Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Sniper: Reloaded Blu-ray Movie Review

Still not firing blanks.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 24, 2011

You can't fight something you don't understand.

Some movies simply defy the review process. Sniper: Reloaded is one of them. How to review a movie that's really nothing more than a few action scenes held together by a fairly standard revenge plot? Also consider that it's a direct-to-video movie, the fourth in a series that began way back in 1993. The original -- starring Tom Berenger and Billy Zane -- spawned two sequels starring Berenger, and now in 2011 Sniper is back, this time without Berenger but returning Billy Zane back into the fold. How many series that have long since gone the direct-to-video route can boast that kind of congruity? The Sniper franchise must be doing something right to keep its actors coming back -- or at least paying its actors enough -- and earn enough money to make three follow-ups viable, bankable pictures. Brief history lesson aside, the question remains: how to review a movie that's so basic in scope and so absent of any perceptible ambition to stand apart from the crowd? Sniper: Reloaded is about as passably flat as movies get; there's not a particularly new or good story, the action is very basic but effective, and the acting is acceptable for a fourth-generation movie that's part of a franchise that's never really been much of anything to begin with. By this point, "Sniper" must be labeled as a brand name in the Action movie universe, and it's no surprise, then, that Reloaded is really just an assembly line picture that will satisfy the craving for combat action and sniper-dueling suspense. That's exactly what most any Action movie fan would expect, and that's exactly what Action movie fans get.

I see you.

Marine Sergeant Brandon Beckett (Chad Michael Collins), son of legendary sniper Thomas Beckett, is assigned the dangerous task of evacuating Western plantation workers from an area of the Congo about to be overrun by rebel forces. His unit is ambushed by a deadly sniper who picks off the frightened soldiers one-by-one, and Brandon is the only one to escape the crosshairs alive. His mission a failure and the deaths of his fellow Marines weighing heavily on his mind, Brandon sets out to avenge his fallen comrades by tracking down the deadly sniper and exacting his own brand of unsanctioned but warranted justice. His only choice of hunting down the sniper is to become a sniper, a task for which he is woefully inadequate and unprepared. He enlists the help of veteran sniper Richard Miller (Billy Zane) -- the same Richard Miller who was Thomas Beckett's prized pupil -- to train him in the fine art of concealed sharpshooting so he may find justice for his friends and rest for his weary soul.

The smart money is on labeling Sniper: Reloaded as a "success" if only because it lives up to expectations, expectations that, granted, are relatively low to begin with but expectations nonetheless that call for decent action, fair acting, and a plot that doesn't really matter but that is just strong enough to keep the movie in some kind of order in between action scenes. Sniper: Reloaded delivers on all three, and while none will leave the film in contention for any awards, the movie passes muster and fulfills its every promise. Still, it could have been better -- couldn't most -- but Sniper: Reloaded seems like the kind of movie made with only earning the studio a bit of profit in mind. There's certainly no greater thematic or emotional purpose, but if the studio can keep earning a few dollars above its investment, then why not? The film gives Director Claudio Fäh -- maybe best-known for Hollow Man 2 -- an opportunity to show is talents, which may not be considerable if this is any indication, but he proves to be at least a serviceable helmsman with Sniper: Reloaded, delivering a fairly standard post-Saving Private Ryan sort of gritty War picture that's certainly well worth watching for his ability to craft effective action scenes that seem influenced not only by Spielberg's masterpiece but also by the ultraviolet final act of Rambo.

The return of Billy Zane to the Sniper franchise may be a selling point, but he doesn't add much to the movie. After what may be be described as an "indifferent" performance in his first scene where he lackadaisically trains new sniper recruits, Zane settles into the role and plays the role-reversal part of aged mentor well enough, admirably going through the picture covered in sweat and more than willing to run around and shoot stuff from behind the safety of his scoped rifle. Zane's co-star doesn't find much enthusiasm for the part, nor does he do much to physically sell himself as Tom Berenger's son, but he's certainly capable of running around with a gun and shooting people, which is really what Sniper: Reloaded comes down to. It's a basic run-and-gun sort of movie that slows down a little too much between action scenes -- including tossing in a sex scene that seems tacked on just for the heck of it -- but that certainly delivers on its bill of goods, demonstrating a high proficiency in showing things blowing up and and people getting shot real good. Once again, it's the sort of movie that really defies the review process; this is a movie that's going to sell itself pretty much on its name only, and that it delivers decent enough action for a direct-to-video film is all that really matters.

Sniper: Reloaded Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sniper: Reloaded delivers a frustratingly inconsistent 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer that, granted, oftentimes looks quite good but far too often encounters a bump in the road -- and once or twice drops off a cliff -- that lessens the overall quality of the presentation. The image features a fairly heavy grain structure, but it's also home to random white speckles and even one or two stray vertical lines, unusual for a brand-new picture. Detail is sometimes strong -- evident in faces and military uniform close-ups -- but also occasionally fuzzy, once or twice appearing downright smeary in a few distance shots. Black levels usually appears a tad bit too dark, but the color palette is otherwise stable and accurate, primarily favoring shades of green and tan. The image is also consistently flat. Fortunately, banding, blocking, and edge enhancement appear to have been kept to a bare minimum. Sniper: Reloaded usually looks good, but it should have excelled beyond this.

Sniper: Reloaded Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sniper: Reloaded features an Action movie-standard DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Gunfire is the name of the game with this one, and every shot -- whether the hard and heavy cracks from the single-fire bolt-action sniper rifles to full-auto bursts, the soundstage comes alive with the raw power and audible excitement of shots spilling from one speaker and impacting objects in the next. Rounds regularly zip all over the listening area, and action scenes are nicely complimented by general audible chaos, which includes the sound of objects and people being destroyed, screaming, and the like. Even spent shell casings clanking off a metallic bin where several Marines hide from a sniper is quite impressive, with the shots screaming from the center speaker and the casings hitting hard off to the side. Other sound effects and music play with a full, satisfying presence, both making full use of the entire soundstage and playing with a crispness and accuracy that's hard to beat. Rounded out by superior dialogue reproduction, Sniper: Reloaded easily hits the mark in terms of its audio presentation.

Sniper: Reloaded Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sniper: Reloaded features only BD-Live connectivity and trailers for additional Sony titles.

Sniper: Reloaded Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sniper: Reloaded is a fairly bland Action movie that really doesn't need much of a review, if it calls for one at all. This is the definition of a picture that's mostly self-explanatory and guaranteed to deliver a baseline sort of direct-to-video Action movie-watching experience; that it doesn't descend into ultra-cheap Asylum territory (unlikely with a major studio behind it) or somehow ascend to a greatness beyond the norm for a fourth-generation Action movie (also unlikely) are about the only two things potential viewers might want to know about it, at least in a broad sense. Rest assured, Sniper: Reloaded is just fine, a movie that plays exactly as most probably envision, and that's as a fair, mostly well-made, decently acted Action picture with just enough of a plot to keep viewers watching in between action scenes. Sony's Blu-ray release of Sniper: Reloaded features decent video and audio but no supplements. Series and genre fans will be best served by giving this one a rental.