Sniper

Two snipers travel deep in the jungles in search for their targets; a slimy South American drug-lord and a prominent general.

Moderately successful at building a brooding atmosphere, Sniper is by most accounts a very solid thriller, taking it's time, establishing it's characters and their plight and climaxing in some good action sequences. Director Llosa isn't always successful at maintaining the sombre mood and could have tightened the story somewhat; some detours here don't add up to much. But this film is far better than his Stallone/Stone travesty The Specialist.

Billy Zane, usually incredibly tiresome, does surprisingly well as the inexperienced Sniper teamed up with veteran Berenger. As for Berenger this film proved to be his last good big budget Hollywood venture. He can do these kind of roles in his sleep and he's very convincing here, reprising the role twice more in direct to DVD sequels.

Despite some negative comments this film has garnered in the IMDb pages, it's still worth a look as this is a story about survival and camaraderie between two different men with different mentalities while in a difficult mission in the Panamanian jungle.

Peruvian director Luis Llosa takes us along to watch this thriller set in Panama. The film has some good moments as Beckett, the veteran marine, takes a newly arrived man, recently sent to try to eliminate a notorious drug cartel head and the corrupt army general who might be the next president of the country. The only problem, Miller, has no experience in what he has been entrusted to achieve.

Miller, the arrogant newly arrived man to the jungle and to the guerrilla warfare between the military and drug lords against the infiltrated American intelligence men, learns a valuable lesson from Beckett. What looks good in theory, is irrelevant in the jungle.

Tom Berenger, is an actor who doesn't register much, as he proves in this movie, but in the context of the movie, he is right as a man of a few words. Billy Zane playing Miller does what he can with a role that doesn't afford him any glory until the crucial end.

For lovers of action film, "Sniper" offers an 112 minutes of action that with a bit of trimming would have made a more satisfying movie.

Though the plot may be familiar (mistrustful pair teamed together to go on a dangerous assignment), the premise of having two snipers as the protagonists is interesting. The film builds on this by offering an insight into the psychological effects of this kind of warfare, but ultimately this degenerates into a yarn. One with a particularly limp ending at that.

Berenger is convincing in his portrayal of a hardened, veteran sniper, completely impassive in what he does. Zane, however, doesn't really pull off his role as an Olympic medal winning shooter who has to face his first live kill. The pairing never truly gels, which is a shame as it's their relationship that's important over the actual plot.

The film looks great, largely set deep in the Panamanian jungle. There are some exciting moments, cool camera tricks and even some genuine tension. It's just a pity it didn't hold together better.

A jungle setting is the backdrop here as the "Heroes", one a lifer snipe with 300 confirmed kills and the other is a rookie with a fetish for bulls eye targets and not filthy foreign flesh. This, of course, sets off a chain reaction of a love-hate relationship in the middle of a deadly assassination assault.

Both characters have moments of believability with Tom Berenger almost always assuring, but is haunted by his key-chain mementos of fallen fellow soldiers. Billy Zane is convincing as a whiny, reluctant participant that enters into a "Baptism of Fire" and becomes a convert.

This is a somewhat inconsistent and incoherent insight into the mind and soul of the Military's role in global affairs and the personnel it trains and positions in ambiguous assignments where the motivations of the soldiers are "ours is not to wonder why...".

Political and moral considerations aside, this can be enjoyed by the action and military fans that want their fiction to rely on psychology as much as patriotism. It is an engaging outing, if dense and heavy handed at times.

Sniper gives a true new meaning to war movies. I remember movies about Vietnam or WWII, lots of firing, everybody dies, bam bam. "Sniper" takes war to a new level or refinement. The movie certainly conveys all of the emotions it aims for - The helplessness of humans in the jungle, the hatred and eventual trust between Beckett and Miller, and the rush of the moment when they pull the trigger. A seemingly low-budget film makes up for every flaw with action, suspense, and thrill, because when it comes down to it, it's just one shot, one kill.