Shooter: Doing it for Justice

            In the movie Shooter, justice is the main theme that goes on in the movie. In the movie Shooter, a Marine sniper by the name of Bob Lee Swagger is out in the middle of a foreign land where is not supposed to be. While he is out in this land with his partner and buddy Donnie Fenn, they are ambushed by a group of radicals from the land. While getting ambushed, the American military base leaves them to get out on their own. While this happens, Swagger and Donny are attacked by a helicopter. It passes over once shooting at them but not hitting them. The helicopters next pass it shoots and kills Donnie. Swagger, really upset and worried for his own life, gets his barret 50 caliber sniper and starts shooting. He hits the helicopter and then the screen goes black. It then takes you a few years later to his home in Montana.

            While Swagger is at his home in Montana, a former military man by the name of Colonel Johnson wants to use Swagger as a set up for the government killing the president. With the help of Senator Meachum, Colonel Johnson’s friend, they go to Montana to get Swagger. When they get there, Colonel Johnson tells Swagger they need his help to plan a presidential assassination, so that way they know how to stop it. They offer this job to Swagger in the hope that he will take it. They want him to travel to Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore to see which city is the prime for an assassination. Swagger identifies that Philadelphia is the prime city and that’s where it’s going to happen. They want Swagger there with them on the day so they know exactly when it will happen. In all reality, they are setting Swagger up.

            While they are in Baltimore, the Ethiopian archbishop is speaking before the president. When the president arrives, a shot is fired killing the Ethiopian archbishop instead. At the same time, a fake cop shoots Swagger twice in the shoulder and leg but falls out a window and get away. After coming out that window and coming out the building he feel in, he meets FBI agent Nick Memphis who he disarms and steal his car. By getting away he drives the stolen car into the Delaware River. After getting away from the FBI he finds refuge in Sarah Fenns house, Donnie’s widowed wife. She then saves Swaggers life by removing the bullets and fixing his bullet wounds. As this happens, Memphis is kidnapped by rouge agents. Swagger saves Memphis by coming in and killing all the agents. Memphis and Swagger will now work together.

            After that happens they go to Lynchburg, Virginia where the real assassin is staying. When Swagger goes in to find out all the info about how he was setup, the man tells him about how the killing of Donnie was part of a massacre that Colonel Johnson and Senator Meachum were a part of. The man then kills himself after this confession. On his way out Swagger kills 24 men, along with the help of Memphis. While this happened Colonel Johnson had Sarah kidnapped and abused sexually. The cat and mouse game continues till Swagger and Memphis agree to meet Colonel Johnson and Senator Meachum in the mountains. They exchange evidence then Swagger, Sarah and Memphis are surrounded by the FBI.

            Next you see Swagger in prison clothes surrounded by the FBI director and Colonel Johnson in closed meeting in Washington D.C. Swagger then clears his name by loading his gun and firing- nothing come out. He then tells the FBI director that he changes his pins in his gun that the guns can’t shoot. That proves that he didn’t kill the Ethiopian archbishop. Swagger is let go and so is Colonel Johnson after being proved guilty of the mass Eritrean massacre. Swagger is let go free of charge. We later see Colonel Johnson and Senator Meachum in the Senators log cabin with their colleagues. Swagger evades by first killing Colonel Johnson by shooting up through the floor. Swagger then breaks in killing the rest including Senator Meachum. When he leaves he breaks a gas line which blows up the house as Swagger walks away. Swagger is last seen getting into the car with Sarah and driving away. Swagger killed the men and blew up the house for justice he deserved after being setup.

            Justice is a big part of this movie because Swagger killed the men he setup for the justice of himself. When Swagger kills the men in the movie, it may seem as cruel and not right, but in reality, it should be recognized as justice for himself. He also did it for justice in his dog that he had. His dog was killed and he killed the men in justice for his dog. If Swagger would not have went to kill those men, then the thought of Colonel Johnson “winning” would have haunted Swagger for forever, so he couldn’t let that happen. Justice can be a very powerful tool for a person getting the results they want and getting the right outcome in life.