Sniper (1993)
Sniper is a 1993 American action film directed by Luis Llosa. The film stars Tom Berenger and Billy Zane as snipers on an assassination mission in Panama. The first installment in the Sniper film series and was followed by seven direct-to-video sequels: Sniper 2, Sniper 3, Sniper: Reloaded, Sniper: Legacy, Sniper: Ghost Shooter, Sniper: Ultimate Kill and Sniper: Assassin’s End. It was shot in Queensland, Australia, and debuted at number two in the United States.
Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger), Force Reconnaissance Marine, an experienced sniper, and his spotter, Cpl. Papich (Aden Young), are on a mission to assassinate a Panamanian rebel leader in the jungle. Upon successful completion of their mission, Beckett and Papich covertly withdraw from the area to await extraction. Because they are erroneously extracted in daylight instead of at night, Papich is killed by a sniper (armed with an SVD Dragunov). Beckett runs back under fire to carry Papich’s remains to the helicopter.
Later, Beckett is paired with an inexperienced civilian, Richard Miller (Zane), to eliminate rebel General Miguel Alvarez funded by the Colombian drug lord, Raoul Ochoa. Miller is an Olympic medalist and SWAT team sharpshooter, but he has no combat experience, no jungle operations experience, and no confirmed kills to his name. Miller is also ordered by his superiors to kill Beckett if Beckett either threatens or compromises the covert operation to eliminate both Alvarez and Ochoa.
While proceeding to the staging area, Miller’s UH-1 helicopter is fired upon by a guerrilla armed with an AK-47 Rifle. Several of the helicopter’s crew and passengers are killed. With his Heckler & Koch SR9TC rifle fixed on the attacker, Miller is decidedly unable to shoot him; instead, the helicopter’s fatally-wounded door-gunner makes the kill, but the aircraft’s surviving aviator believes Miller made the crucial shot, earning Miller a false reputation.
On the mission, Beckett insists on deviating from the plan that Miller was given. This, together with the fact that Miller has no professional experience or aptitude for jungle operations, sparks friction between the two. Early on, they encounter a group of Indians, who agree to lead them past the rebel guerrillas, in return for a favor: they must agree to eliminate El Cirujano (“The Surgeon”), an ex-CIA agent and expert in torture who has been aiding the rebels. Beckett agrees to do so.
Casting, Filming.
Billy Zane was cast after his starring role in Dead Calm raised his profile. Director Luis Llosa, who grew up watching American films, called modern films “cartoonish and antiseptic” in their depiction of violence; he said that he wanted to bring back a sense of impact to killing. It was shot in Queensland, Australia.RELATED:
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