Back in 2023, two films from a franchise you’d probably never heard of hit the Netflix Top 10: “Sniper: Assassin’s End” and “Sniper: Ultimate Kill.” These movies constitute just a small part of a long-running saga that began with 1993’s “Sniper,” a Tom Berenger actioner that created a sprawling direct-to-video franchise that now comprises 11 films. Even though Berenger departed after the third instalment, Sony has been churning out “Sniper” movies with alarming consistency ever since 1993.
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Berenger played Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett, an elite sharpshooter who in “Sniper” loses his partner Doug Papich (Aden Young) on a mission in Panama. Papich is replaced by another sniper in the form of Richard Miller (Billy Zane), who is Beckett’s superior but has nowhere near his subordinate’s level of real-world experience. The pair is then forced to work together as they embark on a mission to kill Panamanian rebel Miguel Alvarez (Frederick Miragliotta). Ever since, the “Sniper” movies have become something almost unrecognizable from the original film, which was met with lukewarm reviews and made around just $18 million at the box office. Chad Michael Collins took over for the fourth movie, “Sniper: Reloaded,” playing Beckett’s estranged son, Gunnery Sergeant Brandon Beckett, and became the new face of the “Sniper” saga. He has been with the franchise ever since, representing a constant for the series as it has shifted tone multiple times and even seen Berenger return for several sequels.
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If you’re interested or just confused by the whole thing, here’s a list of the current “Sniper” movies: “Sniper” (1993), “Sniper 2” (2002), “Sniper 3” (2004), “Sniper: Reloaded” (2011), “Sniper: Legacy” (2014), “Sniper: Ghost Shooter” (2016), “Sniper: Ultimate Kill” (2017), “Sniper: Assassin’s End” (2020), “Sniper: Rogue Mission” (2022), “Sniper: G.R.I.T. – Global Response & Intelligence Team” (2023), and “Sniper: The Last Stand” (2025).”
Following the previous Netflix success of “Sniper: Assassin’s End” and “Sniper: Ultimate Kill,” and the Netflix dominance of Clint Eastwood’s controversial sniper movie “American Sniper” this year, “Sniper: The Last Stand” has now proven to be yet another streaming hit, rising up the Netflix charts with the top spot in its sight.
Sniper: The Last Stand sets its sights on a Netflix number one
With a full 11 “Sniper” movies on offer, the franchise might seem a little daunting to newcomers. But due to the fact that there are no sequels, prequels, or reboots (unless you count the soft reboot that was “Sniper: Reloaded”), the best way to watch the “Sniper” films is, fittingly, just a straight shot through all 11 installments. If you’re considering getting acquainted with this lesser-known action franchise, now might be a good time because the latest entry has just hit Netflix and is already proving hugely popular.
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In “Sniper: The Last Stand,” Chad Michael Collins’ Brandon Becket is tasked with bringing down an arms dealer (Arnold Vosloo) before he can deploy a superweapon. Thankfully, Beckett has some help in the form of Agent Zero (Ryan Robbins), and together, the pair are deployed to Costa Verde where they lead a group of elite soldiers against a local militia in pursuit of the arms dealer and his destructive superweapon. As if that weren’t enough to deal with, Beckett also takes a rookie sniper under his wing.
That all seems to be a perfect formula for Netflix success. “Sniper: The Last Stand” hit the streamer on May 6, 2025 and according to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks viewership data across the streaming platforms, became an instant hit stateside. The film debuted as the number two most-watched film in the United States on May 7, 2025, suggesting it might just be able to take the number one position as the week plays out.
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Is Sniper: The Last Stand worth watching?
At the time of writing, “Sniper: The Last Stand has just two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, neither of which are from the so-called “top critics.” That said, those two reviews are positive, but it still means the Tomatometer is yet to produce an overall percentage. It is worth bearing in mind that the “Sniper” movies are very much made for streaming. Despite the fact that the franchise began back in 1993, it basically became the quintessential Netflix action saga even before Netflix existed, with a string of direct-to-DVD movies that have since found a perfect home over on the king of streamers. As such, don’t expect prestige action movie filmmaking with “Sniper: The Last Stand.”
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That’s not to knock the films. Clearly, the cast is dedicated to the series, with Chad Michael Collins in particular giving his all in every installment. As Nick Rogers of the Midwest Film Journal writes in one of the few reviews for “The Last Stand,” “There are some obvious frustrations and limitations inherent to the low-budget concern of the whole thing. But the ‘Sniper’ franchise has found a solid — and refreshingly female-centric — groove in its third decade.”
Whether that will be enough for the 11th movie in the series to claim the number one spot on the U.S. most-watched films chart remains to be seen. In order to do so, “The Last Stand” will have to snipe German thriller “Exterritorial” from the top spot, which previously dethroned Tom Hardy’s “Havoc.” “The Last Stand” is also being chased by the first “Twilight” movie in the number three position, which remains the best of the “Twilight” saga and surely one of the most formidable enemies Brandon Beckett will ever face.
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