Shooter (TV) | Review
Cue my latest Netflix binge. Having finished the captivating Season 2 of Narcos, apart from convincing myself I could now speak fluent “narco” Spanish I also found myself with a series void in my day to day life. Whilst it can always be argued that it’s “just a tv show”, there’s equal premise to confidently claim they are so much more.
TV series have graduated in recent years from the contained perceptions they used to abide by. Feature length was where the money had always been. Feature length was where you found the big CGI budgets, the pedigree hollywood names and the top flight for all things moving picture. Are you a producer? Do you want blow a lot of shit up or use Buckingham palace as the set? Gone are the days where film was the only place you’d get this done. With show’s like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones cementing the public’s desire for endless hours of film grade action and production, we find ourselves right in the midst of an era where we are spoilt for choice with big budget, high-end TV. Shows like Narcos, The Crown and Westworld are where it’s at.
“Gone are the days where film was the only place you’d get this done.”
So what puts Shooter in this category? First and foremost is the very direct fact it is an extended title of the film of the same name (which was in turn based on the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter). Secondly, one of it’s two executive producers is Mark Whalberg and that’s a triple hitter in itself. Why? Take your pick from the fact he was the starring role in the feature film and therefore has a fantastic handle on the story, the characters and how to preserve the integrity of them accordingly, or perhaps that his producing career includes but is by no means limited to Entourage (TV), The Fighter, Ballers and Lone Survivor. And if non of that leaves you convinced, simply remember back to when Mark Whalberg was Marky Mark. He’s done it all.
Pushing on from the preamble though, hopefully you have an adequate handle for the foundations of the TV series now and why it’s a thing. Now it may surprise you to find out that despite all of the above, I was a generous way through episode 2 before I really clocked on that it was a carbon copy of the film. Thankfully I was alone for this moment and therefore spared the embarrassment of my simplicity. Considering this for a second though, it’s a credit to the show that I was enjoying it so much from the get go I didn’t stop to analyse the plot. Bob Lee Swagger (played by Ryan Phillippe) had me within the first 5 minutes as he schooled a pair of disillusioned orthodontists who were clearly out hunting for mantlepiece decorations and instagram photos, not game.
“ ‘just a tv show’, there’s equal premise to confidently claim they are so much more.”
Staying with the main man for a minute, Ryan wasn’t a well known face to me but he was a familiar one. Took a little while before I placed him and when I did it was a “nooooo shit!” kinda moment. As I watched him trek about the place with a military precision to his every feature, eventually his boyish, clean shaven younger self emerged at the forefront of my brain. I was watching an older, gruffer, manlier Sebastian Valmont and I couldn’t tell you the last time I’d watched Cruel Intentions. All I can say was it wasn’t recently.
Unlike my review of Nerve the other day that somehow transformed halfway through from a review to a synopsis, I’ll try to remain on track with this one…
“orthodontists who were clearly out hunting for mantlepiece decorations and instagram photos”
So we have hench Sebastian, sorry, Bob Lee doing his marine thing and doing it well. No mean feat having to step in to Mark Whalbergs shoes and viewers would inevitably draw comparisons to the movie. Non the less he’s doing well and I’m 3 episodes in at that point. By the end I was fully invested in Ryan Phillippe. Would he make the man-crush list? Probably not but then again with names like Ryan Reynolds, James Franco and Theo James headlining, it’s not an easy list you know?
As for the show itself and the expansion on the film, which I suspect is simply a more detailed representation of the book compared to the film, I rated it. Netflix was a good platform to take on the project and I think served it well. After all from what I understand and have heard, as a streaming service, they tend to give their show’s directors / producers a healthy amount of free reign to create their show their way. Not stifling the creativity or original vision they have of their stories.
“Netflix was a good platform to take on the project and I think served it well.”
Notable highlights through the season and plus points would definitely have to include Omar Epps playing a key support role in the form of a Secret Service Agent, the all too brief but highly enjoyable appearance of William Fichtner (aka — Agent Alex Mahone circa Prison Break) and a one-episode wonder from literally outta NOWHERE. Randy Orton.
All said and done, I binged the whole series 2 and a bit days. It was solid and as it progressed I found myself adjusting to Netflix Bed Time or NBT (GMT -1:00) as I like to call it. Essentially this allows you to make the executive “just one more” decision as you convince yourself it’s 11pm and not midnight. Please note this is not to be confused with NACT (Netflix & Chill Time) which operates on a whole different set of sciences…
In conclusion?
I’d give Shooter a solid 7.8/10
Key takeaways from this being as follows if you plan to watch it.
- Expect to know what’s going to go down in the initial few episodes. They are basically re-running the film with minor tweaks to get you accustom to Phillippe’s face instead of Whalberg’s.
- It’s not House of Cards meets American Sniper so judge it on it’s own merit
- Expect some pretty violent kills. No holding back on the 10 best ways to neutralise a mercenary.
- Anticipate a strong desire to fire a Black King. You’ll understand after you watch it.