Sniper 3 (2004)

Deadly sniper Tom Beckett is recruited by the CIA to go to Ho Chi Minh City and take out a ruthless drug dealer who turns out to be an old war buddy he thought was dead.

Director:

P.J. Pesce

Writers:

Michael Frost Beckner (characters created by), Crash Leyland (characters created by)

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Byron Mann, John Doman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Berenger	...	Thomas Beckett
Byron Mann	...	Quan
John Doman	...	Paul Finnegan
Denis Arndt	...	William Avery
Troy Winbush	...	Captain Laraby
Jeannetta Arnette	...	Sydney
William Duffy	...	Richard Addis
Nophand Boonyai	...	Tran
Dom Hetrakul	...	Chu
Govit Vattanakun	...	Chinaman
Naraporn Chainin	...	Vietnamese Woman
Zawit Subanunt	...	Vietnamese Policeman
Bangongsak Kansai	...	Vietnamese Policeman
Aoyama Isao	...	Asian Bodyguard
Ken Streutker	...	Neil Finnegan

Storyline

Sniper Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger) is hired by NSA officials, William Avery (Denis Arndt) and Richard Addis (William Duffy) to perform a covert operation to eliminate a suspected terrorist. The terrorist turns out to be a friend of Beckett's and the real purpose of the mission turns out to be something other than what Beckett was told.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | third part | betrayal by a friend | betrayal | sniper | 

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Taglines:

Everyone is a target.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sniper 3

Filming Locations:

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Destination Films, Sandstorm Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the signs in the so-called "Ho Chi Minh" city are in Thai, which doesn't look even remotely like Vietnamese. Vietnamese language is written in the Western alphabet, with accent symbols over some letters. Thai has its own alphabet, quite indecipherable to Westerners.

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Goofs

In the driving scenes, the car is on the left and the driver is on the right. If this was in Vietnam this would be reversed.

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Quotes

Beckett: What the fuck are you looking at?

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Connections

Followed by Sniper: Ultimate Kill (2017)

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Soundtracks

Black Over Blonde
Written by Tim Jones
Performed by Tim Jones

User Reviews

Full circle

The third stop in the series, likely Tom Berenger's last go round, a story that nicely comes full circle, Sniper 3 ends up being the next best thing to the original and far and away the best sequel. The original established mood, tone, character and such. I like it a lot, good flick. Sniper 2 didn't do much right in my book. It's sole asset was its brief expansion on Beckett's character, but hey, a lot of people seem to enjoy it. Finally what is there to say about Sniper 4; aka Reloaded? Hi Billy Zane, maybe? Nice to see Miller again (even if he's stuck in a z grade, rundown sequel).

I won't rundown the story to Sniper 3 like it's epic. It's not, but besides being serviceable - as a backdrop for the casual viewer - it opens up plenty on Beckett's character, history, background and isn't that what we tune in for at this point in the road? Yes, the return to it's jungle roots (so to speak) is welcomed, the supporting cast is decent and the sniping portions of the movie feel right, but Beckett's up and down slope is this sequel's strongest asset. Weak spots? Every sequel has dealt lies and predictable betrayal and this one's no different. Oh and taking out a rival sniper with a handgun from quite a distance. That scene made me wince.

The casual moviegoer can rightfully be excused for perceiving Sniper 3 as nothing more than an indistinguishable dtv offering, but fans of the series will want to give it a go. I enjoyed the opening and the finale's simple but efficient ending with what I perceived to be a wink and nod to the original. I went in with lowered expectations because of Sniper 2, but 3 delivered. A good bookend to Beckett's saga.