Bob Lee Swagger is the Man

J

Johnny Got His Gun.1

New member
I finished reading Stephen Hunter's _Point of Impact_ about an hour ago. My shooting buddy passed the novel to me about two weeks ago (only reason I couldn't finish it in a few days was I have to work!). Sniping! Pro RKBA! Patriotism! Rugged individualism!

Wow.

Reading mostly sci-fi, fantasy, and whatever literature I happen to be teaching at the moment, I have been rejuvenated as a reader by latching onto a good, old-fashioned, complex action-adventure plot.

Hunter's story has more layers than an onion. I appreciated his well-turned characterizations. As a Southerner, I've seen proud, disciplined, quiet, careful Bob-Lee men hovering in and out of the world. It's rare for me to pick up a book and not have the ending predicted one-third of the way through. Stephen Hunter cured that ailment in _Point of Impact_--I couldn't get past whatever chapter I was reading at the time!

TFLers have to have read this novel. Some of you. Any of you.

Stephen Hunter sealed the loyalty of a new fan today.
 
Johny, I am acquainted with Stephen Hunter, and have talked with him about his three novels about the rifleman, Bobby Lee Swagger. Hunter is a shooter himself, a reloader, and his research also had him interviewing not only military snipers but snipers on some metropolitain SWAT teams.

Hollywood has optioned "Point of Impact," but as far as I know, there is no production at this time.

FYI. J.B.
 
I read about the "Hollywood" re-write of "Point Of Impact" that they were trying to get green-lighted, it was called "Shooters" and they were trying to cast KEANU REEVES as the Bob type charachter!!! Thank God it appears to be a dead project.

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Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war.
 
Oh, one other thing, I could only find 1 glaring technical error in "Point Of Impact"(page 56 in the paperback version) that any long range shooter should spot.

Anyone find any other serious flubs?

I still give it a 9.5 out of 10!

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Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war.
 
I don't have a copy here in front of me, but are you talking about holding high when shooting up or down angle? It was a great book.
 
Rex, Hunter told me that William Goldman, was one of the writers of the script, a top-of-the-top A list writer, and they still were having problems getting it made. I also heard about them wanting K. Reeves. What a dip!

Scott Glenn has the looks and the demeanor for the role. Of course, as with almost all actors in Tinsel Town, I've heard he's an extreme left winger.

Hunter told me too, that the next novel in the series will be about B.L. Swagger's father, the former Marine and Ark. State Trooper, and the corruption that surrounds him in Arkansas, re politics, etc. Sound familiar??

J.B.
 
J.B.-

I'm glad to hear Hunter is working on more tales of the Swagger family!

Scott Glenn would be pretty good as Swagger but you are right, he probably wouldn't do it, my friends and I threw around some names that we think should play Bob, but couldn't come up with many that we think would work. My personal choice would be either Gerald McRaney or Tom Selleck, they are around the right age, they can both do the serious guy with a sense of humor, and their politics are right. T.S. might even be enough of a name to be a box office draw.
 
How about William DeFoe (sp?). I heard that he is pretty conservative. Does anyone know for sure?

Halffast

PS - I am still saving for my "Bob the Nailer" Rifle.



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"I say that big talk is worth doodly-squat." Granny Hawkins from the Outlaw Josey Wales
 
I read in Movieline this month that Shooter may still happen. Try this website for future updates on the movie.
http://corona.bc.ca/films/

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Strength does not come from physical capacity.
It comes from an indomitable will. -- Mahatma Gandhi
 
Selleck, Da Foe or Tommy Lee Jones would be perfect for Swagger. My preference would be Selleck or Jones as either has the look.

The crusty old lawyer could be played by the judge on Picket Fences (he also played "My Favorite Martian"). Sadly, his name escapes me.
 
Tommy Lee Jones would be great. Right age and everything. Buzz, the guy you want for the lawyer is Ray Walston.

My two knocks on the series: The assumption that the shooting community is so small that you can reliably say "there are only X number of people in the world capable of making that shot." Also, the scene about hunting deer with paint pellets in a high-powered rifle was foolish. But I enjoyed the books overall.

"The Master Sniper" has an incredible technical error that ruined the book for me: The idea that the German sniper, reportedly the greatest shooter in the Germain military, would miss the critical shot that he trains for the entire book because he doesn't know that unjacketed bullets will lead his bore.
 
Point of Impact is a great book! The others are good too. My vote is for Tom Berringer as Bob Lee. He always looks like he actually knows what he is doing around guns and in the woods.

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Get your 1911s and AR15s while you still can!
 
I thought about Tommy Lee Jones, but since his Harvard roommate was AlGore, I figured he wouldn't have anything to do with a part like Bob Lee.

David Roberson-

I agree wholeheartedly about the paint pellet and the assumption that few people could make that shot, but they were plot devices to define Bob's character and keep the number of suspects to a minimum.

I thought "The Master Sniper" on the whole was sub-par.

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Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war.
 
I think Tom Berringer ruined his shot at the role after he appeared in "Sniper".

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Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war.
 
I realize it's kinda foolish to talk aobut dead actors who would have been perfect for the role Swagger, but, it would have been Lee Marvin. He had the looks, the acting ability, and...... he was a sniper in the Marine Corps, during WW II, and was involved in several of the invasions in the South Pacific. He was also a long time hunter and shooter, after he came to Hollywood.

The perfect actor... is dead. J.B.
 
What about the guy who plays a sniper on SOF, Inc.? He'd have to be aged, of course (too young for the role as is). But he was a Ranger, IIRC.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rex Feral:
I thought about Tommy Lee Jones, but since his Harvard roommate was AlGore, I figured he wouldn't have anything to do with a part like Bob Lee.[/quote]

I've heard that Jones doesn't care much for Gore these days and refuses to do interviews with reporters who want to ask about his college years with The Evil One.
 
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