Sniper (1993)

A US Marine sniper is partnered with a SWAT member to take out rebel leaders in the jungles of Panama.

Director:

Luis Llosa

Writers:

Michael Frost Beckner, Crash Leyland

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Billy Zane, J.T. Walsh

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Berenger	...	Thomas Beckett
Billy Zane	...	Richard Miller
J.T. Walsh	...	Chester Van Damme
Aden Young	...	Doug Papich
Ken Radley	...	El Cirujano
Reynaldo Arenas	...	Cacique (as Reinaldo Arenas)
Gary Swanson	...	NSC Officer in Washington
Hank Garrett	...	Admiral in Washington
Frederick Miragliotta	...	General Miguel Alavarez
Vanessa Steele	...	Mrs. Alvarez
Carlos Álvarez	...	Raul Ochoa
Tyler Coppin	...	Ripoly (as Tyler Copin)
Teo Gebert	...	Ripolys Friend
Edward Wiley	...	DeSilva
William Curtin	...	Mountain Top Pilot

Storyline

Tough guy Thomas Beckett is a US Marine working in the Panamanian jungle. His job is to seek out rebels and remove them using his sniper skills. Beckett is notorious for losing his partners on such missions. This time he's accompanied by crack marksman Richard Miller, who's more of an office-type. Together they plan to seek out an important rebel leader, whilst avoiding a rogue marksman who frequents this part of the jungle.

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Plot Keywords:

sniper | jungle | shot in the head | soldier | machine gun | 

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Taglines:

One Shot. One Kill. No Exceptions.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA Peru

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Snajper

Filming Locations:

Kuranda Railway, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,715,435, 31 January 1993, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$18,994,653

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltimore Pictures,Iguana Producciones,Sniper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barry Levinson was originally slated to direct.

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Goofs

The Indian who demands Miller's shooting glasses is carrying an M-1 Carbine, but his bandoleer holds bottleneck cartridges, possibly 30-06 from the looks of the length of them.

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Quotes

Richard Miller: [seeing El Cirujano for the first time] He's a fuckin' American!
Thomas Beckett: He's a fuckin' spook. Ex-CIA. I met him once up in El Salvador. Now he's an enforcer for the cocaine monkeys. I'll take out the lieutenant, you concentrate on him. Now put a fuckin' bullet through his heart.

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Alternate Versions

UK DVD by Entertainment in Video misses some scenes but also adds/replaces scenes not present in the R-rated version.

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Connections

Referenced in Suicide Squad (2016)

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Soundtracks

Medicine Man
Written and Performed by Henry Lee Summer
Courtesy of Epic Associated Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Must see.

"One shot, one kill, no exceptions." A must see if you are into marines or snipers. two big thumbs up! Great overall storyline, great camera work, good drama, action, details, and more. Pretty close to the real thing. But this isn't a film to breakdown and pick out the editing faults. this is to sit back and have a good 99 mins. The plot has some depth but this movie isn't really about making you think. its about enjoying the sniper lifestyle and action. sniper 2 and 3 are pretty good follow ups but the first is still the best overall movie. Tom Berenger does a great job playing his character and showing the hidden side of the sniper life. the plain of dealing with all of the death. Must see for sniper fans.