The Top 10 Sniper Movies of All Time

This story was originally published in 2014

Based on the late Chris Kyle’s best-selling book is getting rave reviews. So we thought we’d rank ten of the best…

10.JACK REACHER (2013)

Despite the presence of Tom Cruise, “Jack Reacher” is a pretty good movie. The story revolves around a deranged sniper who guns down a bunch of people in broad daylight for no apparent reason–(Or does he? Cue the dramatic music)–and reaches out to Jack Reacher (Cruise) for help after he is apprehended. The plot is clean and simple, the action sequences are damn good, and it co-stars the lovely Rosamund Pike *sigh* of “Gone Girl” (on whom I have a bit of a crush, if you can’t tell). Alas, there is that matter of the omnipresent Cruise, who apparently seemed to think his role required little more than a cocky smile and the assistance of good stuntman. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying this one.

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Buy “Jack Reacher” Here!

9.SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

One of the great war movies, Ryan would have ranked higher on our list if it had featured a little more of Private Jackson, the sniper played by Barry Pepper who smites Germans with his trusty Springfield 1903A4. Sure, the gun seems to have a different scope on it every other scene. And sure, Pepper (a lefty) is constantly struggling with the action, which was designed for a right-handed shooter. But the final battle scene of this movie is epic, and the best 60 seconds come in this clip (above).

Buy “Saving Private Ryan” in this great collection!

8. SHOOTER (2007)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=natRMn81kiY

No, it’s not a war movie. But this ex-marine scout sniper’s personal vendetta against some corrupt government officials will have you cheering for justice. Mark Wahlberg is of course amazing (as always) in the lead role as scout sniper Bob Lee Swagger. This terribly-atrociously-God awfully-named character makes some amazing shots, but his sense of survival and desire for justice move this action-packed flick so fast you’ll want to watch it again and again. The technical knowledge they bring into the movie also brings some reality to it.

Buy “Shooter” here for under $5!

7. BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001)

OK. Snipers really aren’t a big part of this movie – one of the greatest war movies out there today. However, during the actual incident in Mogadishu during Operation Gothic Serpent, two men were dubbed the Snipers of Mogadishu and both were awarded the Medal of Honor. And it’s no wonder why. Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart, both assigned to Task Force Ranger, provided precision fire from the lead helicopter to cover both crash sites when the two helicopters went down. Even amidst intense enemy fire from automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, these guys stayed at the site and were even inserted near the crash area to fight off the enemy. Armed with just their sniper rifles and pistol, they fought their way to the crew members and continued their defense of the crash site until both were mortally wounded. Because of these men, Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant was the sole surviving crew member and taken prisoner by Somali General Mohamen Farrah Aidid who then released him 11 days later.

Buy “Black Hawk Down”

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6.Jarhead (2005)

Based on the best-selling book written by former Marine Anthony Swofford, “Jarhead” takes viewers on a hell of a ride. The film depicts Swofford, a Camus-reading young Marine, as he is shipped off to the Persian Gulf after the outbreak of the Gulf War. Some have called the flick the “Full Metal Jacket” of the 90s, and we’d have to agree. Directed by the talented Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Sky Fall”), “Jarhead” carefully and colorfully depicts the strain and toll of deployment and combat. Though dark at times, because Mendes treats the subject matter seriously, the film is more morally ambiguous than anti-war.

Buy “Jarhea
d” and get three movies in one!

5. Clear and Present Danger (1994)

Hollywood’s better adaptations of Tom Clancy’s material, “Clear and Present Danger” shows what happens when our boy scout CIA-man Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) gets in over his head in the back-biting world of Washington, D.C., intrigue. More of a political film than a war movie, the movie nonetheless has some of the coolest and most fun sniper scenes ever put on the silver screen. What, after all, could be more fun than using a secret CIA-run unit to terrorize the drug operation of ruthless Columbian drug lord? But the best clip of the film is probably this scene (above) involving Army sniper Domingo Chavez (Raymond Cruz) during a training exercise observed by John Clark (Willem Defoe), a former Navy SEAL who operates the CIA’s euphemistically dubbed “Special Activities Division.”

Buy the entire Jack Ryan collection!

4. LETHAL WEAPON (1987)

that “Lethal Weapon” is a sniper movie. Sure, it’s primarily a cop flick. But don’t forget: Sgt. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) was a spec ops sniper in Vietnam. Once did a guy in Laos from 1,000 yards. 8 maybe 10 guys in the world could have made that shot. Only thing he’d even been good at — Okay, I’ll stop. The point is: Riggs was a hell of a sniper in ‘Nam. We get to see how good he was in this clip (above).

Buy the Lethal Weapon collection!

3.THE JACKAL (1997)

A perennially underrated movie, “The Jackal” is a surprisingly entertaining film that entertains from start to finish. Based on the 1971 novel penned by English writer Frederick Forsyth, the film would have landed even higher on our list if Richard Gere had pulled off his role (and that Irish accent) as protagonist Declan Mulqueen, an ex IRA sniper released from a federal penitentiary to assist federal agents in their hunt for a deadly assassin (Bruce Willis) targeting a high-ranking government official. The movie has a tight script and contains some great supporting performances—particularly Sidney Poiters as FBI man Carter Preston and Diane Venora as Russian Maj. Valentina Koslova—but it’s Willis that makes this film great, as he seamlessly captures the phantom-like nature of the killer. Willis’ Jackal is at different seductive, cool, darkly funny, and insidiously chilling. Need an example? Have a look at this scene as he calmly shoots to pieces an oily, pre-famous Jack Black.

Buy “The Jackal” now!

2.LONE SURVIVOR (2013)

Based on Marcus Luttrell’s real life story of survival during the ill-fated Operation Redwing, “Lone Survivor” is two hours of adrenaline pumping cinema. Actor-turned writer/director Peter Berg (aka the guy from “Aspen Extreme” and “The Great White Hype”) managed to not turn this incredible story of honor, heroism and sacrifice into a steaming pile of Hollywood schlock. And don’t just take it from us. Speaking to our own Ray “Cash” Care in a recent interview, Luttrell said Berg “did a great job of telling the story,” adding that the actors “put all the Hollywood bullshit aside.” The result is a riveting film unmatched by anything we’ve seen in recent years.

Buy “Lone Survivor” now for just $4.99

1.ENEMY AT THE GATES (2001)

Based on the real-life exploits of Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev, a Red Army sniper whose kill tally at the Battle of Stalingrad is said to have eclipsed two hundred,”Enemy at the Gates” is the godfather of sniper movies. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (“Seven Years in Tibet,” “The Name of the Rose”), the film depicts a grim battle to the death between two insidious regimes (Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union) among the rubble of the Red city on Volga River. The key players are Zaytsev (Jude Law) and Major König, a German sniper (played brilliantly by Ed Harris) called to Stalingrad to dispatch young Zaytsev, who’s become a Russian hero for his knack for plinking off German officers trying to capture the city. It doesn’t get any better than this. But we’ll soon find out how “American Sniper” measures up to “Enemy of the Gates” and co.

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Buy “Enemy at the Gates” now for just $4.99

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