Shooter (2007)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A veteran sniper is framed for a high-profile assassination and must go on the run to clear his name.
The story
Force Recon Marine Scout Sniper veteran Bob Lee Swagger is framed for murder by a mercenary unit operating for a private military firm. After being abandoned in enemy territory during a mission in Ethiopia, Swagger is later recruited by Colonel Isaac Johnson to help prevent a potential assassination of the US President. However, during the operation, he is framed for the crime and becomes a fugitive. Hunted by both the law and the conspirators who set him up, Swagger must navigate a web of conspiracy involving a private military firm and a high-level government official to uncover the truth and clear his name.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being abandoned in Ethiopia, Bob Lee Swagger is recruited by Colonel Isaac Johnson to prevent a presidential assassination. During the event, Swagger is framed for the murder of an Archbishop and becomes a fugitive. He teams up with FBI Agent Nick Memphis to uncover the truth. They discover that Swagger was used as a decoy for a remote-controlled assassination orchestrated by a private military firm working for Senator Charles Meachum. The conspiracy involves a land grab for an oil pipeline. After uncovering the truth and the identity of the actual assassin, a Russian sniper, Swagger and Memphis confront Meachum and Johnson. Swagger eventually clears his name by revealing his weapons were rigged, then eliminates the conspirators in a final confrontation.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Antoine Fuqua
- Writers
- Jonathan Lemkin · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Mark Wahlberg · Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger; Michael Peña · FBI Special Agent Nick Memphis; Danny Glover · Colonel Isaac Johnson; Kate Mara · Sarah Fenn; Elias Koteas · Jack Payne; Rhona Mitra · FBI Special Agent Alourdes Galindo; Rade Šerbedžija · Mikhayo Sczerbiak / Michael Sandor; Ned Beatty · Senator Charles F. Meachum
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- conspiracy; betrayal; survival
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent
- Setting
- Modern-day United States, including locations in Philadelphia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Montana.
- Premise and plot tags
- military; assassination; fugitive
- Source material / true-story basis
- Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and was described as a satisfyingly violent entertainment, though critics noted issues with plot holes and characterization.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 47% · scale: percentage · review count: 152; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Production trivia
- The character of Bob Lee Swagger was originally intended to be played by Tommy Lee Jones.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…