Sniper 470 (2002 TV Movie) User Reviews

Wonderful character study

[dahjer1 · 8/10 · 4 January 2005]

Despite a few technical issues that can be forgiven due to the budget, I loved this short film. I was so wrapped up in the character, it seemed longer than it's actual run time. I truly love movies that focus on the character and not the million dollar special effects or digital animation, which is precisely what Sniper 470 does.

This is a film about isolation, boredom, fear and resolve. Billy Boyd is fantastic as the nameless gunner who tries to fill the next 72 hours until his next battle, and possibly his death. His palpable fear in the beginning few minutes of the film is followed by euphoric release when he manages to survive. The next 72 hours is filled with routine, anxiety and detachment before reaching its inevitable conclusion. I loved the slight hesitation the gunner has before saying yes to his next assignment. As if he's almost reached the end of his endurance.

I agree with the other reviewers in that, if you prefer explosions, loud soundtracks and Hollywood banality then this film is not for you. If, however, you prefer pure ACTING then Sniper 470 is just the ticket.

Damn good, even with the Dodgy Effects

[jesslotr · 9/10 · 10 November 2003]

I was lucky enough to recently watch this film. I had heard a great deal about it from the buzz on the Internet, some positive, some very negative; hence decided to give it a go and see for myself.

I was pleasantly surprised. While the effects are definitely low budget, you really find it pretty easy to ignore as you are drawn into the story. It is evident that there was not a lot of spare money for the production, and I think Billy Boyd, does a fantastic job mimicking weightlessness.

I will admit I was also very keen to see Billy Boyd in a role other than that of Pippin, from the new Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I was not disappointed. In a movie with next to no dialogue, or additional characters to interact with, he carries the story consistently and effortlessly, with his wonderfully expressive face and body language.

This all said, I do believe that this movie is not likely to appeal to all. As I and other reviewers have already stated, it was overall a very low budget production. It is also a sci-fi movie carried almost solely by a single character with no dialogue, and would easily fall into the Art House genre. However, I would recommend you seeing this if you ever have the chance, if only to see Billy doing such a fantastic job, in some.... *interesting* scenes.

The personal side of impersonal wars

[marysia · 16 November 2003]

Sniper 470 is a mood piece. Let me try and sum it up.

Imagine it's Sunday afternoon. You know, one of those Sunday afternoons when there's nothing on the telly and everyone else is off doing something else and it's grey outside and you just can't quite get settled and nothing feels right. Now imagine Sunday afternoon is five days long and on Monday morning you're probably going to die.

Sniper 470 has taken the current situation of impersonal computerised war that we saw in the first Gulf conflict to it's conclusion in a futuristic space war. It then refuses the impersonality and makes it intensely personal with many of the same sort of hardships faced by WWII soldiers (losing your friends, not knowing what's really going on) exacerbated by solitude such as they could never have imagined.

The frustration of sniper 470, the known unknown soldier, is illustrated to us by telling us nothing. Who is he at war with and why? This doesn't matter, we can only concern ourselves with this one man trying to fill the time before he dies. Seperated from family, love, even his orders are from a computerised voice. He can't see his friends die, can't offer them comfort, only watch their names scroll by on a computer screen.

The strength of Sniper 470 is in putting yourself inside it. The plot is incredibly basic, what it wants is for you to say, "My God, what must that feel like? How would I cope?"

So much of life is the waiting in between the moments of doing. Most films ignore that waiting, Sniper 470 is about the frustration and loneliness of that time and the strength and endurance needed to get through it and stay sane.

War is never impersonal as long as people are alone and in pain and dying. That's as personal as it gets.

On a more technical note, they've done a good job on the effects. The lighting was a little low for me but that's probably cause I was watching it at limited resolution on a computer screen. I'd love to see it on the big screen or at least a decent tv.

Billy Boyd was nicely understated. He played his character reserved, making us work to read his feelings. He got over the strength and patience that you would need to do what Sniper 470 does while at the same time portraying the frustration, the repressed fear and the moment when he knows, without a doubt, that it is all over.

Themes and character arc make up for lack of budget...

[tarasflowers · 6/10 · 25 December 2003]

This film was very low budget and lacked funds for effects in a genre that usually thrives on them. It's difficult to shoot lasers from a CGI gun and it's even harder to pull off being weightless without hanging from wire. But although the lack of effects that our movie-watching culture has grown so used to makes scenes seem awkward and sometimes a little slow, the film is very well carried by our star, Billy Boyd. The themes of this film which surround lonliness, isolation, and helplessness are played almost wordlessly. The gaze of Boyd's eyes seem blank most of the time but we soon come to find out that perhaps he's contemplating a severe lack of meaning in his life. By showing his boredom and disinterest he reveals that he's lost affection for his mother and his assumed girlfriend. He vaguely plucks the strings of his guitar creating no music just noises that he doesn't even seem to pay attention to. The very sight of him trying to masterbate while strapped to a wall (zero gravity - SCI-FI!) and with nothing but virtual goggles for stimulation shows that an act which is usually associated with a feeling of freedom and euphoric wrecklessness has to be severely controlled and is now impossible to enjoy. I don't want to be a brat and spoil the ending but I will say that the outcome of the film seems to be a closure for Boyd's character as there seems to be no other possible option as an end to his mundane life in outer space.

Low budget, student-esque production, and Billy Boyd...

[syndarys · 9 April 2003]

The film is only 25 minutes long, which is enough to put off quite a few people. That, coupled with "low budget" and "sci-fi" generally puts off the rest of them.

However, if you're a fan of Billy Boyd, the actor who portrays Pippin Took in Lord Of The Rings, then this is for you. Also, if you just like short artsy films, you'll probably like this!

Shot in Glasgow, this Sci-fi film follows a Sniper for the Scottish Space regiment, who lives on an asteroid in the middle of no-where, destroying targets as they pass in convoys. We get to see how he lives alone, without any contact with the outside world, save for the occasional message from his mother, and a weekly list of his fallen comrades.

The film has, as I mentioned previously, a very student film like quality to it. The actual picture quality is less than it could have been, which leads me to believe that it was actually shot onto video tape rather than actual film. I may be wrong about that however, so dont take it as gospel that it's the truth. What leads me to believe that, is the films that I myself, and my friends have produced while in college. They have a similar look to the picture, and we always shot on videotape, simply because it is more cost effective.

It's definately a good watch for those who wish to see Billy Boyd in a role very different to that of Pippin Took, so I'd definately recommend it to anyone interested in that.

So, all in all, if you dont mind low budget flicks, and want to see the delightful Mr. Boyd in a role like this, then go for it. If you're not a fan of low budget, artsy films, or dont know who Billy Boyd is, then I definately wouldnt recommend it. One of my friends, who isnt a big fan of Billy, and isnt interested in artsy films, said after watching it - "I just wasted 25 minutes of my life for THAT?"

In conclusion - I enjoyed it, but people who dont think much of artsy films, or Billy Boyd, wont enjoy it.