By Colin Covert | Star Tribune

In terms of Hollywood machismo, there aren't many bigger shoes to fill than those that Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood wore in the "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry films. Yet Mark Wahlberg slips into those steel-toed stompers confidently in "Shooter," a high-caliber action movie that gives '70s revenge fantasies a contemporary spin.

Wahlberg plays Bob Lee Swagger, a military marksman in embittered retirement after an off-the-books African mission backfires. He remains a patriot, but after being abandoned in the field by his superiors, he keeps the world at arm's length, living in a mountain cabin with his rifles and his dog for company. When an envoy from Washington (Danny Glover) informs him that an assassin is stalking the president, and asks for help to pinpoint sites the sniper might use, the veteran reluctantly agrees.

Before you can say "grassy knoll," Swagger is framed for murder and running from the law. With the help of his best friend's widow (Kate Mara) and an FBI agent (Michael Peña) just hatched from the academy, Swagger hunts the real killers — professionals who are as deadly, resourceful and relentless as he. Almost. The result is a film with a frothy head of political paranoia, thrill-a-minute pacing and an 11 on the scale-of-10 Destruct-O-Meter.

"Shooter" is a guy movie par excellence, one straight-ahead action scene clicking smoothly into the next. The film looks great, with rugged locations, high-tech artillery and helicopters buzzing like wasps. There's no love story, very little joking around, lots of tutorials on dressing a gut wound with household supplies and camo-painting weapons.

It's no surprise the film feels as well-machined as a Robinson Armament M96 Expeditionary rifle. It's loosely based on a novel by Stephen Hunter, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post movie critic who knows just where the suspense scenes, complications, explosions and twists need to go. And it's brought to the screen by director Antoine Fuqua, a skilled hand at adrenaline-pumping adventure and manly emotion (he guided Denzel Washington to a best-actor Oscar as a rogue cop in 2001's "Training Day").

Wahlberg's performance bristles with self-confidence. With his beefy weightlifter's build he looks like the man to bet on in a brawl. His sidekicks are afterthoughts. Damsel-in-distress Mara seems to matter about as much as his beloved dog. And Peña's green FBI agent is on hand mostly to repeat plot points so viewers don't lose track. The most-colorful supporting player is former Band drummer/singer Levon Helm, as an old coot conspiracy buff who brings the house down with a gag about a 44-year-old shovel.

The distinctive aspect of "Shooter" is how forcefully it hits the theme of government corruption. The villains are crafty Washington types (including Ned Beatty as a fork-tongued U.S. senator) who turn to political subterfuge when they realize they can't outgun the avenging everyman.
By the finale, Swagger is a full-fledged folk hero, on the road to new adventures (there are several more books prime for film adaptations). It looks as if Wahlberg has found an action franchise that fits him like a pair of Calvin Kleins.

Shooter (2007)
3 stars (out of 5)
Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Producer: Erik Howsam
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, Danny Glover, Kate Mara
Local showtimes ('Shooter' opens Friday, March 23)

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