10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good addition to the Sniper series, September 30, 2004
Well, I watched Sniper 3 last night. If you're a fan of the series, you'll probably love this one! Don't expect an overt amount of action, though there are some well done action scenes that work good with the flow and pacing of this movie. Sniper 2 was the more action oriented one. Sniper 3 seems to go back to the dark, moody feel of the first one, and does so with great success. The cinematography is decent, the acting is fine, and the soundtrack is downright amazing (a Southeast Asian theme that's not over the top or stereotypical, yet is modern and historically relevant). This is a very atmospheric Sniper movie, with lots of pain from the past coming to the surface. Master Gunnery Sergeant Sniper Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger) is hired by NSA officials, William Avery (Denis Arndt) and Richard Addis (William Duffy) to perform a covert operation in Vietnam to eliminate a suspected drug/crime lord. Beckett's target turns out to be a friend of his and the real purpose of the mission turns out to be something other than what Beckett was told.
The movie is not without its problems here and there, but they are fairly insignificant ones (IMHO) and if you're a fan of the series then this is a great, even, fantastic addition. If your not a fan yet, try the first Sniper, then the second one, then you'll probably get into this one when you see it. It flows well with the series.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK but not as good as Sniper 1 or 2, October 3, 2004
This time around Thomas Beckett is sent out by NSA to track down and kill a druglord in Vietnam who happens to be his good friend whom he fought alongside in the war. Beckett is in for surprises as he finds out more details about his mission and about the reasons why he is sent there. He also partners with a local cop in Ho Chi Minh City, who is trained in martial arts.
Like Sniper 2, this movie looks low budget and features unknown actors, whose acting are just adequate (except the Vietnamese cop, who did a good job). Tom Berenger, however, is always good and makes up for the bad acting done by some of the others.
There are some things in this movie that are different:
a) It reveals more about Beckett's personal life than the other two films (e.g. his past, his friendships, his emotional side, etc.)
b) Some of the action is influenced by the Hong Kong action style, with the shoot-outs done in slow motion, and Beckett's partner getting to use his martial arts expertise to eliminate some of the bad guys.
c) Tom Berenger has gained a few more pounds since Sniper 2 and he seems to lumber rather than run. (He needs to shed some weight in order to be believable as a Marine Sniper.) However, to the script's credit, Beckett gets in trouble with his superior for his drinking and his lack of physical fitness.
I gave this movie 3 stars because it could have been a lot better, given a bigger budget, better story, well-known actors and accomplished directors that we recognize. Even so, there are worse ways to spend an evening.
Unfortunately, the DVD itself does not contain any special features.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
OK addition to the series about sniper Thomas Beckett, November 4, 2004
This third story about Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett fits in well with the other two because it draws atmosphere and story detail from both without becoming a clone. I liked the personal history bits about Beckett - we know very little about him as an individual but now we at least learn a few very interesting facets of his life. In the short scene in which he looked at his box of "memories", I recalled a scene in Sniper (1) where he was asked why he carried several sets of dogtags around and his reply - "respect". If you are a Berenger fan, and especially if you have seen Sniper 1 and 2, you will like this DVD. His Asian co-star was very good, especially in all the scenes shot about the slimey underbelly of Ho Chi Minh City. The action was less in this movie, but the story, direction and locales were well done and chosen. I was a bit sorry to see Tom has put on a few unneeded pounds, but, as the progression of the series warrants, he cannot look and act as he did in the early years - that would be a mistake! I hope you at least rent this DVD and do not miss out on a worthy episode about the life of Tom Beckett, the now reluctant Sniper. If you give the story a bit of thought, you'll see the psychological points shown about how Beckett is forever drawn into the former occupation which brought him acclaim and from which he cannot now withdraw.
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