The Marksman (2005)

Elevator Pitch: In the Chechen republic there is a semi-derelict nuclear reactor which is in the hands of a rebel group, so it is arranged between some Russian politicians and a bunch of CIA people that a U.S special forces group will go in, rescue some hostages and provide a target for a U.S air strike.  Painter, the eponymous Marksman finds a secondary position with all sorts of equipment and a hazmat suit, and as the rest of the squad are on the verge of lift off in a helicopter with a couple of people they have found he realises that the whole thing is a set-up. He warns the team but not before one of the rescued people turns out to be a saboteur who blows up the helicopter. Meanwhile the American aircraft is approaching.

Content: No sex but some semi-naked dancers in a bar, where drinking takes place. There are telephone conversations between the Americans and the Russians, and between Painter and the CIA when he finds a suitable radio telephone. The soldiers spend a lot of time stumbling about in underground tunnels. Within the plot is a container supposed to contain fuel rods, but which blows up for no good reason. There is a lot of automatic weapon gunfire between the soldiers and the rebels. The helicopter is blown up. There are air battles between the American aircraft and unknown assailants.

A View: I have summarised this outing as best I could. I was hoping to find an explanation of the plot in the Wikipedia summary, but there was nothing. So there is a twist, but I don’t really know what it was, or why. Wesley Snipes seems to have adopted a totally silent persona whatever he is in. So this is not a watch, even for nothing. I gave it two points because it is not actually unpleasant.

Some other Wesley Snipes films which are a bit better: Rising Sun, Demolition Man, Blade.