Sniper (1993)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Luis Llosa

Writers (WGA):

Michael Frost Beckner (written by) &
Crash Leyland (written by)

Release Date:

29 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

One Shot. One Kill. No Exceptions.

Plot:

Tough guy Thomas Beckett is an US soldier working in the Panamanian jungle. His job is to seek out rebels and remove them using his sniper skills...

Plot Keywords:

Sniper | Jungle | Sniper Rifle | Drug Lord | Helicopter

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Thomas Beckett
Billy Zane	...	Richard Miller
J.T. Walsh	...	Chester Van Damme
Aden Young	...	Doug Papich
Ken Radley	...	El Cirujano
Reynaldo Arenas	...	Cacique (as Reinaldo Arenas)
Gary Swanson	...	NSC Officer in Washington
Hank Garrett	...	Admiral in Washington
Frederick Miragliotta	...	General Miguel Alavarez
Vanessa Steele	...	Mrs. Alvarez
Carlos Álvarez	...	Raul Ochoa
Tyler Coppin	...	Ripoly (as Tyler Copin)
Teo Gebert	...	Ripolys Friend
Edward Wiley	...	DeSilva
William Curtin	...	Mountain Top Pilot

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA | Peru

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #31859) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

If you look closely at the locomotive of the train that inserts Beckett and Miller, the QR symbol of the Queensland Rail can be seen on the side. Queensland was the state of Australia where this movie was shot.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Miller is firing his weapon at his shadow at the church and the weapon runs out of ammo you can hear numerous clicks of the firing pin as he pulls the trigger. With the model of weapon he carries once it is empty the weapon will not dry fire.

Quotes:

Thomas Beckett: One Shot. One Kill. No Exceptions.

Movie Connections:

References Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Soundtrack:

Turn It Up

Good psychological drama

I've heard people who say this movie is dull dull dull. I don't think they were watching the right movie. This isn't the prototypical action movie, thank God.

This is a psychological drama about the rookie and his mentor that just happens to be about killing people. In this way it works extremely well, with terrific performances from Berenger and Zane (who doesn't sleepwalk through the movie like he has in other roles - he actually looks like he's acting).

I was disappointed with the action towards the end - a lot of it didn't make much sense and was unsatisfying given the buildup from the rest of the movie. But watch Zane's face as he panics, alone, while Berenger does the dirty work.