10 best sniper movies

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

The work of a sniper is surrounded by an aura of mystery and enigma. These people are smart, fearless and cold-blooded at the same time. They are capable of staying in ambush for hours, tracking down the victim, waiting for ideal conditions – and then killing it with one shot. And then disappear, as if they never existed.

And therefore, it is better to watch the work of a professional sniper from the screen, because when you meet in person, there is practically no time left to admire their skill. Fortunately, this work is also glorified in the cinema. And for those looking to enjoy a masterful and professional approach to killing, we've compiled a list of the top 10 sniper movies.

To compile the rating, we used viewers' ratings on the KinoPoisk service. It includes both Russian and foreign films, including those released before 2000.

Rating of the best sniper movies

Nomination	a place	movie name	rating
Rating of the best sniper movies	10	I see the goal (2013)	5.3 / 10
	9	Most Wanted (2008)	6.8 / 10
	8	Sniper (American Sniper, 2014)	6.9 / 10
	7	The Marines (Jaghead, 2005)	6.9 / 10
	6	Enemy at the Gates (2001)	7/10
	5	Sniper (1992)	7.3 / 10
	4	Assassins (1995)	7.4 / 10
	3	Shooter (2007)	7.6 / 10
	2	Voroshilov shooter (1999)	7.8 / 10
	1	Leon (Leon, 1994)	8.6 / 10

10th place: 'I see the goal'

Rating: 5.3 / 10

During the Great Patriotic War, almost all capable people were sent to the front, regardless of gender and age. The government did not hesitate to send even women to the front line, as they often showed greater composure. Thus, 95 ladies were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union!

And the film 'I See the Purpose' is one of the examples of modern Russian cinema, praising the service of women in the ranks of the Soviet armed forces. He talks about a sniper school, where seven very young girls went – athletes, Komsomol members, beauties (and all this is not hackneyed epithets, but a statement of fact), who voluntarily went to the front to defend their native country from the Nazi invaders. An experienced sniper arrives for training from the front line.

Despite the fact that there are quite a few direct murders in the film, and most of the action takes place directly in the school of snipers, the film should be recommended precisely due to the disclosure of the psychological aspect. Will girls be able to get cold-blooded enough to pull the trigger without hesitation? Do they have enough strength to overcome the psychological barrier and purposefully take the life of another person?

However, fans of action and on-screen action will not be bored either. One of the final scenes of the film is a sniper duel.

9th place: 'Most Wanted' (2008)

Rating: 6.8 / 10

Based on the comic strip by Mark Millar (and this already says a lot), the film 'Wanted' literally praises the weapon. And let it bring a bit of fiction, but the principle 'One bullet – one corpse', which is guided by snipers, is at the forefront here.

The plot outline is already standard and may seem banal. But it is worth considering that the film was released relatively long ago, even before Marvel began to release three identical blockbusters a year. The main character is once a loser, an office clerk who cannot even boast of a strong personality – instead, he will whine that fate turned out to be not very favorable to him.

But at some point, he discovers his father brutally murdered – and begins to try to find the culprit on his own. The search leads him to the 'Brotherhood of Weavers', a secret society of hired killers who have supernatural powers. And the main character himself has a couple of these too. Now he has to become the master of his own life and finally stop whining and boring. How else, when you are coached by Angelina Jolie herself?

The film captivates with its beauty. All these bullets flying in bullet time, slow motion, acrobatic techniques and masterful shooting from around the corner are unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. The director of 'Especially Dangerous' was Timur Bekmambetov, who, even before the release of the film, got his hands on the impressive special effects – hardly anyone is able to forget the Ferris wheel from the 'Day Watch' rolling through the streets of Moscow. Therefore, you should not expect any depth and psychological drama from the picture, you can relax and just watch how beautifully bullets fly in slow motion.

8th place: 'Sniper' (American Sniper, 2014)

Rating: 6.9 / 10

During the war in Iraq, the US was sided with Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. He was such an effective sniper that he earned the nickname 'The Devil of Ramadi'. Moreover, this was not what his colleagues called him, but his opponents directly. In fact, Chris Kyle became one of the record holders among American soldiers for the number of enemies killed. On his account – 225 corpses, including 160 confirmed.

Upon his return to his homeland, Chris Kyle sat down for an autobiography, which he called – 'American Sniper'. In it, he spoke without embellishment about military service, about the war in Iraq and about the difficulties in killing the enemy. And then Clint Eastwood himself filmed these memoirs, inviting Bradley Cooper for the main role. And here it is, the movie 'Sniper' – more historical than Hollywood; more author than producer.

“Sniper” is one of the most award-winning war films. It has received an Oscar (and five nominations for it), a huge number of other awards, and also boasts a good box office. And he does not show Americans as exceptionally noble heroes – on the contrary, he demonstrates all the horrors of war, which are not limited to the clash of weapons, but also turn ordinary people into cruel, corrupt monsters, even against the backdrop of explosions who care only about their own well-being.

7th place: 'Marines' (Jaghead, 2005)

Rating: 6.9 / 10

The Marines can be hard to watch. And the reason for this is not some kind of psychologism, no. The film is corny boring, and the eye has nothing to catch on to – the action takes place in the Persian Gulf, where only a dull faded desert stretches from horizon to horizon under the same dull faded sky.

But 'The Marines' is interesting in that it is not just a picture. This is an artifact that demonstrates the brutality of the American army. All the soldiers here – from privates to snipers, from novices to commanders – are evil assholes who, in their free time from gunfights, arrange binges and behave like in a brothel.

And this is also the dignity of the film. He portrays military service not as an honorable occupation that makes people heroes; but as a way of turning soldiers into stupid dummies, unquestioningly carrying out any order. In addition, Marines showcases the highlights of the Gulf War, such as the Highway of Death.

It is also worth noting the director's interesting find. The oil burning scenes are some of the best in the film. They are filled with an ominous atmosphere, frightening and discouraging. And although there are few shots here, the Marines is devoid of military romance. And this is the main point. Because war is not a place where people turn into heroes.

6th place: 'Enemy at the Gates' (2001)

Rating: 7.0 / 10

A European film that shows the Soviet Union not as a bunch of villains, but as a country that won the Second World War – and at what cost. And this is what makes the picture interesting. She's also curious about the cast.

The famous militant actor Jude Law plays here Vasily Zaitsev, a Russian soldier, a sniper who takes part in the defense of Stalingrad. On his account – dozens of corpses of the German fascist invaders. And partly thanks to the actions of Vasily, the German troops cannot advance closer to Stalingrad.

This, of course, does not suit the most German-fascist invaders. And from Berlin to the front in front of Stalingrad, Major Koenig is sent – the best sniper of Hitler's Germany. His task is simple – to track down Vasily Zaitsev and kill him. And so the war turns into a conflict between two men, from which only one can get out alive.

The Enemy at the Gates is very careful about history. Vasily Zaitsev is not a fictional character. This is a real sniper who really took part in the defense of Stalingrad, and during the entire period of hostilities he killed more than 250 fascists. In addition, Lyudmila Pavlichenko appears in the picture. She was also a Soviet sniper, on account of her – more than 300 corpses of invaders.

The sniper duel is also a real historical event. And, what is especially interesting, in its display, the authors of the film are quite free to relate to history. The fact is that Major Koenig is a completely fictional person. The best sniper in Germany, SS Colonel Heinz Torvald, was sent to fight Vasily Zaitsev. And then, after his death, the Hitlerite administration did not want to admit defeat. And she spread rumors that a certain Major Koenig was sent to a duel with Zaitsev.

5th place: 'Sniper' (Sniper, 1992)

Rating: 7.3 / 10

A rather unusual film for the early 1990s. Despite the typical plot – the jungle, gallant American soldiers, insidious Colombian drug lords – the picture is not a classic action movie in which the main characters cut dozens of villains with a knife at the ready. On the contrary, here the sniper business is shown with maximum realism, and even professionals cannot find serious flaws.

The heroes are using real weapons. One sniper wielding an M40A1 rifle, the other with a Heckler & Koch SR9TC, which is actually used in the American army. The plot uses a standard canvas, in which the main characters at first dislike each other and then become reliable partners, but at the same time the characters are shown multifaceted, with different characters. Dialogues are devoid of pathos and moralizing, and in some cases even make you think.

At the same time, the picture also demonstrates fights between professional snipers. Moreover, to enhance emotionality, opponents are former friends. One is an invisible assassin working for the US Army. The second is his apprentice, who became a mercenary and now protects drug lords. The action takes place in the Colombian jungle, so the 'picture' is rich and addictive.

4th place: 'Assassins' (Assassins, 1995)

Rating: 7.4 / 10

This film is able to surprise the cast. It is quite unusual to see Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Juliana Moore in a movie about assassins using sniper techniques.

Sylvester Stallone plays Robert Rath, once one of the most successful and deadly assassins, who decided to retire. But not just like that, but because of their own code of honor. The world in which he lives has only recently moved away from the horrors of the Cold War and therefore has been filled with disgusting people who yearn for the death of their neighbor for profit or to satisfy their own ambitions.

Antonio Banderas played the role of Miguel Bane, a young hitman who is not at all embarrassed by such things. And he gets the task to kill Robert Rat. A fierce, bloody battle begins between the killers, which is not just a duel, but a clash of two codes of honor, two approaches to the goal of life – and death.

The film is simultaneously dynamic – with lots of action scenes and beautifully staged duels – and makes you want to think. Both killers make their own cunning plans and networks, playing several moves ahead. And it is unclear which of them will eventually be able to win.

3rd place: 'Shooter' (Shooter, 2007)

Rating: 7.6 / 10

Bob Lee was one of the finest snipers in the United States. But then he decided to retire, climb with his wife higher into the mountains, build a small hut there and live peacefully, far from civilization, enjoying the clean air, beautiful landscapes and beer that the dog brings. However, the insidious American government at some point invades Bob's quiet privacy and asks him for one little thing – to protect the president.

An assassination attempt is being prepared on the president, and the head of the United States is going to be killed from an impressive distance of one and a half kilometers. According to Bob himself, only six people in the whole world are capable of this. Including, of course, the hero Mark Wahlberg himself, so the number of potential opponents is reduced to five.

Or not? After all, an attempt is made on the president, and now the main suspect is Bob himself, a professional sniper trapped in his own professionalism. And now he needs to find the real killer and turn him over to the authorities. Or shoot – that's how lucky you are.

'The Shooter' is primarily a dynamic 'new wave' thriller that keeps you on your toes throughout the entire viewing time. And even if the sniper business is shown in it in a somewhat comic way, without a bias in realism, but the drive and fascination are such that you want to close your eyes to all this and just enjoy a good action movie.

2nd place: 'Voroshilovsky shooter' (1999)

Rating: 7.8 / 10

The main advantage of this film is its high realism in terms of demonstrating the peculiarities of life in post-Soviet Russia. And the action is focused on the moral devastation, the one that is 'in the heads, not in the closets', although the latter also do not look particularly intact.

The story centers on Ivan Fyodorovich, a retired former railroad worker who lives with his granddaughter Katya and tries to somehow exist in a post-Soviet country. It turns out pretty average, but bearable. And then Katya is raped by several guys called the 'golden youth'.

And the parent of one of them, a high-ranking police officer, releases the rapists. Tired of fighting against a corrupt system, Ivan Fyodorovich decides to arrange justice on his own – and picks up an old rifle …

“Voroshilovsky Shooter” is not exactly a film about snipers, although, of course, there are moments with the main character in the window, following the villains through the crosshairs of the sight. This is a sad, unprincipled and in places very cruel statement about the country in which we live. And even though two decades have passed since the release of the film, very little has changed. Maybe there is less material devastation. But the system is just as corrupt, the youth are just as golden, and the surrounding reality is just as terrible.

1st place: 'Leon' (Leon, 1994)

Rating: 8.6 / 10

Leon is a professional assassin, sniper, effective, heartless and ruthless. He will take the life of the one to whom they point out – and will not ask about the reasons or conduct existential dialogues. He's not really human, but rather a machine for directing the muzzle of a sniper rifle and pulling the trigger.

More precisely, he was like that. Until he met Matilda, a charming neighbor girl who lost her family. Her family was shot by police officers involved in drug trafficking. And another time Leon would have just passed this situation – you never know tin is going on in the city, welcome to the end of the 20th century – but he has an emotional connection with Matilda.

León is a poignant romance and cruelty, one of the best early Luc Besson films. He largely 'goes out' to the acting, filled with the charisma of Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. In the center of the story are not rivers of blood at all, they are, but somewhere in the background; and not even sniper composure, it fills only the first half of the picture, then gradually disappearing. 'Leon' is a drama about two loneliness who found each other's company during a cruel and difficult time.

It's hard to find someone who doesn't like 'Leon'. It shows the routine of a professional assassin's life, 'One Shot, One Dead' sniping, intense action with gunfights and acrobatic moves, and an unsettling heavy drama.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.