Sniper 2 (2002)

Simply A Masterpiece

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I didn't expect anything from this film, a lot of people never even heard of the original Sniper. I remember watching the original as a kid and wanting to become a Marine Sniper.. Thomas Beckett was my hero. When I saw there was a 2nd I said uh-oh... but wow, it was actually really damned good.Yes people will continuously argue that the plot doesn't make "sense" and that deserved to go straight to video, blah blah. But I loved it, I knew very little of Bokeem Woodbine. Berenger was classic Berenger, great little 1 liners, played his character perfectly... but Bokeem was hands down the star of this one. He has become one of my favorite actors thanks to this movie... if you haven't watched Fargo (TV Show Season 2) you will fall in love with Woodbine's character.Back to Sniper 2, it may not be as "good" or "original" as the 1st movie, but I would certainly say that Bokeem outdid Billy Zane in this one. Just think of Sniper (original) but in a shattered, beaten down Eastern Europe, and urban warfare... I think this movie came out before all of these Call of Duty Black Ops and Modern Warfare games which everyone seems to love... I can't imagine those gamers not enjoying this flick.This movie reminded me a lot of the CoD Modern Warfare games, it doesn't take place in a jungle or desert, yes the production value wasn't all there... but quite possibly one of the best war/battle scenes of all time... debatable, but check it out and tell me I'm wrong.I would have honestly nominated Bokeem for some type of award, he was just that amazing in Sniper 2, a death-row inmate with nothing to lose, what's not to love.... as for every other Sniper movie I have watched (or tried to), they all just don't compare, not anywhere near this one. Sniper 1 and Sniper 2 are different movies, very similar, both quite amazing if you enjoy war, killing, etc.Every other Sniper movie made, and I have not scene the 3rd... but I have tried to watch Sniper Reloaded, Sniper Legacy, and one other... and they don't even compare. As much as I love Berenger and Billy Zane (who are in the others, not necessarily together).... none of them could add up to the original or 2nd.Everyone has their opinion, mine was obviously pretty long, I know there are a lot of people out there who disliked this movie, for whatever reasons.. everyone is entitled to an opinion, as a 32 year old who saw Sniper 1 when I was roughly 10-11 years old.... Sniper 2 was a pleasant sequel/follow-up... and I saw Sniper 2 quite a few years ago for the first time, and still enjoy watching it if nothing is on... especially the second half!

Thomas Beckett (Berenger) is called back into action because not only was he "The Best", but he's still "The Best" all these years later. He thought he left his sniping days behind, now that he's taking yahoos on hunting trips. But the government offers him anything he wants to go to Serbia and assassinate Valstoria, an official who has been behind some sort of ethnic cleansing. Sensing a trick, because if the government is offering him anything, they think he won't return alive, Beckett simply asks for a restoration of his rank. So they team up Master Gunnery Sergeant Beckett with a prisoner, Cole (Woodbine), who has a chance to earn his freedom if he backs up Beckett on this mission. But as we know, Beckett has a history of losing partners. Can they execute their mission...and their target? It's easy to think this installment in the Sniper series was made sometime in the 90's, right after the first movie. It seems very 90's. But surprisingly, it was released in 2002. Seeing as the first Sniper was released in 1993, why the filmmakers thought that fans were clamoring for a new Sniper vehicle nine years after the fact remains a mystery. And thus, Sniper 2 does have a "this never needed to be made" kind of feeling throughout. They probably thought it would be worthwhile to have Beckett talk about such things as al-Qaida and Guantanamo Bay, and say things like "Freedom isn't free", thus dating the proceedings to the Bush administration. By comparison, the first Sniper movie has more of a timeless feel, not dating to any one era.It seems like a Nu-Image movie, and it was shot in Hungary instead of Bulgaria. Not helping matters is the awful CGI, which was worse - if such a thing is possible - in 2002 than it is today. So points have to be detracted for that. Come on, that's a betrayal of everything Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett stands for! He shouldn't have to tolerate CGI stupidity. It should be only the real deal for him. He has enough problems as it is (there's some good continuity from the first movie regarding his injuries from torture he suffered). Woodbine, as the backup this time around, makes a worthy foil for Beckett, and he has a very distinctive voice. He should really do voice-overs and cartoons and such. His voice carries his performance here.Director Baxley, who we're normally a fan of, because of Action Jackson (1988), I Come In Peace (1990) and Stone Cold (1991), seems to be taking kind of a paycheck assignment here. He's a competent director, and that shows, but he should have brought the same verve he brought to the aforementioned three movies to this one. He should have made Beckett be able to stand alongside Jackson , Jack Caine, and John Stone as some of his more memorable men of action. Berenger does do his normal high-quality job, but something seems to be missing.As it stands, Sniper 2 is okay. For a movie that doesn't need to exist, it's decent. It's not offensively bad, it's just a bit dull and unnecessary. It's good that it isn't jokey, and we appreciate that, but there's no need to run out and see this.For more action insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

The first "Sniper" was one of Berenger's best action movies, so I was hyped when I heard they made a second one. I ended up picking "Sniper 2" up at Half Price Books for a dollar so I guess I wasn't expecting that much.The story is simple. Berenger plays an older Thomas Beckett, now being pitched on a mission to assassinate a general who is responsible for a genocide on his native land. Bokeem Woodbine plays Cole, another tough guy being sent on the mission with Berenger.As a lower budget action movie this served it's purpose well. Berenger is a great actor who has sadly been tossed into roles that are below his acting capability but he does a great job as Beckett. Woodbine also turns in a good performance.Despite the budget the cinematography is really quite good. The setting is realistic (I'm sorry but I didn't pay attention to the dialects in relation to the geography, come on, watch a movie for the entertainment value). The costumes are believable.Conclusion, I enjoyed watching a classic actor like Tom Berenger dole out some harshness in a cool action movie. If you don't expect that much you should too.

The whole crew should look for a different job. It can't be worse than this. The whole movie doesn't make any sense. It's just a random pick of different "anti-American" nations who need uncle Sam to come and spank each till they reason themselves. The “bad” guys are the Serbs but no one in the movie speaks any Serbian. The resistance is supposed to be Muslims who fight the Serbs but their names are very much Christian. Also it always seems that Russian tanks make more noise than damage…how is it possible to miss 5 people from 20 yards shooting from a tank? I can go forever like this but the movie is not worth it. Don't waste your time with it.