If you are a fan of the original Sniper Films, you're probably not going to like this one, which takes its inspiration, style and tone from the prior instalment; Assassin's End. Safe to say - if you liked the eighth film, you may very well like this one.
Speaking of, we *have* to talk about Assassin's End, because this film in a way spoofs it, following many similar beats. The only problem here, is that the stakes are not as well executed as they were in the previous film, with less tension as a result.
Further to this, character has ultimately been assassinated. A majority of the cast have little to no ark, or a contrived one. Example; a character who already arrived at Point B in a previous film, but is reset to Point A in this one, just to achieve the same result again. An exception to this is Mary Jane (Jocelyn Hudson) a trafficked sex worker who is on the run from the trafficking ring who wish to silence her.
On that note, the human trafficking story is kind of tacked on. It is introduced at the start, and is referenced here and there, but for the most part - the film could go without this plot, and it would be no different. This is a serious human rights issue, even more so today with the displacement of innocents due to the innumerable international confrontations, and the film barely acknowledges this.
Returning to the topic of character - so many of the cast are basically the same. Becket (Chad Michael Collins) and Zero (Ryan Robbins) are essentially the same character; similar to antagonistic brothers Rosie and Gildie (Brendan Sexton III and David MccInnis). That character is one-lining dude.
The film makes a point of having a strong focus on the bad guys this outing, the comedy between them perhaps meant to humanify them for the audience. But these are mercenaries working for a human trafficking ring, and somehow, making quips about how their mom knits hats seems out of place when they're trying to kill someone.
This lack of characterization leaves the cast with not much to chew on, and as a result, the best actor is probably Sayaka Akimoto's eyes (seriously, they go from bulging in surprise in one scene to being cold and menacing in the next).
Moreover, in a film called 'Sniper' you'd expect there to be some, well, sniping. I guess there is, but you could put all them sniper scenes into a Petrie dish and still have room left over. Becket is referred to as the 'world's best sniper' at one point, and yet never has an opportunity to really show off his impressive skills. Further, Lady Death (Akimoto) was established as Becket's equal in the previous film, and yet never picks up a rifle in this one.
The film also tosses the realism of the franchise out the door, with snipers having their rifles hanging out of windows instead of firing from cover, while totally forgetting to check the security of their hide.
That said, the film can also be fun. Lady Death's fight scenes, that are usually up close and personal, are incredibly choreographed, as is a fight involving Zero.
The music adds levity to action scenes (well, even more than what they already contain) and the comedy combined in said scenes is well executed. The film at times gives off a sense that it's a comedy of errors, which caused more than a couple laugh out loud moments from me.
I strongly feel that Assassin's End was the better of these two movies, but if you want to see a continuation of the Becket/Zero/Lady Death story, this might quench your appetite. I just wish there was a bit more stakes, depth and characterization for us to latch onto.
Speaking of, we *have* to talk about Assassin's End, because this film in a way spoofs it, following many similar beats. The only problem here, is that the stakes are not as well executed as they were in the previous film, with less tension as a result.
Further to this, character has ultimately been assassinated. A majority of the cast have little to no ark, or a contrived one. Example; a character who already arrived at Point B in a previous film, but is reset to Point A in this one, just to achieve the same result again. An exception to this is Mary Jane (Jocelyn Hudson) a trafficked sex worker who is on the run from the trafficking ring who wish to silence her.
On that note, the human trafficking story is kind of tacked on. It is introduced at the start, and is referenced here and there, but for the most part - the film could go without this plot, and it would be no different. This is a serious human rights issue, even more so today with the displacement of innocents due to the innumerable international confrontations, and the film barely acknowledges this.
Returning to the topic of character - so many of the cast are basically the same. Becket (Chad Michael Collins) and Zero (Ryan Robbins) are essentially the same character; similar to antagonistic brothers Rosie and Gildie (Brendan Sexton III and David MccInnis). That character is one-lining dude.
The film makes a point of having a strong focus on the bad guys this outing, the comedy between them perhaps meant to humanify them for the audience. But these are mercenaries working for a human trafficking ring, and somehow, making quips about how their mom knits hats seems out of place when they're trying to kill someone.
This lack of characterization leaves the cast with not much to chew on, and as a result, the best actor is probably Sayaka Akimoto's eyes (seriously, they go from bulging in surprise in one scene to being cold and menacing in the next).
Moreover, in a film called 'Sniper' you'd expect there to be some, well, sniping. I guess there is, but you could put all them sniper scenes into a Petrie dish and still have room left over. Becket is referred to as the 'world's best sniper' at one point, and yet never has an opportunity to really show off his impressive skills. Further, Lady Death (Akimoto) was established as Becket's equal in the previous film, and yet never picks up a rifle in this one.
The film also tosses the realism of the franchise out the door, with snipers having their rifles hanging out of windows instead of firing from cover, while totally forgetting to check the security of their hide.
That said, the film can also be fun. Lady Death's fight scenes, that are usually up close and personal, are incredibly choreographed, as is a fight involving Zero.
The music adds levity to action scenes (well, even more than what they already contain) and the comedy combined in said scenes is well executed. The film at times gives off a sense that it's a comedy of errors, which caused more than a couple laugh out loud moments from me.
I strongly feel that Assassin's End was the better of these two movies, but if you want to see a continuation of the Becket/Zero/Lady Death story, this might quench your appetite. I just wish there was a bit more stakes, depth and characterization for us to latch onto.