Thriller Notes - Shooter

CHARACTERS
Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg), one of the world's great marksmen and the son of a Congressional Medal of Honoree, is a loner living in the Rockies. He's left the military, having been hung out to dry in a secret Ethiopian mission a few years before, when he's recruited by a lisping colonel to help find a way that the President of the US might be assassinated in one of three cities in the next two weeks. He does his work, but the shot is fired notwithstanding and Bob Lee is quickly the fall guy: wounded and hunted by thousands, he goes to ground and, aided by two unlikely allies, searches for the truth and for those who double-crossed him. All roads lead back to Ethiopia.

NARRATIVE
The film is a linear narrative which mainly keeps the audience asking why Bob lee swagger (Mark Wahlberg) has been framed throughout this is ultimately answered in the later parts of the film, although the audience is left asking a number of questions when they see suspended F.B.I agent Nick Memphis (Michael Pena) looking for evidence suggesting that Swagger is innocent. The film is packed is extremely packed with action and builds a lot of tension throughout with swagger & Memphis equipped with a powerful arsenal of heavy firearms and explosives. As the film escalates the main reason for swagger being framed is revealed to him, there are a number of scenes when suspense and tension is created such as the scene where Michael Memphis is captured and dramatically rescued by Swagger with a couple of deadly shots to his foes. The information that Swagger is looking for is also lifted to him as well as the audience when he interrogates crippled assassin Michael Sandor (Rade Sherbedgia) where he reveals the reason behind Swaggers set up. More questions are answered later in the film once Swagger is captured by the F.B.I, as he is present in the department of justice office proving his innocence. In front of him is his sniper rifle, and Swaggers hands are freed. He asks if the rifle has been tampered with by the FBI or any other authority, but it hasn’t. He turns to Memphis, asking whether he believes in Swaggers innocence whether he trusts him with his life. Memphis answers yes and Swagger loads a bullet into the rifle, aims at Memphis a great deal of suspense is created during this time, Swagger pulls the trigger to a resounding "click", as nothing happens. The truth of the situation is clear: since before he left to scout locations he had removed the firing pins from all his weapons (including the rifle in front of him that was supposedly used in the shooting): It was impossible, then, that he had killed the Ethiopian Arch Bishop. Swaggers innocence is clearly shown to the viewers. As the film draws to an end the last question on the audiences mind is whether or not Johnson (Danny Glover) and Senator Meachum (Ned Betty) are going to get away Scot free, this is answered when Swagger takes his revenge and brutally murders them both during the climax of the film.

CINEMATICS
The film uses a great deal of quick cut shots such as close ups and mid- close ups to create tension for the audience for example in the scene where the Ethiopian president Is shot a lot of fast paced shots are used such as close ups and long shots combined with non diegetic music getting faster and faster in order to create tension and to create the enigma, leaving the audience thinking is the president going to be shot. Non diegetic as well as diegetic music plays an important part in building tension in the film as there are many action packed scenes filled with suspense which are aided by the diegetic and non diegetic sounds on screen. The cinematography used in the film continually creates drama as the pace of the shots and quick angle change create a lot of drama and leaves the audience wondering what is going to happen next.

THEMES
The main themes related to this cross genre action thriller would be that it is heavily themed on corrupt authority and mystery where the hero (Bob Lee Swagger) ultimate goal is to uncover a number of mysteries to prove he did not shoot the Ethiopian president, clear his name and unveil the truth behind everything.

JACK BURTON