Seven Snipers - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Seven Snipers



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:




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Movie
Usually when Well Go USA releases a non Asian film in their catalog it’s something that’s either really off the wall bizarre (many times in a good way), or low grade B and C films that just aren’t worth the time of day. ESPECIALLY when it comes to military style action movies. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like Well Go USA has any control over it, but their Asian sourced films have always been their bread and butter, with other nation’s films coming in a distant second. But I was intrigued when I saw Australian action movie Seven Snipers come up on Well Go USA’s press release list. It had Tim Roth, Ioan Gruffudd and Radha Mitchell all on the headline. And the trailer seemed interesting enough, so I gave it a spin. And frankly, this was way better than I was expecting.

Kris Hendricks (Radha Mitchell) is a seemingly over protective mother of a 16 year old daughter named Anja (Annabel Wolfe) who just wants to get out from her mother’s thumb. But it seems that Kris’s paranoia is more than just a mother’s instincts on overdrive. In less than 5 minutes of the film’s start Kris is attacked by mysterious Realtor (Ryan Kwanten or True Blood fame) and suddenly the simple Australian mother pops out a sniper rifle and goes Rambo on him. Turns out she has a bit of a past. One that has her living in the Australian outback for a reason. It seems she was once a special forces sniper who is on the run from a terrorist mastermind known as “The Dragon”. And said Realtor just so happens to be a scout for The Dragon, and now he’s on his way.

Calling in every favor she can, Kris calls up her old special forces team (who all seem to be snipers) in an effort to batten down the hatches and take care of The Dragon before he gets there. But they’re too late. By the time her cavalry arrives, The Dragon (Tim Roth) is already in play, killing Anja’s boyfriend Michael and taking out her team one by one. Soon it’s just her, her old team mate Milk (Ioan Gruffudd) and her daughter against a man who will stop at NOTHING to take back what he believes is rightfully his.

Seven Snipers is NOT half bad. And that’s an actual compliment. Usually these military style actioneers from Well Go USA are nothing but low budget experimental flops that make their to home video. But this one is pretty competent. Molding aspects of a traditional military style action film with over arching themes of Seven Samurai, this is a quick paced film that knows well enough to keep the runtime short and the action high. It’s probably elevated by the fact that Radha Mitchell is a solid actor herself, and both Tim Roth and Ioan Gruffudd act circles around just about everyone. Even Radha. To be fair, Tim Roth looks a bit bored and he coasts through the film with relative ease thanks to his classical acting skills. But still. It’s reasonably fun.

The action is quick paced, and while their over use of sniper rifles as the tool for EVERY situation is a bit silly, things move fast enough to overlook most of those faux pas. Well, except for that final “duel where Kris and the Dragon face off against each other, where The Dragon couldn’t miss before, and suddenly can’t seem to hit the broad side of a barn door due to plot armor. But hey, you can’t win em all.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

As per usual, I can’t seem to find any information on the resolution of the master, or the cameras used for the shoot, but my gut reaction is a very obvious digital shoot, MOST LIKELY mastered in 2K. That being said, I’m more than willing to update the review if any other information arises. The result is a solid looking image that is stellar most of the time. Shot in Australia, the film looks appropriately bright and shiny, with luscious greens and light browns. Fine detail work is great, with plenty of fine details across the board, ranging from The Dragon’s Gillie suit, or the bits of hair on Anja’s face as she draw’s her bow in the opening scene. Black levels are quite nice, and I didn’t notice the typical banding we see in Well Go USA Blu-ray titles. Maybe some minor crush in the interior shots, and a few noise spikes, but nothing major.







Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio mix is stellar as well, giving us a well rounded action mix that relies heavily on ambient sounds for the surround usage, and lots of thudding bass with the sniper shots going off. Dialog is well placed in the center of the room, and I found only a few moments where Tim Roth’s mumbling English accent was a bit hard to hear. LFE really is the shining star here, with plenty of boom for the sniper rounds blasting everywhere, and surround usage is never sluggish. All in all, a very good audio track for us HT nerds.










Extras:

• Well Go USA Trailers
• Preview

Final Score: ​

Seven Snipers is surprisingly competent for a low budget Australian film, and while it won’t be the sort of film you play over and over again, it makes for an entertaining romp. I don’t regret watching it, and it makes for a fun rental. Audio and video are solid with good scores across the board, but we’re left with the typical “previews only” for the extras. So my final recommendation for this one is going to be a pleasant rental. It may never be Black Hawk Down, but it is fun for what it is.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Radha Mitchell, Tim Roth, Annabel Wolfe, Ioan Gruffudd
Directed by: Sandra Sciberrras
Written by: Andrew O'Keefe
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 89 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 11th, 2026

Recommendation: Solid Rental