# Sniper (神鎗手) (2009 film)
**Sniper** (神鎗手), also known as *The Sniper*, is a 2009 Hong Kong action film directed by Dante Lam and produced by Candy Leung, with a screenplay by Jack Ng.[3](https://fareastfilms.com/review/the-sniper/) • [13](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1194624/credits/) It stars Richie Ren, Huang Xiaoming, and [Edison Chen](https://www.edgepedia.org/edison-chen) as marksmen on opposing sides of a sniper duel within the Hong Kong police's Special Duties Unit.[8](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/sniper.html) • [9](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/the_sniper.htm) • [4](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/) Completed before the 2008 [Edison Chen photo scandal](https://www.edgepedia.org/edison-chen-photo-scandal), the film's release was delayed for about a year, making it one of the most talked-about Hong Kong releases of 2009.[1](https://eiga.com/movie/55304/) • [2](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200) Produced on a reported budget of HK$30 million, it premiered on 24 March 2009 at the 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival before its Hong Kong release on 9 April 2009.[5](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/) • [4](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/) • [2](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Dante Lam; screenplay by Jack Ng (吳煒倫)[3](https://fareastfilms.com/review/the-sniper/) |
| Hong Kong release | 9 April 2009; 86 minutes; Category IIB[4](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/) |
| Production budget | HK$30 million, reported as one of the larger Hong Kong police productions of its period[5](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/) |
| Premiere | 24 March 2009 at the 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival[2](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200) |
| Later releases | Malaysia 23 April 2009; Taiwan 10 July 2009; Japan 17 April 2010[2](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200) • [6](https://www.truemovie.com/2009moviedata/Sniper.htm) • [1](https://eiga.com/movie/55304/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Hartman (Richie Ren) leads the sniper squad of the Hong Kong police's Special Duties Unit and is the best active shooter, though he ranks second in team history behind Lincoln ([Huang Xiaoming](https://www.edgepedia.org/huang-xiaoming)), a former colleague jailed for accidentally shooting a hostage during a mission.[8](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/sniper.html) • [9](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/the_sniper.htm) After beat cop OJ (Edison Chen) shows marksmanship in a hostage shootout, Hartman recruits him into the squad, and OJ aims to become the unit's top sniper.[4](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/)
Once released from Stanley Prison, Lincoln helps gangster boss Tao (Jack Kao) escape from a prisoner convoy and plans a HK$200 million heist, but his real goal is revenge on Hartman, whom he blames for his imprisonment because he believes Hartman withheld key information from the investigation committee.[4](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/) • [9](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/the_sniper.htm) The three marksmen converge in rifle combat across Hong Kong, with Lincoln at one point holding Hartman's daughter hostage to force a showdown.[4](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/) • [7](https://www.yesasia.com/us/the-sniper-2009-blu-ray-hong-kong-version/1020231268-0-0-0-en/info.html)
## Production and the release delay
The film was shot before the scandal that reshaped its release. In early 2008, private photographs involving Edison Chen spread online, and Chen announced an "indefinite" withdrawal from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.[5](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/) Producers reshuffled their marketing plans, and the film's release was delayed for almost a year.[2](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200) Reviewers reported that Chen's role was cut down considerably in the released version.[7](https://www.yesasia.com/us/the-sniper-2009-blu-ray-hong-kong-version/1020231268-0-0-0-en/info.html)
At the international premiere on 24 March 2009 at the 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival, Chen did not attend and his name was not mentioned; Richie Ren and Huang Xiaoming appeared, and the audience gave the director and attending cast a standing ovation.[2](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200) Chen nonetheless promoted the film abroad, attending a press conference in Singapore in April 2009 despite receiving threatening letters containing bullets.[5](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/)
Dante Lam, whose previous film *The Beast Stalker* (2008) had won acclaim, directed the film, with Candy Leung and Cheung Hong-Tat producing and action direction by Yuen Tak (元德).[3](https://fareastfilms.com/review/the-sniper/) • [13](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1194624/credits/) The production was reported to cost HK$30 million.[5](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/) Stunts were physically demanding: in one scene Huang Xiaoming and Richie Ren jumped from a tenth-floor rooftop to a neighboring building's ninth floor, a jump that took eight takes after seven failed ones, and Huang fell during one attempt, saved by his safety rope with only minor injuries; he was also suspended by wires as high as the fourteenth floor.[5](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/)
## Reception
Critics generally rated the action above the story. The lovehkfilm review, written at the 2009 Hong Kong International Film Festival, called it a routine actioner with a pared-down, unfinished storyline but solid action sequences, and singled out Huang Xiaoming's striking screen presence as the villain.[8](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/sniper.html) Far East Films gave it 2.5 out of 5, finding enough tension and expertly mounted action to warrant a viewing while criticizing the posing, slow motion, and melodrama.[3](https://fareastfilms.com/review/the-sniper/) AsianMovieWeb found the film disjointed, with jumpy cuts between action scenes that drained the sniper duels of emotional weight.[9](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/the_sniper.htm) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 37% audience score.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sun-cheung-sau)
A recurring critical theme was the film's editing. A Hong Kong International Film Festival viewer described the final 86 minutes as fragmented, with inconsistent tone and missing style.[11](https://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/amyyym/post/1312421252) The YESAsia professional review judged that the cutting-down of Edison Chen's role left a short, sharp burst of action, with the gunplay tense and the final battle memorable.[7](https://www.yesasia.com/us/the-sniper-2009-blu-ray-hong-kong-version/1020231268-0-0-0-en/info.html) A 2025 Slashfilm ranking of sniper films placed *The Sniper* twelfth, calling it a slickly entertaining entry with improbable but cool rifle shots.[12](https://www.slashfilm.com/1852375/best-sniper-movies-ranked/)
## References
1. [スナイパー：作品情報, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/55304/)
2. [Missing marksman: Edison Chen, Cinema Online](https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2009.sniper_edison_3200)
3. [The Sniper (2009) Review, Far East Films](https://fareastfilms.com/review/the-sniper/)
4. [神鎗手, MEDIA ASIA](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hant/Movies/Info/56/)
5. [林超賢耗資三千萬港幣打造《神鎗手》, 開眼電影網](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/news/NF0906235110/)
6. [神鎗手, 觸電網](https://www.truemovie.com/2009moviedata/Sniper.htm)
7. [The Sniper (2009) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version), YESASIA](https://www.yesasia.com/us/the-sniper-2009-blu-ray-hong-kong-version/1020231268-0-0-0-en/info.html)
8. [The Sniper (神鎗手) (2009), lovehkfilm](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/sniper.html)
9. [The Sniper (Hong Kong, 2009) Review, AsianMovieWeb](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/the_sniper.htm)
10. [The Sniper, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sun-cheung-sau)
11. [剪得支離破碎的《神鎗手》, PChome](https://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/amyyym/post/1312421252)
12. [15 Best Sniper Movies Of All Time, Ranked, Slashfilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1852375/best-sniper-movies-ranked/)
13. [The Sniper - Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1194624/credits/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2000s*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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