American Sniper

It's rather unfortunate that I have to begin this review with a disclaimer and a slight political discussion. Yes, there is controversy surrounding Chris Kyle's life. I get that. But I find it funny how quick people are to dismiss his incredible contribution to your well-being and safety. I also find it funny, and a tad sickening, how quickly people forget exactly who we are fighting when we speak about "fighting terrorists". These are people cut from the same cloth of those that planned/killed 3,000 innocent people on 9/11. Want a more recent example? How about the massacre that occurred in a Pakistani school mere months ago with 150 casualties (of which 134 were children)? People are going to have their opinions, and that's fine, but when you start dishonoring a man, who is now deceased, who fought for you to be able to have that opinion, I find it beyond rude. That, combined with the naivety of those who seem to forget how despicable the people we're fighting are, is the reason that I wanted to insert this paragraph. You disagree with me? That's fine. Then just remember how hypocritical that is given that men like Chris Kyle risked their lives daily for you to be able to do so.

Now, onto the review.

R.I.P. to those lives lost

American Sniper is breaking box office records for January left and right and I personally know that my theater has been crazy busy this weekend. It's for good reason because the film is nothing short of incredible.

As you may have guessed from my "rant", American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle (played wonderfully by Bradley Cooper), who is the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history with 160 confirmed kills. That in and of itself is wildly impressive and I don't think that Kyle's service should be doubted in anyone's mind. He went on four tours (four!) and lived through each one, saving countless Marine lives along the way. During this time he would often come home for months at a time and suffer with PTSD, a very real and very difficult disease to get a grip on. Upon his final return home he "treated" his PTSD by helping other injured veterans. Again, there is controversy on his life, but not only would it have felt shoehorned into the film (which was arguably a little too long already), it would have defeated the purpose of the film: to honor not only the soldiers of these wars, but also their families and all their sacrifices, with specific focus on Kyle and his family.

Don't forget the sacrifices made by military families...

Clint Eastwood returns to the director chair for American Sniper, after quite the misfire with last year's Jersey Boys, and I'm happy to say that he is much more in his element here. The focus on Cooper for most of the film is tight and the battles, of which there are many, are well staged and often very intense, visceral experiences. The film has far more action than I thought it would, which obviously leads to some "Hollywood-izing" of the action, which there is a fair amount of. I've done my research and there are some plot arcs that were designed for the film and not true, at least not based on Kyle's book. Unfortunate? Maybe, but keep in mind that nearly all films that are "based on a true story" have some degree of fabrication to make it a better film. Either way, American Sniper's action scenes are some of the best war scenes that I can recall in a long time and the film has incredible sound editing that helps to add to the tension, often utilizing gaps of silence and loud bass in contrast to each other in order to heighten the intensity. While the war scenes are "entertaining", they are also realistic, reminding the audience how horrible this war and this enemy truly can be.

She supported him through four tours

Eastwood also manages the real world with grace, even though the amount of time spent on those scenes are far less. Eastwood picks the way he would like to portray Kyle, as someone who strives and lives to protect others, with no room for argument (and almost a little bit too "on the nose"), but it's a view of Kyle approved by his family and his widow and let's be honest, they knew him better than anyone. The film explores some of the issues of war, specifically the sacrifice of the families back home and rampant PTSD once soldiers return. It does fantastic at exploring these issues, but I truly wish it would have done a little bit more in these regards. I would have taken one less action scene or some edited down ones in order to continue the superb, but brief, job the film does at humanizing our hero out from behind the scope.

Speaking of our hero, Bradley Cooper (who beefed up considerably for the role) does phenomenal in the film in probably his best performance ever. I'm not positive that it's Oscar worthy, especially given how many stellar male performances there were last year (and that Gyllenhaal got snubbed for Nightcrawler), but incredibly strong nonetheless. He is confident throughout, but when the PTSD begins to show you can tell that there is something breaking at the seams with this man and his wife is often the one that tries to bring him back. Sienna Miller, while underused, does a good job as his wife and she has her own battle and sacrifices, mainly having married a man who is addicted to the battlefield.

Thank you to all the troops for their service

American Sniper has some minor issues but this was one of those films that I felt them easy to ignore when it's as well made as it is. There is hardly any political agenda attached to the film other than honoring Kyle and Eastwood wisely stays away from creating what could have become a messy opinionated movie. Instead, Eastwood and Cooper leave their points to be laid out on the battlefield with a strong, but admittedly brief, look at Chris Kyle when he was Stateside.

As someone who remembers who we are fighting and what we are fighting for, and as someone who has friends and family in the military (one of which who has suffered from PTSD), I found American Sniper to be a film NOT dedicated to the red, white, and blue, but rather to those individuals and their families who die and sacrifice to keep it that way.

CONS:

• I would have liked slightly less action for a bit more focus on the home life
• The film is stressful and intense and its runtime really takes it out of you by the end. It's a tad overlong
• After doing my research, I'm not sure I agree with some of the creative plot arc decisions
• Some plot threads are left hanging (i.e. Kyle's brother)
• Kyle's patriotism is displayed a little too obviously

PROS:

• Eastwood's direction is superb both on and off the battlefield. the action is remarkably intense and the "real world" scenes are strong too
• Strong cinematography throughout
• Phenomenal sound editing. The quiet/loud bass combos are effective and truly add to the immersion
• The original score is sparingly used but amazing nonetheless
• Strong performance by Bradley Cooper who does well in the action scenes, but also while dealing with the ghosts that haunt him
• A great honoring not only for Chris Kyle, but for all the troops and families that have made sacrifices over the past decades
• A powerful film that left my full theater, and myself, speechless

Rath's Review Score: 9/10