History Film / Shooter

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Johnson, Meachum and their co-conspirators cannot be connected to killing Archbishop Mutumbo and cannot be held responsible for sacking the African village on another continent, but Swagger gets justice anyway by personally murdering them all and then blowing up the cabin their bodies are in. If he's able to destroy all the evidence connected to him, he won't have to go on the run and even if he does, he's prevented the group's next terrorist scheme in the process.]]

* SmokescreenCrime: The main protagonist is framed for an assassination attempt on the U.S. President's life which resulted in the death of the Ethiopian archbishop, Desmond Mutumbo. [[spoiler:It turns out that the archbishop was the real target all along, as he was threatening to expose a massacre in an Ethiopian village committed by the villains. Since killing Mutumbo would've resulted into an investigation as to why someone would want him dead, the villains made it look like he was an unintended victim in an attempt to kill the president.]]

*** Although Nick does not mention it, there is a second reason for that: if the gun is far from the window, it reduces the sound that reaches outside.

* MurderBySuicide: The antagonists employ a device that, when strapped to a victims arm, uses a series of pulleys to force the victim to put a gun against their head and pull the trigger, literally physically forcing them to kill themselves. One of the operatives trying to force Memphis to "kill" himself tells him that it's worked very well before and the first thing Swagger says once he sees it is "what kind of sicko thought this up?"

* ClearMyName: Swagger has to provide proof that he did not killed the Archbishop or else he will be running for the rest of his life - which the bad guys really wish to cut short.
* ColdSniper: Bob fits this, though he does show moments of kindness. However, Sandor is downright sadistic, and is wheelchair-bound, as when his location was discovered during a battle, his opponents took no chances and targeted him with the artillery. [[note]]Tanks have been used in the counter-sniper role in Iraq, and artillery shelling has been done to snipers since at least UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne. They don't like it and it reduces life expectancy.[[/note]]

* SniperRifle: Swagger's religious care of his becomes a major plot point.

** Bob is seen reading [[zmag.org]] and keeps a copy of the 9/11 commission report on his desk. In another scene, Nick is wearing a UsefulNotes/CheGuevara t-shirt.

* ArtisticLicense: The advisor for the film said that the assassination shot that starts up the plot in reality should have made LudicrousGibs of the poor guy. But while it would have been more realistic it would have been more graphic than the filmmakers wanted.

-->'''Swagger:''' Search [the Senator].
-->'''Senator:''' I don't carry a weapon. ''(Memphis reaches toward him)''Ordinarily. I'm licensed to carry that in this State.

--> '''Nick Memphis:''' I didn't know you had a woman.
--> '''Bob Lee Swagger:''' Neither did I... until they took her.

** Bob is seen reading zmag.org and keeps a copy of the 9/11 commission report on his desk. In another scene, Nick is wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt.
** Bob's deep suspicion for all things government can be explained by him losing his best friend and being left to die behind enemy lines during a mission that will never be made public. This doesn't apply to Nick, a bright-eyed [=FBI=] agent who wear a Che Guevara t-shirt. True, he needed a change of clothes after his "session" with the Colonel's torture techs, so he had to wear what he could find in a hurry, but where does one find a Che Guevara shirt ''in rural Tennessee?''

* MsFanservice: The first live shot of Sarah on screen is of her in her kitchen, wearing a white pajama top with a noticeably thin weave. She spends the rest of the scene after letting in Bob Lee trying to keep her bathrobe on. She spends the majority of the movie disguised in a low-cut blouse and then in her bra, both tied up and not.

* OrgyOfEvidence: The conspiracy's slew of clues to set-up Swagger as the killer is this, and it ''does'' drive the investigating agencies to believe that Swagger did it. The reason why Memphis doesn't believes it's Swagger at first is because 1) Swagger is a top-notch sniper capable of impossible shots, [[IfIWantedYouDead and there is no way he wouldn't have hit the President (the assumed target) in the conditions at the time]], 2) the evidence arrived to the government offices barely minutes after the shooting (''while the crime scene was still closed'' and the pursuit for Swagger was still starting), making him suspicious of the absurd efficiency and speed of its delivery, compounded by the fact that ''nobody in his office knows where all the evidence came from'', and 3) not only did the cop that allegedly discovered Swagger provide a story that sounded a bit ridiculous to those with knowledge of sniper tactics, [[RevealingCoverup but the cop was shot dead in an alleged mugging just hours after giving his statement, which sounds even more suspicious]].

** PlayedStraight in one scene where [[spoiler:the archbishop is killed]]. According to the film's technical advisor, that shot should have ''[[LudicrousGibs torn him apart]]'' but this would've been too graphic to show in movie theaters (even with its [[UsefulNotes/RestrictedRating R-rating]]).

-->'''Colonel Johnson:''' What the hell am I doing here? You've got nothing on me. I'm covered. Call the Joint Chief.
-->'''Attorney General Russert:''' That won't be necessary, Colonel, as I have already received no less than a ''dozen'' calls from highly-ranked and powerfully-placed individuals ''telling'' me to let you go. But the joy of checks and balances in our government is that I can, and am, indeed, required by law, to tell them to ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck off]]''.

** PlayedStraight in one scene where [[spoiler:the archbishop is killed]]. According to the film's technical advisor, that shot should have ''[[{{Gorn}} blown him apart]]'' but this would be too graphic for the movie.

* DeconReconSwitch: The bad guys spend so much of their screen time gloating that [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil they have the money and the power and whatever they do on other countries cannot affect them in America]] that Swagger at the end admits they are right to a degree… [[spoiler:but by the time the credits roll he still killed them all and no less a man than the Attorney General of the United States of America [[CouldSayItBut told Swagger in an indirect way]] that [[AssholeVictim they all deserve it]].]]

** Dobbler is [[LockedOutOfTheLoop ignorant of many of the worst actions committed by his employers and ultimately helps Bob in the book. In the film he doesn't.

* PrettyLittleHeadshots: '''Averted'''.

* BittersweetEnding: Johnson, Meachum and their co-conspirators cannot be connected to killing Archbishop Mutumbo and cannot be held responsible for sacking the African village on another continent, but Swagger gets justice anyway by personally murdering them all and then blowing up the cabin their bodies are in. If he's able to destroy all the evidence connected to him, he won't have to go on the run and even if he does, he's prevented the group's next terrorist scheme in the process.

* ClearMyName

* {{BFG}}: Bob's Cheyenne Tactical M200 Intervention [[spoiler:which he supposedly used to try assassinate the president, and hit the Ethiopian archbishop.]] Even bigger is the Barrett .50 cal he uses against the helicopter in the opening scene.

* BittersweetEnding: Johnson, Meachum and their co-conspirators cannot be connected to killing the Archbishop and cannot be held responsible for sacking the African village on another continent, but Swagger gets justice anyway by personally murdering them all and then blowing up the cabin their bodies are in. If he's able to destroy all the evidence connected to him, he won't have to go on the run and even if he does, he's prevented the group's next terrorist scheme in the process.

* ChekhovsSkill: Sarah was mentioned by Donnie mentions that his sister Sarah is about to enter Medical School in the opening. Now guess who Swagger goes to once he's framed...
%%* CIAEvilFBIGood: Memphis is an FBI agent and the first law enforcement character to realize Swagger is innocent. He decices to help Swagger find the perpetrators behind the GovernmentConspiracy and more, while corrupt members of the CIA are hunting down Swagger because HeKnowsTooMuch about said conspiracy.

* GetOutOfJailFreeCard: In the end, [[spoiler: Swagger is acquitted of the crime he was framed for, the assassination of an African archbishop, by proving that the murder weapon could not have been used, thus he could not have fired it.]] This seems perfectly logical, but no one, not even the incognito BigBad who was sitting right next to the war council, seems to address the fact that Swagger killed probably a ''bunch'' of men and caused untold amounts of property damage between the beginning of the film and now in his quest for vengeance.

* GovernmentConspiracy: What Swagger, Memphis, and eventually Sarah get stumbled into, and what Johnson is part of. [[spoiler: A cover-up of an incident involving slaughtering African villagers so that a US-owned pipeline could be constructed in the region, led by both Johnson and a corrupt US Senator.]]

* PragmaticAdaptation: In the book, Swagger was a [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam]] ShellShockedVeteran, meaning you'd need to cast Creator/TommyLeeJones to maintain his ActionHero status. Substituting the UsefulNotes/GulfWar enabled them to maintain the PresentDay setting with a younger Swagger. The rest is translated faithfully... [[spoiler:except the opening sequence where [[OneDegreeOfSeparation Swagger covers the evac of the operation the Archbishop was killed to suppress]]]].

* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: [[spoiler:As soon as Bob was able to prove that the [=FBI=]'s evidence against him was fake, he was free to go. This is in spite of his merciless slaughter of henchmen, soldiers, and military snipers. Sure, it was in self defense and in defense of Memphis, but his high-influence political enemies had no reason not to nail him for it.]] It really helps, however, that [[spoiler:everyone he killed [[UnPerson did not legally exist]]. The henchmen torturing Memphis - legally dead years before. The army that ambushed him at the cabin -- an American-trained Chilean [[strike:death squad]] mercenary unit who weren't even authorized to be in the US, let alone carrying state-of-the-art weapons and flying a helicopter gunship. The snipers on the mountain - more mercenary henchmen. If TheGovernment came down on Swagger, [[StreisandEffect they'd be acknowledging the existence of an entire organization of state-sponsored terrorists,]] a scandal that would make Watergate look like the President was hit by a pie. They probably were planning to "neutralize" Bob themselves, but he drew first.]]

** Well, Chekhov's [[spoiler:firing pin anyway. We see Bob doing something to his rifle just before he leaves for the mission. It turns out to be extremely important]].

* ChekhovsSkill: Sarah was mentioned by Donnie in the opening that she was just about to enter Medical School. Now guess who Swagger goes to once he's framed...
%%* CIAEvilFBIGood: Memphis is a good guy by virtue of deciding to help Swagger find the perpetrators behind the GovernmentConspiracy and more, while corrupt members of the CIA are hunting down Swagger because HeKnowsTooMuch about said conspiracy. %%Needs to elaborate on the "FBI Good" part of the trope

* ColdSniper: Bob, but Sandor is downright sadistic, and is wheelchair-bound, as when his location was discovered during a battle, his opponents took no chances and targeted him with the artillery. [[note]]Tanks have been used in the counter-sniper role in Iraq, and artillery shelling has been done to snipers since at least UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne. They don't like it and it reduces life expectancy.[[/note]]
* ColonelBadass / RetiredBadass: Colonel (retired) Johnson. His role in the movie is more of a SmugSnake / CorruptBureaucrat, but at the beginning he shows Swagger a Medal of Honor. This is the highest combat decoration a US military member can receive, requires an act of Congress to issue, and it's very often awarded posthumously.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: ''Anyone'' who knows about and/or part of the GovernmentConspiracy and/or is no longer of use to the antagonists is dealt with. Swagger, Memphis, the policeman who shot Swagger, everyone for them is fair game.

* KickTheDog: The conspirators shoot Bob's dog when they retrieved one of his rifles from his house.

** Bob's deep suspicion for all things government can be explained by him losing his best friend and being left to die behind enemy lines during a mission that will never be made public. Nick, bright-eyed [=FBI=] agent, wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt...not so much. True, he needed a change of clothes after his "session" with the Colonel's torture techs, so he had to wear what he could find in a hurry, but where does one find a Che Guevara shirt ''in rural Tennessee?''

** Stephen Hunter refuses to pick a side. He thinks the bureaucracy is dumb, but is in favor of some of it. A good example is that though he is opposed to gun bans, he is a dedicated supporter of ''registration''.

* OffscreenKarma: One part of Bob Lee Swagger's EstablishingCharacterMoment is when the men of the GovernmentConspiracy read through his dossier, mentioning that the [[CIAEvilFBIGood bastard Intelligence agent which left him and his friend]] [[ActionPrologue behind enemy lines to die]] was "mysteriously" killed and nobody was able to pin anything on Swagger, so they gave him a honorable discharge. They're smart enough to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge read between the lines]] ("I guess he didn't consider himself expendable")...and ''still'' [[UnderestimatingBadassery underestimate him]].