard Sammel as Colonel Jager, the local U.N. commander, Rob Fruithof as Van Brunt, the plantation owner supposed to be removed from the area, and Patrick Lyster as Martin Chandler, a British hunter/trader in Congo working to save children from the rebel forces.  In a small part, Lyster makes the most of it, giving us a believable, interesting supporting character.

I really don't know what happened to Billy Zane. In the 1990s, he seemed to be a rising star destined for bigger and better roles, especially after the success of Titanic. But since then, he's acted in B-movies and short-lived TV series.  I've always been a fan so seeing him return here as one of his coolest characters is the best thing going for Sniper: Reloaded.  This isn't the Richard Miller we met in Sniper, this is a changed man, one who has learned from his mistakes and is much more confident in his ability.  Zane looks to be having a ball in the role, getting all the great one-liners and delivering them with flair.  My favorite comes as Beckett asks a question about what they'll do following an ambush set-up. Over his shoulder, Zane answers 'Are you kidding? We're not going to live through this.'  Cheesy, corny, you bet, and I love it.

For a 91-minute movie, the story drifts a bit for my liking. The opening 20-30 minutes is good including the ambush and immediate aftermath. Then for about 30 minutes things just sort of drift along. Beckett meets Ellen, argues with her, takes her on a date, and hooks up with her. Figuring he should do something about his murdered men, he goes AWOL to hunt down the sniper he believes killed them. The last 25 minutes are easily the best as Beckett and Miller team up to take down the rival sniper and expose a conspiracy.  Pardon the pun, but the movie is hit or miss.  For a straight to DVD feature though, it's not bad at all.  I have a soft spot for the Sniper movies so take that into account. Probably not for everyone, but Sniper fans should enjoy it. And FYI, no Tom Berenger cameo unfortunately.

Sniper: Reloaded <---trailer (2011): ***/****