Movie Review Madness: American Sniper

Pennsylvania boy Bradley Cooper and English rose Sienna Miller are darn good actors. They pull off Texan in American Sniper without a fake drawl. Number one in the nation, this movie directed by Clint Eastwood deserves its Oscar nomination and perhaps has a chance to win. It’s sneaking up in the opinion polls. This is based on a true story, and the book of the same name.  

Chris Kyle, an all American Texas boy, had a good eye as a hunter under his father’s direction. Then as a Navy Seal, under Uncle Sam’s eye, Chris Kyle is credited with the most kills of any sniper in history. His four tours in Iraq are a portrait in heroism, and, as the movie shows, a portrait of a very human mortal man. Clint Eastwood guides this movie in an objective fashion – no obvious agenda shows. We have a lot of reasons to admire Chris Kyle, and a lot of reasons to say, “Time to say stop, time to go home to your wife and kids. It’s okay.” Eastwood shows the pressure on soldiers, and the effects of battle.  

Bradley Cooper is fantastic and very worthy of his Oscar nomination. He’s a gung-ho young man who matures before our eyes, and ages into a weary wary man. From what I understand, he captured the essence of the real Chris Kyle. American Sniper is superbly filmed, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You inhale and exhale with Kyle, and you pray that a kid does not pick up a rocket launcher. The tension is palpable and the movie audiences are quiet, totally absorbed in the action. The performances are all nuanced, not stereotypes. This is a rich film, and a snippet of history.  

American Sniper is very worthy of the big screen. You’ll come away with your own opinions of war and its human aftermath, etc. But you won’t question the powerful movie you saw and the excellence of Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper. You will exhale slowly as you exit the cinema.