"One shot, one kill." Brandon Beckett (Collins) is an elite sniper following in his father's footsteps. When he finds out that a rogue US sniper has been taking out high ranking military officers he wants to find a way to stop him. When he finds out that his dad, the legendary Thomas Beckett (Berenger) was one of the victims it becomes personal. Collins is on a quest for blood but when he is ambushed he is surprised that his father is the one who rescues him. Now the two of them together must not only stop the assassin but figure out who it is and why he is doing this. I have to admit that I have seen all of the other movies in this series but I don't really remember any of them. To me that's not the sign of a good movie. They are all pretty much the same thing and a little too slow for me. My son has really enjoyed these so we sat down to watch this together. I had to fight to stay awake and so did he. When it was over his only comment was the last 15 minutes was good the rest was really boring. I have to agree, when you watch a movie called Sniper you are looking for action and suspense. This one focused too much on the father/son aspect which normally is a good thing but the writing and dialog were not the best and the movie just seemed to drag on and on. There was a lot of planning scenes and not enough action scenes for either of us to stay interested in. Overall, fans of the others may like this but be prepared, there isn't as much action as you have come to expect from this series. I give it a C+.
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.... and they didn't.
Let's start with the positives. The cinematography is to die for. The direction is rock-solid (something many tired sequels can't claim) and the idea of re-imagining the "spotter" as a member of the fairer sex is, well, clever. And visually engaging.
But the clever stops there.
For the record -- and this is an old and cranky reviewer writing this -- I saw the first SNIPER in a theatre. One of the old ones. With a second floor and balconies. It was not bad. At the time Berenger was considered to be "the next big thing" and could do no wrong.
In my view, if you had suggested to Berenger at that time (hypothetically) that the rest of his career would be mainly TV roles, and that the occasional Sniper "redux" would be his only ongoing star turn, I think he would have been shocked.
Just like this reviewer is shocked that, in spite of the cinematography and direction, this film essentially falls apart after the first 20 minutes.
Which is sad because Berenger, in his late sixties, might never get another chance to do this right. -
8512224 October 2014Greetings from Lithuania.
"Sniper: Legacy" (2014) is a poor B movie. I don't have problems to watch B movies from time to time, but they should be done good, and if the director can't handle B movie, he will not going to have a big career. I loved the first "Sniper", it was one of my childhood movies along side with Rambo etc. - it was a very good thriller. I kinda also liked "Sniper Reloded", it was good fun. Now with "Sniper: Legacy" - it's not fun movie at all. It's badly written - i couldn't understand what was happening actually in this movie, it so badly edited / directed and written that i was confused through all movie - really, it's not that this movie has got complicated plot, i think it tried to have one, but in the end the whole plot is just a mess without any real suspense. And if you don't have suspense in a movie about snipers, than you are in a bad company with picture. Even Tom Berenger was a disappointment, he was totally not the character i remembered from the first Sniper, it's was more like a cameo for 10-12 min.
Overall, you can safely skip this movie, it's not worth your time. -
Wizard-813 December 2015I didn't think that the first "Sniper" movie (way back in 1993!) was anything special, and the box office results seemed to indicate others agreed with me. But it must have found its audience somewhere, because it's spawned several direct to video sequels, this one being the latest one. I wasn't expecting too much when I sat down to watch this entry (no surprise), but I was kind of surprised to find it was decent.
Now, it's far from a perfect movie. I do believe comments from other IMDb users here that state various military details in this movie are not accurate, though that did not concern me that much. I will admit that a few sequences involving CGI effects are a little cheesy, and there are a few slow bits here and there. The biggest disappointment in my opinion, however, is with the use of Tom Berenger. Although he is top billed, we have to wait almost an hour before he first shows up, and he only makes a few (brief) appearances afterwards.
Despite those problems, the movie still remains entertaining. Although the CGI effects are lacking, the movie looks extremely professional in every other aspect, from the cinematography to the locations; some serious money and time was spent on this movie. The starring features of the movie - the action sequences - are also well done, coming across as very exciting and well directed.
While I wouldn't say that this is a movie to actively seek out, it does deliver the goods if you are in the mood for some non-think action. I've seen hundreds of action movies from all over the world in my life, so I'm confident in saying that this is a decent example of the genre. -
belindar-230 January 2015This move is worth a look see just because there are not any excellent movies made anymore. This movie is in the middle and that is why I gave it a 5 out of 10. There was not much of the movie to follow because if you have seen one you have seen them all. I like Tom Berenger ever since I saw him in "The Big Chill", so I was glad to see him doing some work since he has matured. Also I was glad to see a movie that was not distracting with a lot of nonsense showing nudity and sex. I enjoyed seeing a good movie about Snipers. I would put it up there with "American Sniper", even though this one is just fantasy. So get out the popcorn and set down for a decent watch and enjoy.
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breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com5 December 2014It really is amazing to how some franchises continue to thrive on after so long. Sniper (1993), Sniper 2 (2002) & Sniper 3 (2004) were all films that belonged to actor Tom Berenger. As Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett, Berenger solidified his presence as the man behind this franchise. There's no other way to explain it, the Sniper film series must have a loyal following. And although the quality did slip initially, the stories have slowly progressed into a decent franchise. Fans were even more surprised when producers released Sniper: Reloaded (2011) with no Berenger but instead brought in young actor Chad Michael Collins and veteran actor from the original, Billy Zane. Not only did it surpass its two previous entries but also it brought up questions to how it would continue after that. Well here we are and wow. Another solid entry even though it did not exceed Sniper: Reloaded (2011).
Characters are hard to revive, especially when they go AWOL. Yet, this movie somehow achieves this in Tron: Legacy (2010) fashion (coincidentally along with the title). Out of nowhere, Beckett (Berenger) returns to greatness teaming up with his son and others to take out a deadly assassin who has gone rogue. If there's one character fans will be most happy to see, it's Tom Berenger. To be honest, with the previous movie I thought Berenger was done with the franchise. Apparently not and the interesting thing is, it's like Berenger never stopped being Beckett. He hasn't lost the attitude nor the mannerisms. As for others, Chad Michael Collins continues to be competent in his acting ability and its nice to see him finally meet up with his long lost father. Sadly, the topic of characters is where John Fasano's writing falters.
Even though audiences will finally see Brandon and Tom Beckett reunited, there are several missed opportunities for proper character development of these individuals. For example, where has Beckett been? Why did he leave Brandon? These are crucial questions to help the Beckett family reconcile past problems. Instead, it is initiated but scooted aside abruptly. Most audiences want an emotional attachment to their characters. By brushing it aside, your brushing aside what makes the character the character. There's also issues of unexplained plot holes. Questions like does he still have that finger stigmatism that began giving him problems from Sniper 3 (2004)? What happened to Lieutenant Ellen Abramowitz (Brandon's secret lover) and Richard Miller (Billy Zane) from Sniper: Reloaded (2011)? All these questions needed were quick logical answers, but are ignored through and through. The late Fasano was a decent writer, I guess going over these particular matters were not accepted by the producers or director Don Michael Paul. I don't know who, but they should've gone in this direction for a little bit.
Any of the new characters like Doug Allen, Dennis Haysbert, Dominic Mafham and Mercedes Mason perform respectively. It would've been nice though if the story stuck with one girl because Mason's character comes off like a love interest to Brandon but doesn't express it. If she was in Sniper: Reloaded (2011) then it would not have mattered because the audience would be able to remember from the prior film her relationship with Brandon. The same goes for the actress who played Lieutenant Ellen Abramowitz in the last sequel. Dominic Mafham had an interesting character portrayal. He resembled that of a good knock-off of Clive Owen. Dennis Haysbert doesn't get heavily involved but he does play a significant role and that's appreciated.
The action was nicely paced throughout. It was not as bloody as Sniper: Reloaded (2011) but it still entertained. This time, the action also included several firefights. Not just between Snipers but AK-47s and other hand-held machine guns. As for camera-work, Martin Chichov achieved some beautiful scenery such as shorelines, urban terrain and grasslands. It's also nice how each Sniper film has changed locations around the entire world. Sniper (1993) was in Central America, Sniper 2 (2002) was in Europe, Sniper 3 (2004) was in Asia, Sniper: Reloaded (2011) was in Africa and this film takes place in the Middle East. The music by Frederik Wiedmann was appropriate. When there was action there was plenty of strings and percussion. But because there were barely any emotional scenes, it was hard to hear anything soft enough. However, because of the location Wiedmann did include several tracks that sounded appropriate for the setting and it felt authentic. It's not the best sequel but it is a good one.
It's writing misses several moments to develop its characters the way they should be, along with unexplained details from the last entry. Yet, the return of Tom Berenger feels too gratifying to be upset over for too long. The actors perform decently, the action, music and camera-work are all well staged. -
Mercedes was hot and the weapons were cool so it gets higher than a 1.
It starts out well, you have a sniper out for revenge for 'a botched mission' but God help us if that is all it takes to turn one of our heroes against us. Anyway, I was looking forward to getting more of the back story but it never came. I loved the auto firing canon (hard to call it a rifle) the rogue used for his first hit. He was up close and personal when he used it. That got me really interested in his motive which was never explained :-(. It went downhill from there.
War films glam up the action and that's okay to a point but once it goes too far, I can't get past it. The next scene pushed it too far.
You have 5 snipers waiting to ambush one bad guy and you see them taking so much care to get everything perfect. You see range, wind, temperature and ... all taken into account. When the sniper misses, the bad guy's body guard swarm attacks the hill with automatic weapons both on foot and in trucks. The snipers are now clustered on a hill, their position exposed, with cumbersome bolt action rifles and under suppressing machine gun fire. But despite all this, they are now able to hit the bad guys with every single shot they take, at any range with almost no time to aim. I was waiting for the behind the back shot. A bad guy pops up out of nowhere, and bang, he's dead before he can flinch. But later on in the movie, the snipers exchange over 100 rounds with the rogue at close range and everyone misses every shot.
They also had the catfight trope, where the one woman on team bad guy, ends up doing single combat with the one woman on team sniper. In all fairness, that is in the rule book of action movies (guess who wins because the other one takes time to gloat?)
Had they delivered on showing an actual moral conflict or developed the rogue sniper's motive, I would have rated this higher. The good guy sniper was going through his own unexplained moral crisis throughout this movie but Mercedes fixes that in one sentence at the very end. 'killing evil terrorists in Syria is a good thing', problem solved. Since this is a non-issue that ends up having no impact on the flow of events, why bring it up at all? -
Foxwalker30 September 2014Thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Nice to have a proper back-story going on and great to see Berenger back. Also a real feast of different weapons on display. The action sequences are superbly shot and executed and the tension racks right up to the end. The movie covers a lot of ground and felt at times like one of the Bourne films. I personally love seeing characters like Berenger's develop and age. Not quite the same character study as Eastwood in 'Unforgiven'! But nevertheless, here he is, he's been through it all and still going strong.
As for the reviewer mentioning the beret and it having a medical corps badge on it. Thats' normal in black ops. The medical insignia is the one that's least likely to provoke hostility in an enemy if taken captive. It's commonly used. I know. Special operations personnel, when on a covert operation, would never ever wear anything that revealed their true identity. The medical corps badges give you the best chances of survival as the medical corps are regarded as the most benign. There you go. Just a bit of detail for you.
But all in all, a worthy chapter in the Sniper canon. -
phillpdodds9 April 2022Absolute drivel, couldn't even get to the end if it.
Oh, apparently I have to write more as this review was too short but I'm really struggling to say anything about this movie. Watch a blank screen instead. -
MikeWindgren12 August 2020This was a welcome addition to the Sniper movies with Tom Berenger as Thomas Beckett.
The first one of course is the best one in this series.
But I enjoyed this one, good acting, fine story and Berenger returning, meeting his son. I liked it.
Even when you are no familiar with the series of movies, this still is a fun one to see when you like action movies. -
rpbilleaud23 October 2014I usually enjoy Tom Berrenger and Dennis Haysbert, but both actors were clearly mailing it in here. The plot line was confusing and unrealistic and the acting was dreadful. The snipers are alternately the best shots in the world and then moments later can't hit their targets. They chase the bad guy out in the open without knowing where he is, not bothering to move forward under cover and just begging to be picked off. Brandon Beckett reconnects with his largely absent father and there is no joy ... or anger. It's just sort of ho-hum, yeah, good to see you again. Some emotion ... any emotion ... would have been nice. Obviously the producer was looking to capitalize on whatever success the previous Sniper films generated, but no real effort was put into this one. Pat on the back to the producer for killing off whatever good will was left for the Sniper franchise.
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allmoviesfan18 January 2018Not sure what all the hate is about here. A good film with some beautiful scenery and well-constructed action sequences.
Nothing groundbreaking by any means, but Chad Michael Collins as Brandon Beckett is a pretty good lead actor for this reborn franchise. Loved the partnership he has with his female spotter, which was a plot device I didn't expect. Here's hoping it gets explored further as the franchise continues.
Seeing a grizzled Tom Berenger as Thomas Beckett back in action, putting the Sniper franchise's two leading men - father and son - on the screen together for the first time. -
kosmasp29 July 2015Is a Sniper Legacy something you'd aim for? Sorry for the pun, but it's one of the big questions of this movie. And while none of the sequels ever reached the heights of the first sniper movie, this is a pretty decent effort indeed. Tom Berenger might be too old for this, but he's not the main character in this.
This is a sequel, but I think it works without previous knowledge of the other movies. The action is decent too, as is the "acting", for a genre movie like this. Do not compare this to anything else, it'll look weak in comparison and wouldn't help you enjoy it at all. The story is filled with clichés obviously and you will be able to see where it's going ... -
albertval-695605 December 2021Straightforward and predictable. Shallow with not much tension to grapple with. It's good enough for a lazy Sunday afternoon viewing.
What can one say about people trying to track down a Marine who has become unhinged. Nothing much except to follow where they go until the time comes to settle scores.
Tom Berenger's role doesn't do much to elevate this film. And he acts as if he was an automaton. The son's portrayal doesn't offer much either. -
Cinemaniac198429 January 2015Sniper, released in 1993, was an intense action thriller that was quite enjoyable. Every sequel released since has ranged from below average to poor. This movie is certainly below average.
The entire movie seems dated and derivative. Also I found that the entire movie was riddled with plot holes that could have easily been the work of artillery and not a sniper rifle. Even some of the characters I found to be unlikeable in which I didn't really care for them in the slightest. I certainly had a feeling that that this movie was done before with a mix of The Jackal, Behind Enemy Lines, and elements of the previous Sniper movies added to make this movie. Chad Michael Collins as Brendan Beckett came across as a rebellious, gung-ho pretty boy who has similar traits as his famous father. Tom Berenger who returns in his role as former Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett (now retired) is unfortunately far too old, despite his appearance two-thirds into the movie. Perhaps it may be time for Thomas Beckett to call it a day.
Unless you are a fan of the Sniper movies, give this movie a miss.
3/10 -
rottninge7 November 2015I got the honor to watch Sniper: Legacy on the 4327th movie-sitting festival on my grand old couch, alone, before bedtime. (I never understood why it is important to give information on that but anyway...)
This has a less serious tone than the previous Sniper movies. I didn't really get it at first but, boy, did I get it during the last 5 minutes. I then understood why many characters were extra stereotypical, where the (sort of) college movie vibes between the younger characters came from, and the more Rambo-ish shoot-outs and 80-ies man-to-man combat scenes came from. If you see it, don't get fooled by the thriller elements in the opening. That is not what it is if you ask me.
Actually, I gave it a good five-out-of-ten while watching it. I let the quite frequent factual errors pass because I thought early on that the writers/director/producers probably weren't going for authentic fire-fights. BUT! Then comes the last five minutes and, BOOM, I have to rate it a seven. There's a big risk that many will hate those five minutes. It's like the end is made in that way to let you choose: It explains the rest of the creation, or, it spoils however you felt about the movie up until then.
Good casting, decent script, directing seems in place, acting is efficient.
That's my take on it. Good night! -
adabsiz4 January 2022Talk about flogging a dead horse ! Next , some ambitious script writer will include the ghost of Beringer into a plot about snipers in ... let's see : Afghanistan is over, Iraq is over, and Turkey isn't exactly welcoming these days ... so why not try some African jungle !
I am not blaming any of the actors or the director for making this turgid work (it is a living after all). I pity the producers who probably lost a few dollars ... and it serves them right !
Sorry, there is nothing less than one star to give ... -
glenn-major9 July 2020Don't understand the negative reviewers. Great script, actors, locations, visual effects. Ok, so the soundtrack could have been better, but the good action scenes, with the physics and maths of long distance shots more than compensated. Need another father and son installment asap.
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paul_haakonsen29 August 2016"Sniper: Legacy" is as far as I know the fifth movie in the "Sniper" franchise. I have only seen parts one and two, and now this latest movie.
I will say that it is not a boring movie, but nor is it an outstanding or particularly memorable movie. Sure, it had some nice moments, such as the urban ambush on the drug cartel. That scene was rather action-packed and full of adrenaline.
The story is about a rogue sniper systematically killing off officers from a former operation, when Brandon Beckett (played by Chad Michael Collins) suddenly have to disobey orders and meddle with the operation as he learned about his father Thomas Beckett (played by Tom Berenger) has been killed.
Storywise, then "Sniper: Legacy" was adequate. It didn't really offer anything new to the genre, and it was a shame. The story had more potential than what was utilized.
As for the acting, well it was also adequate. The "Sniper" movies is not really movie that rely too much on thespian acting after all.
All in all, then "Sniper: Legacy" is good enough for a single viewing if you enjoy these movies. -
zorroaca21 August 2021Maybe they needed his name... but I think Berenger slowed the film down. An overused and tired plot didn't help either. Folks who like this type of film will find some enjoyment. At my time of review it was 5.3... it's a better movie than that.
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ViperishCarrot11 June 2021Some British guy known as the major from the esteemed sniper platoon of the most elite fighting fighting regiment of the British army; The Royal Army Medical Corp. He spends vast amounts of time running about in what looks like a banana outfit and commands a secret unit of multi-national soldiers that specialise in sniper tactics.
Apparently the Royal Green Jackets only have one sniper, not an entire platoon, and he is obviously the worst trained soldier in the history of soldiering, although still good enough to join this elite fighting force.
No actions no, no OOB, no basic soldiering skills from any of the supposed elite soldiers seconded to this ultra secret unit.
Typical American rubbish that will waste nearly two hours of your life that you can't get back and is actually offensive to anyone with an ounce of intelligence or that has served as a soldier, marine or waiter in the mess of any regiment. -
clovehitchjohn3 May 2021I suspect this film was made for Soldiers from both sides of the pond to get drunk, watch and slag the life out of each other. The story is good and the filming superb.
A story of loss an redemption. It is what every young solder wants.
Well worth it.
Do not watch with a sniper as they'll bore you to death! -
rayxt29 July 2018"Enjoyable. . .Rather generic . .pants. . . Nothing new here . . This was their last chance to get it right. . . misses and fails to hit its target. . .Waste of time. . .Decent striaght to DVD movie . ."
This is a Bulgarian co-production with additional location work on the spectacular isle of Santorini, Greece. If the budget was anything over $3 million it's a miracle.
For that the viewer gets excellent (even unbelievablly good value-for-money) cinematography from Martin Chichov which underpins the director working within those tight budget constraints for what is essentially an 'action' movie. A straight-to-dvd movie. No cinema release here.
Nobody expects Ben Hur and they don't get it.
Under-rated (and sadly under-employed) British RSC classically-trained Dominic Mafham as Major Guy Bidwell is a solid convicing cornerstone for the black ops field commander for the American talent to play around.
On late-night TV I expected a real 'Eastern European' co-pro stinker (a la Steven Seagal) and was pleasantly surprised to find that it is not the case. For a great part because of the cinematography pleases the eye of the beholder while the director attempts to suspend disbelief
Wisely the producers have re-employed both Mafham and the man behind the lens Chichov on the next Sniper franchise exercise the dvd 2016 Sniper Ghost Shooter -
hulix-459-6521461 April 2020I mean, what to say!? Storyline? hmm... suspense? nah...
it is simply boring! it isn't absolutely badly done.. but hey.. you can't sit there and watch it. you'll die before the end. Try it and let me know your thoughts...if you van 😉 -
An American action-thriller. The fifth film in the Sniper film series. It follows two of the three recurring lead characters in the long running series: U. S. Marine Sgt Brandon Beckett, and Thomas Beckett, a former Mastery Gunnery Sgt of Force Reconnaissance Scout Snipers in United States Marine Corps. Having survived bloody conflict in Congo, Brandon Beckett has become a very skilled sniper in the Marine Corps, building up a reputation for himself as a promising young shooter. The story is about a rogue gunman who has been assassinating high-ranking military officers one by one. Brandon Beckett is informed that his father, Thomas Beckett has been killed. Brandon is denied by his commanding officer to join the team to search and destroy the perpetrator. This film is an enjoyable addition to the series, properly bridging the gap between the original film series and the rebooted film series. The production is still on a modest budget, but the technical aspects are interesting, giving the viewer an insight into the life of a modern elite sniper. However, the dialogue is clichéd and unoriginal - it doesn't provide enough exposition to the father-son "born to kill" topic. Berenger cuts the figure of a tired veteran, not the spry and sparky "one shot, one kill" man of the original film and he isn't given much on-screen time. Nevertheless, the film has some good action.