By John Corrado

Director Antoine Fuqua’s 2007 action film Shooter is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and Paramount is marking the occasion by releasing the film for the first time on 4K Ultra HD in a new, limited edition SteelBook package.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Bob Lee Swagger, a former Marine sniper who is framed for an assassination attempt against the president and must go on the run to clear his name, with help from rookie FBI Agent Nick Memphis (Michael Peña) and Sarah Fenn (Kate Mara), the widow of his spotter who was killed in Ethiopia.

Adapted from Stephen Hunter’s 1993 novel Point of Impact, Shooter is a pretty good popcorn flick that mixes shoot-em-up action movie with elements of political conspiracy thriller, exploring similar themes of corruption within government and law enforcement as Fuqua’s 2001 film Training Day, to somewhat lesser effect. Jonathan Lemkin’s adapted screenplay has some more clichéd elements, and it hasn’t exactly held up as a classic in the same way as Fuqua’s earlier effort.

But Shooter still functions as a solidly entertaining action movie that boasts some decent performances (Levon Helm has a brief appearance), and does exactly when it needs to do to provide entertainment for a couple of hours, with some deeper commentary on the United States war machine. The 4K presents a solid, steady image throughout, with the increased clarity of the format providing a satisfying, upgraded viewing experience.

The greyscale cover art of the SteelBook, with Wahlberg looking serious holding a rifle on the front with the vertical film title beside him, the quote “I didn’t start it but I mean to see it through” on the back and some sparks on the inside fold, is truthfully a bit bland, and also appears to be practically identical to a Blu-ray edition that was put out in 2018. But the packaging still serves as an appealing bonus for collectors or fans looking to upgrade this particular film to 4K.

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The 4K disc includes the same bonus features from the original Blu-ray release, minus the commentary track. A code for a digital copy is also included in the package.

• Survival of the Fittest: The Making of Shooter (21 minutes, 50 seconds): A satisfying “making of” featurette that presents some interesting information about the tactics of real life snipers, including showing the training that Wahlberg went through to authentically take on the role.

• Independence Hall (7 minutes, 19 seconds): A look at the history of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, which is a key location in the film.

• Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes, 32 seconds)

• Deleted Scenes (11 minutes, 50 seconds): A selection of surprisingly enjoyable character moments that were mostly cut for length.

• Nick Memphis Intro at FBI (2 minutes, 36 seconds)

• Timmons in the Alley (1 minute, 11 seconds)

• Sarah and Swagger Discuss Conspiracy (1 minute, 26 seconds)

• Extended Shopping Scene (2 minutes, 47 seconds)

• Swagger and Memphis at the River (48 seconds)

• Swagger and Memphis Driving After Farmhouse (1 minute, 15 seconds)

• Swagger and Memphis in Hotel Room (1 minute, 43 seconds)

Shooter: 15th Anniversary Edition is a Paramount Home Entertainment release. It’s 125 minutes and rated 18A.

Street Date: March 15th, 2022