The Sniper 神槍手

Behind the legend though, lies a skeleton in the closet: his former teammate and superb marksman Lincoln or Ling Ching (Huang Xiaoming). Lincoln was jailed four year ago for accidentally killing a hostage and has just been released. With only vengeance on his mind, Lincoln determines to take on Hartman and his team, believing they are the real culprits for his fall.

When a high-security prisoner transfer is sabotaged by a mysterious sniper and a major convict escapes, Hartman and his team are dispatched to profile the suspect. OJ or O-Tzai (Edison Chen), the hot-headed rookie on the team, surprises everyone by accurately replicating the suspect's impossible shots. Hartman sees the potential in this youngster and decides to take him under his wing. The problem is when OJ becomes fascinated by Lincoln and determines to top his shooting skills; he might become another wild card on the loose.

Meanwhile, Lincoln continues his plan of the largest heist ever in the city, his motive not really the money, but the revenge. Believing that Hartman had withheld key evidence that could free him, Lincoln decides to lure his target in by holding Hartman's daughter as hostage and re-enacting that fateful day. It is the ultimate showdown amongst three expert snipers in the Hong Kong cityscape...

Given the attributes of a sniper – confidence, decisiveness and ruthless accuracy – swelled egos and heated clashes are part of the game. While it is a team effort, there is no denying the strong individual desire to excel above the rest.

The movie can be very exciting for those who enjoy gun battles and lots of action with big guns. Director Lam is very experienced in filming shooting battles, and this time he uses real firearms.

However, “The Sniper” seems to be excessively summarized.

Many things are not explained, leaving the audience wondering how characters end up where they do. A lot of sub-plots are introduced briefly, but they never really progress to the next stage. There are a few dramatic moments, but they seem to have been put there just to link the actions scenes together.

Also, it is a very masculine movie, with very few scenes showing the women.

The roles that are shown don't seem to add much to the story itself, leaving audiences wondering why bother having them at all. Maybe it is to bring a soft touch in a purely masculine movie. I guess, as the prologue says, the rifle is the 'wife' in a sniper's life!

Filming “The Sniper” was actually completed in 2007, and it was originally scheduled for release in 2008. However, it wasn't released until this year, because of the huge sex photo scandal involving Edison Chen. The premiere was at the Hong Kong International Film Festival on 24 March 2009, a year after the scandal. Edison Chen did not appear at the HK premiere due to a death threat letter, but was able to participate in the Singaporean promotions.

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