Story: While Robert (Bruce Willis) was finally able to topple his nemesis Balzary (Chad Michael Murray) and rescue his son in distress Paul (Jesse Metcalfe), his work is far from done cleaning up the mess. Balzary’s widow Sasha (Natali Yura) is in danger and for some reason, Robert decides to stage a rescue mission and in the process, finds out not all is as it seems. He is taken out of action for a while and faces a challenge like never before, as he has to hope his son can overcome the odds or at the minimum, hold the line until Robert can return to the conflict. But can even this father/son duo survive an unexpected onslaught?

Entertainment Value: The first Fortress installment was passable by direct to video Bruce Willis standards, with some fun moments and cheesiness, so I hoped to see more of the same here. Instead, Fortress: Sniper’s Eye ups the ante and entertains even more. A narrative that basically (and shamelessly) retells the story from the first movie is a good sign this has some b movie magic, as even Bruce’s character makes a remark about the repeat chain of events that happens here. The pace seems brisker and the b movie vibes are more vibrant, thanks in large part to a wild, unhinged turn from Chad Michael Murray. A fun villain makes a lot of difference, as even routine scenes pack an extra burst of wackiness and to me, that raises the entertainment value. There’s some action and while it isn’t epic in scale, there are some enjoyable sequences and set pieces. As far as direct to video action flicks, this one hits most of the desired traits for me, as it is over the top, has some interesting names involved, a brisk pace, and some fun action scenes. So while Sniper’s Eye might not be a genre classic, I think this is a rare sequel that surpasses the original, even if that bar wasn’t super high.

While Bruce Willis provides the star power in this Fortress sequel, it is Chad Michael Murray that steals the show with his performance. Murray embraces an over the top nature approach to his villain role this time around and to me, this is one of his most enjoyable efforts. He makes even basic lines seem melodramatic or even hilarious, as he dials up his turn and really goes for broke. I wish he would have gone this wild in the first movie, as he really adds so much to Sniper’s Eye and raises the entertainment value a lot. A fun villain can really tilt the scales in an otherwise forgettable movie and that’s certainly the case here, as Murray’s performance alone makes this sequel worth a look. Willis has a decent amount of screen time, but isn’t given much to do, so he spends a fair amount of time laying in a bed eating oatmeal. Still, he is charismatic as always and I just like seeing him in action, so I think his fans will appreciate his scenes. The cast also includes Jesse Metcalfe, Kelly Greyson, Ser’Darius Blain, and Natali Yura.

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