Seven Snipers (MA) – 88 minutes

She is hard-nosed, vigorous, unrelenting – a sharpshooter. She is on a mission to protect her strong-willed daughter, who turns 16 the next day.

That is the lot of Kris “Voodoo Child" Hendricks (Radha Mitchell), who has spent years hiding out on a remote Australian farm.

And then their peaceful co-existence is shattered by the arrival of a stranger who purports to represent foreign interests that want to buy her property.

Only that isn’t even close to the truth.

He has been sent to take her out.

The instigator is a ruthless warlord, known as The Dragon (Tim Roth), who once held Hendricks captive and has tracked her down, looking for revenge.

Hendricks turns to the only person she still trusts, a former comrade in arms known as White Dog (Damien Ryan). 

In quick time, he cobbles together a cadre of ex-military snipers, ready to stand with her to protect her daughter, Anja (Annabel Wolfe).

But it is not enough. The Dragon has them in his sights and is taking them out one-by-one.

Anja has been wagging school and has gone off into the bush with her boyfriend, so first things first, Hendricks has to find her and bring her back home.

Inevitably, there will be a confrontation that determines Hendricks and Anja’s fate and draws years of hostility to an end.

Writer Andrew O’Keefe’s fascination with sniper movies began with reading Frederick Forsythe’s The Day of the Jackal in the early ‘90s.

Decades later, he came up with the concept of the exact opposite of all the marksmen films he had seen.

The concept was that of a traumatised sharpshooter hiding out on a failed farm, keeping the secret of her identity from her daughter.

The mission comes to her, rather than the other way around. 

After O’Keefe’s mother died, a deeper theme emerged, namely the danger of keeping the truth from loved ones for too long.

As the subject matter suggests, the tension is Seven Snipers is apparent from the get go and is persistent throughout.

The truth – Hendrick’s back story – is drip fed to us, the audience.

The second scene sees Hendricks particularly hard on her daughter as she practices her archery skills.

Despite Anja being relatively dismissive, as is the want of teenagers, it is soon clear as to why. 

Director Sandra Sciberras has crafted a tightly wound action thriller.

Even though, in the context of what unfolds, leading to the inevitable conclusion, it is obvious that White Dog and his men are dispensable, I was up for it.

I appreciated the set up and the performance of Radha Mitchell, in particular, while Annabel Wolfe also holds her own as Anja.

What distinguishes Mitchell is her focus and intensity. Like the character she plays, nothing will stand in her way. It is in her eyes and in the way she carries herself.

There is something of the chip off the old block in Wolfe’s portrayal too. She knows her mind and the strength of her character.

There appears to be a perverse pleasure in the way Tim Roth assumes the role of The Dragon, who just keeps coming. He presents as an adversary with no off valve.

The movie also features known names Ryan Kwanten and Ian Gruffudd as part of White Dog’s crew.

From the tranquil aerial of the pristine countryside that opens proceedings, Andrew Conder’s cinematography is impressive.

Mike Forst dramatic score tightens the reins.

I felt there was a little loss of momentum as we headed to the final showdown, but at 88 minutes, I was kept largely intrigued and engaged.

Rated MA, for a few gory scenes, Seven Snipers scores a 6½ out of 10.