Sniper: Legacy

This move is worth a look see just because there are not any excellent movies made anymore. This movie is in the middle and that is why I gave it a 5 out of 10. There was not much of the movie to follow because if you have seen one you have seen them all. I like Tom Berenger ever since I saw him in "The Big Chill", so I was glad to see him doing some work since he has matured. Also I was glad to see a movie that was not distracting with a lot of nonsense showing nudity and sex. I enjoyed seeing a good movie about Snipers. I would put it up there with "American Sniper", even though this one is just fantasy. So get out the popcorn and set down for a decent watch and enjoy.

.... and they didn't.

Let's start with the positives. The cinematography is to die for. The direction is rock-solid (something many tired sequels can't claim) and the idea of re-imagining the "spotter" as a member of the fairer sex is, well, clever. And visually engaging.

But the clever stops there.

For the record -- and this is an old and cranky reviewer writing this -- I saw the first SNIPER in a theatre. One of the old ones. With a second floor and balconies. It was not bad. At the time Berenger was considered to be "the next big thing" and could do no wrong.

In my view, if you had suggested to Berenger at that time (hypothetically) that the rest of his career would be mainly TV roles, and that the occasional Sniper "redux" would be his only ongoing star turn, I think he would have been shocked.

Just like this reviewer is shocked that, in spite of the cinematography and direction, this film essentially falls apart after the first 20 minutes.

Which is sad because Berenger, in his late sixties, might never get another chance to do this right.

Straightforward and predictable. Shallow with not much tension to grapple with. It's good enough for a lazy Sunday afternoon viewing.

What can one say about people trying to track down a Marine who has become unhinged. Nothing much except to follow where they go until the time comes to settle scores.

Tom Berenger's role doesn't do much to elevate this film. And he acts as if he was an automaton. The son's portrayal doesn't offer much either.

Thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Nice to have a proper back-story going on and great to see Berenger back. Also a real feast of different weapons on display. The action sequences are superbly shot and executed and the tension racks right up to the end. The movie covers a lot of ground and felt at times like one of the Bourne films. I personally love seeing characters like Berenger's develop and age. Not quite the same character study as Eastwood in 'Unforgiven'! But nevertheless, here he is, he's been through it all and still going strong.

As for the reviewer mentioning the beret and it having a medical corps badge on it. Thats' normal in black ops. The medical insignia is the one that's least likely to provoke hostility in an enemy if taken captive. It's commonly used. I know. Special operations personnel, when on a covert operation, would never ever wear anything that revealed their true identity. The medical corps badges give you the best chances of survival as the medical corps are regarded as the most benign. There you go. Just a bit of detail for you.

But all in all, a worthy chapter in the Sniper canon.

This was a welcome addition to the Sniper movies with Tom Berenger as Thomas Beckett.

The first one of course is the best one in this series.

But I enjoyed this one, good acting, fine story and Berenger returning, meeting his son. I liked it.

Even when you are no familiar with the series of movies, this still is a fun one to see when you like action movies.