O Atirador: A Última Batalha

After the horrendous "Rogue Mission" the franchise took a step forward with 2023's "Sniper: GRIT" and is officially all the way back with "Sniper: The Last Stand", the eleventh movie in what has mostly been a reliable, if somewhat cliched and stereotypical B-movie franchise.

Mercifully and thankfully, this film does away with the cringey alleged-comedy that dotted the last two instalments and returns to the franchise's more serious roots.

Fair to say there isn't as much sniping as you might expect from a movie with the word 'sniper' in the title. However, there's enough bloody, gory action - some of it in John Woo-style slow motion - to sink a ship. Maybe two.

Chad Michael Collins returns from and centre as Brandon Beckett for the eighth time in a row. He was almost being a bit-player in the last two movies, but is unquestionably the star once again, kicking butt and taking names. The dude is a lethal weapon.

Ryan Robbins' Zeke Rosenberg is also back (for the fourth time), and the chemistry between the two is spot on. The character has really grown on me since "Sniper: Assassin's End".

The title makes you wonder if there'll be a twelfth entry in the franchise. Here's hoping that we haven't seen the last of Beckett and Rosenberg in acion.

The movie starts slow, but the last 45 minutes of action make the film worth a watch and a decent addition to the Sniper series of movies. The action set pieces are beautifully worked and are fun to watch. The cast does a decent job overall on the combat scenes and handling the weapons. One of the drawbacks is that the enemy is shown to be too weak and does not have much of a character, and the development of the characters is bland. But, the lead actors playing B and Zero give a decent performance. A bit more work on the script would have improved the rating, but I feel the rating of 4.6 is too low, and it deserves at least a rating of 5.

This is the latest installment from the Sniper franchise. Gun fights and explosions as per usual. It was so repetitive that I soon nodded off. Waking up I see they were yet in another gun fight. Although some how despite the movie name there is very little sniper action.

The opening scene had introduced a James Bond type villain. He is killed off immediately and the entirety of the movie is the squad fighting off a mob of nameless militia fighters converging on them. The hand to hand combat scenes were silly. They slowed down the choreography because these actors were not trained properly. It was like watching an old uncle trying to dance at a wedding. Step one, step two and so on you get the picture.

Sniper Brandon Beckett (Chad Michael Collins) and Agent Zero (Ryan Robbins) are part of a group of elite international soldiers sent to Costa Verde to stop an arms dealer with a superweapon. This opens with a fine action section with the group attacking the final boss. The villain activates his superweapon which throws everyone back. Then the movie goes 48 hours earlier and the audience has to wait. It is a lot of introductions and preparations and training. Very little of it is compelling. The movie loses any pace it had earlier. I do like the Canadian axe fighters for all the old fashion action cheese. The middle is so boring that I would suggest the fast forward button.

"a leader knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.

Leadership is an action, not an position."

but that the team who chose its chief because its will follow him until the end for its action continues over the death.

Indeed, The phrase "efile noma ephila" means "whether dead or alive" ("que ce soit mort ou vivant") in Zulu. It's an important expression in Zulu culture, showing their strength and determination to keep going no matter what happens. It reminds the Zulu people to stay strong and true to their values, even in difficult times.

This phrase is used in stories, proverbs, and songs to teach lessons about being tough and staying connected to their community and ancestors.

So, "efile noma ephila" is a way of saying that the Zulu people will keep going and stay strong, no matter what.

Nb: The name "Esterhazy" comes from Hungary. It is connected to a place called Esterháza near Dunajská Streda, which is now in Slovakia. The Esterhazy family started in southwestern Slovakia and became important in Hungarian history, especially with people like Count Nikolaus Esterházy and Prince Paul Esterházy.

Count Nikolaus Esterházy (1583-1645) was a powerful nobleman in Hungary. He helped the Habsburg monarchy and fought against the Turks. He became Palatine of Hungary and was important in making Hungary stronger.

Prince Paul Esterházy (1635-1713) was Nikolaus's son and the first prince of the Esterházy family. He was a great soldier, fought the Ottoman Turks, and supported the arts. He made the Esterházy family very rich and powerful.