Sniper 3 (2004)

Still suffering from a wound incurred during a previous mission and having aged to a point where his career is about at an end, "MSgt Thomas Beckett" (Tom Berenger) is somewhat saddened to learn that his next potential assignment involves returning to Vietnam and killing a man named "Paul Finnegan" (John Doman) who saved his life during the war. However, when informed that the man he knew has become a drug lord and has knowledge which might embarrass the United States, he accepts the mission as a matter of principle. Naturally, since it has been many years since he was last in Vietnam he is assigned a covert agent named "Quan" (Byron Mann) to help him locate his target. But what neither MSgt Beckett nor Quan realize is that there is a reason the National Security Agency (NSA) wants to kill Paul and it has little to do with the drug trade. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an adequate film for the most part but marred by a rather asinine ending. At least, that is my opinion. Be that as it may, all things considered I rate this movie as slightly below average.

More low rent straight-to-video action tosh. This one sees a tired looking Tom Berenger signed up for a mission that sees him off to Vietnam, where he's paired up with a local cop (Byron Mann, fresh off some Steven Seagal flicks) to track down various, nefarious bad guys.It's all very predictable and staid, despite the presence of a handful of mildly frenetic action scenes and lots of sniper action. It feels like a very different beast to its predecessor but the story feels less focused and less well realised. The whole thing about Berenger being sent on a mission by some corrupt officials is incredibly dull.The acting is as half-baked as the plotting, and at the end of the day this is a film that's extremely difficult to get excited about, purely because it's all so familiar and boring.

Tom Berenger is once again back on hand as our favorite fictional super sniper, Tom Beckett. This time he's sent back to Vietnam to kill Paul Finnegan, a former soldier, thought dead but gone AWOL. But the government that sends him on the mission isn't really telling him the whole truth.He teams up with the son he never knew he had (it's never said out right, but it's pretty damn obvious) to finish his mission. This movie was actually a good step up from the second one, thanks to the locale, some rather good action, and a better plot overall. I have no clue if a fourth film is being thought up, but if this is the last Sniper film then I'm glad that the series ended on a high note.My Grade: B+

SNIPER 3 is pretty exciting and well-crafted B-flick, shot by promising once-indie filmmaker PJ Pesce who wound up nailing great direct-to-video sequels. The theatrical feature SNIPER opened the nineties and now it seems it was directed by the guy who is way inferior to the ones credited on the sequels. First off it was Craig Buxley who turned SNIPER 2 into a well-made inventive low-budgeteer. Here comes Pesce who adds vintage eighties muscle into the typical Cannon MISSING IN ACTION Vietnam setting. Pesce knows his pulp and is proud to show it. Berenger is experienced and he can do such roles in his sleep while Byron Mann remains one of the greatest underused martial arts heroes after Invincible and BELLY OF THE BEAST.SNIPER 3 is more than a worth rental.When it comes to owning it, I recommend buying it when the price drops. A definite VHS pick if you stumble upon it on cable.