A US Marine sniper is partnered with a SWAT member to take out rebel leaders in the jungles of Panama. Thomas Beckett is a no-nonsense Marine. He is a gunnery master sergeant "Gunny," with lots of wear and tear, specializing in carrying point on two-man sniper teams in the jungles of Panama. A veteran sniper, Gunny has at least 74 confirmed kills. In his long career, he lost several spotters; he carries these Marine's spare dog tags on a ring which he employs like worry beads. Some Marines believe Beckett is callous about his lost comrades, but the dog tags are like metal scabs over wounds that will never totally heal. On a particularly vital mission, Beckett has to team with Richard Miller, a wet-behind-the-ears NSA desk jockey. The Feds believe the hype that he is a crack shot due to an Olympic silver medal, but Gunny can figuratively smell his inexperience. Gunny is certain when Miller takes credit for a kill he did not complete. Beckett immediately assesses that Miller has never had a single kill. Although Miller tries to pull rank on Beckett, Gunny treats him like a young puppy, but without using a rolled-up newspaper. The sniper code is "one kill, one shot." The real question is: who is going to get shot and who is going to kill? This is definitely Tom Berenger's signature film, he is perfect for this role and also Billy Zane did his job well in this film.<br/><br/>The best thing about this film is it's simplicity just like predator, the jungle and well chosen music works perfectly with this film adding to the suspense. This is a generally speaking (in a non-sexist way) truly a guy film, I remember watching this with my girlfriend and I am sure she was counting the squares on the carpet after five minutes so be careful who you watch it with. I have watched this film many times and it goes on "the keeps" shelf of my DVD collection, awesome film.<br/><br/>Unfortunately I can't say the same for the sniper films that come after this but they are watchable. By far one of the best "war" movies I've ever seen, right up there with Full Metal jacket. Sniper goes far deeper than most war movies, closely examining not only the obvious stories and subplots, but the psychological effects, both short-term and long-term effects, of the character. We can all feel the intense emotional hurt that Miller feels after his first kill, as well as Beckett's lingering pain lying just beneath the numb, unfeeling facade he puts forth. This movie would make a great hypothetical case study for a college psych course.
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345 weeks ago