AllMovie

This sinewy sequel to the 1993 original -- which made less than 20 million dollars at the box office but found a wide audience on home video and cable television -- recreates the gritty intensity without being a note-for-note remake or a mindless B-movie action romp. Tom Berenger slides into crack sniper's Thomas Beckett's muddy combat boots with ease, bringing a substantial amount of testosterone to the screen. Bokeem Woodbine, replacing Billy Zane as the hot-headed young partner on this mission (which takes them to the Balkans to eliminate a ruthless politician), is superb in a role that requires a bit of subterfuge beyond the expected. The production values are excellent, characterizations are convincing and the pace rarely lets up as smarmy evildoers are spotted through snipers' scopes left and right. The open-ended finale is a bit obvious (part three, anyone?), but, until then, it's fun to be back in the trenches with crack sniper Thomas Beckett and his rifle.