The deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, Navy SEAL Chris Kyle clocked up one hundred and sixty confirmed kills during his four tours in Iraq, even though the unofficial tally is closer to two hundred and fifty five. Based on Kyle's own autobiography, American Sniper sees Clint Eastwood at the helm, bringing one man's perspective of war, and the toll it takes, to life.
The incredibly taut and tense opening scene, featuring just one of the many tough decisions Kyle had to make on an almost daily basis, American Sniper plays its hand early, with this tension mixing in with heavy emotion of Kyle's battle with his own instincts, as he tries to balance his duty with the hefty toll it is taking on his mental well being. It's a war movie that questions the morals of war, offering a sometimes harrowing look at how these soldiers come out at the end when its all over. The tension and atmosphere built in the opening act is kept ticking over pretty much throughout, and horrors of war are brought to stark life through some tightly shot set pieces that bring right into the middle of the action, but as gung-ho as these sequences are, they don't break the overall flow of the story, and provide some great contrast to the quieter moments of Kyle at home in between tours. At two hundred and thirty four minutes, it does slow down in places, but just as these lulls seem to be out staying their welcome, Eastwood snaps us out of it, and the energy begins anew.
Eastwood's exploration of Kyle's life is very much a character study, and it's an incredible central performance from a bulked up Bradley Cooper that proves to be the heart of this movie. Forget The Hangover, Limitless, even Guardians of the Galaxy. Everything we know and expect from Cooper is washed away in that opening scene, with the actor losing himself in the character almost immediately. It's a striking, accomplished, and incredibly human performance, and with Eastwood laser focused on Kyle over the war, and the politics behind it, the movie would have fallen apart if Cooper couldn't deliver. But deliver he does, shouldering much of the movie's heavy themes with ease. He conveys so much about his character with just a look, and the deterioration brought on by the love of his country is etched on his face as the movie marches on. Kyle could have easily being portrayed as an untouchable portrait of extreme masculinity, but Cooper imbues it with a startlingly degree of humanity.
With all the focus on Kyle, the rest of the characters suffer somewhat. Sienna Miller does hold her own as Kyle's wife, giving a face to the family drama always at the edges of the story. The pain she feels as she watches her husband become more and more detached is almost palatable, and the scenes she shares with Cooper sees her holding her own against his outstanding performance. The rest of the cast get lost in sea of undefined characters, their faceless grunts and insurgents being window dressing to the overall story. This is especially evident when it comes to Kyle's brother (Max Charles) who is pretty much put to side as soon as he is introduced.
Anchored by a fantastic lead performance from Cooper, Eastwood delivers a sobering and sobering perspective of war from the ground level.
The incredibly taut and tense opening scene, featuring just one of the many tough decisions Kyle had to make on an almost daily basis, American Sniper plays its hand early, with this tension mixing in with heavy emotion of Kyle's battle with his own instincts, as he tries to balance his duty with the hefty toll it is taking on his mental well being. It's a war movie that questions the morals of war, offering a sometimes harrowing look at how these soldiers come out at the end when its all over. The tension and atmosphere built in the opening act is kept ticking over pretty much throughout, and horrors of war are brought to stark life through some tightly shot set pieces that bring right into the middle of the action, but as gung-ho as these sequences are, they don't break the overall flow of the story, and provide some great contrast to the quieter moments of Kyle at home in between tours. At two hundred and thirty four minutes, it does slow down in places, but just as these lulls seem to be out staying their welcome, Eastwood snaps us out of it, and the energy begins anew.
Eastwood's exploration of Kyle's life is very much a character study, and it's an incredible central performance from a bulked up Bradley Cooper that proves to be the heart of this movie. Forget The Hangover, Limitless, even Guardians of the Galaxy. Everything we know and expect from Cooper is washed away in that opening scene, with the actor losing himself in the character almost immediately. It's a striking, accomplished, and incredibly human performance, and with Eastwood laser focused on Kyle over the war, and the politics behind it, the movie would have fallen apart if Cooper couldn't deliver. But deliver he does, shouldering much of the movie's heavy themes with ease. He conveys so much about his character with just a look, and the deterioration brought on by the love of his country is etched on his face as the movie marches on. Kyle could have easily being portrayed as an untouchable portrait of extreme masculinity, but Cooper imbues it with a startlingly degree of humanity.
Anchored by a fantastic lead performance from Cooper, Eastwood delivers a sobering and sobering perspective of war from the ground level.
