Review: Shooter, The Series

Normally, I give positive reviews about movies and TV series I watch.

So I’ll try to find something positive to say about Shooter, a USA Network drama series.

Based on the 2007 film of the same name which was based on the Stephen Hunter novel Point of Impact, I’ll be kind and say it just didn’t come together as a tightly plotted, compelling action thriller.

(Movie Photo By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49580688)

Shooter, the series, ran for 3 seasons. I understand it was canceled midway through the third season airing. It was recently added to Netflix. Darling Hubby is a Stephen Hunter fan and has read several of the Bob Lee Swagger books. We both liked the taut action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as Swagger.

I can only say I was surprised it lasted 3 seasons. Ryan Phillippe is a good actor, and the rest of the noteworthy cast were excellent too, but the series just didn’t represent the character as created by Hunter and brought to life by Wahlberg in the movie version.

There were so many contrivances to advance the story in the direction they wanted, and the character of Swagger seemed to have no situational awareness at all.

Neither did the FBI agents and Secret Service, etc. Unbelievable how many times characters were shot, ambushed, etc. because they didn’t bother to even look around.

In reality, a character like Swagger in real life would be just this side of paranoid. He’d be more like the Swagger portrayed by Wahlberg.

Hubby and I were disappointed that such talented actors were either directed poorly or stuck with a subpar screenplay.

Takeaway Truth

Of course, in the television and movie industry, there are often “so many cooks in the kitchen that it tends to spoil the broth” so to speak.

Maybe it’s like a book. Sometimes you put everything into it, but it just doesn’t come together.