Seven Snipers Review – Tim Roth Doesn’t Miss in This Straightforward Action Flick

Seven Snipers is no-nonsense from start to finish. What you see is what you get here, as the entire premise of the film is right there in its title. If only other filmmakers could be as honest and shoot as straight from the hip as director Sandra Sciberras.

Former sniper Kris Hendricks (Radha Mitchell) lives a peaceful existence with her daughter, Anja (Annabel Wolfe), on a farm in the Australian outback. It’s only them and nature for miles. However, this tranquility receives a rude awakening after the arrival of the Dragon (Tim Roth), a talented sniper in his own right and an infamous warlord who has history with Kris and wants revenge. Kris knows she’s in over her head here, so she calls for backup from old friends to protect her and Anja from the Dragon’s crosshairs. There’s also another issue: Anja has no clue about her mother’s past.

Sciberras understands the power of tension and how to keep the audience on a knife’s edge in Seven Snipers. There’s a genuine uneasiness that broods throughout the 88-minute runtime, as nobody knows what’s going to happen next. Much like a sniper in real life, the filmmaker takes the time to find the perfect shot, then bang!

While the ending is predictable and telegraphed early on, the journey there takes several unexpected twists and turns that aren’t as easily anticipated by the audience. For the characters onscreen, what they go through is extremely tortuous and not everybody makes it out alive, but it’s entertaining for the viewers to see how it all unfolds.

In terms of the source of conflict between Kris and the Dragon, the backstory could have used more substance in the script. The narrative choice here feels like a default option for screenwriters when they can’t quite find a reason for characters to be at odds, since it has been seen a million times before in other films and TV shows. Having said that, it suffices for what it is. After all, nobody watching a movie called Seven Snipers is expecting The Shawshank Redemption.

Despite the promise of seven snipers, it’s only really about three – Kris, the Dragon, and Milk (played by Ioan Gruffudd). These are the characters who receive the most development and become intertwined in the drama. Anja also features heavily, but she comes across as more of a plot device than a full-fledged character in the story.

As ever, Roth comes across as charismatic. No matter how sinister his character is, there’s always something fun in his portrayal of villainy. Similarly, Mitchell convinces as a protagonist who has been trying to leave a darker chapter of her life behind. Her only concern is Anja; she finds the strength to fight for her, even though she’s deeply affected by the damage that the Dragon did to her in the past.

As mentioned, Seven Snipers doesn’t waste too much time with any unnecessary frills. It’s a straightforward action film that lives up to its end of the bargain, and there’s something about that kind of sincerity that you can’t help but appreciate.